Lawyer Referral For Labor Cases Set Up

Business managers should anticipate that this announcement will lead to increased numbers of wage and hour and family medical leave act claims.

Some workers whose complaints aren t resolved by the U.S. Labor Department will be told of another option: Find a private lawyer through an ABAapproved lawyer referral program.

The collaboration between the Labor Department s Wage and Hour Division and the ABA was revealed at a White House press conference. Vice President Joe Biden announced the new program, saying it was one of three new initiatives designed to help middleclass and lowincome people. The others involve linking veterans to legal aid programs and training lawyers and others to help homeowners with mortgage modifications.

Also speaking were Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and ABA Presidentelect Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III, who explained the program relies on lawyer referral networks that are already in place. In a typical year, more than 35,000 workers contact the Wage and Hour Division with complaints, according to the Labor Department s Office of Public Affairs. Most are resolved, but thousands can't be resolved because of limited capacity, Solis said at the press conference.

Now, beginning on Dec. 13, workers with unresolved complaints under the Fair Labor Standards Act or the Family Medical Leave Act will be told of another option. They will get a letter explaining their rights and offering a tollfree number that can link them to ABAapproved lawyer referral programs in their geographic area.