Labor Standards Enforcement and Low-wage Immigrants: Creating an Effective Enforcement System

This report analyzes the labor law enforcement records of the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations paying attention to wage and hour laws and industries with high concentrations of immigrant workers. 

The report identifies best practices in labor law enforcement and suggests closer coordination between federal and state agencies working in this area. It also presents findings from an MPI survey of state resources, priorities and initiatives in labor standards. 

Among the policy recommendations in the report are: deterring violators by pressuring dominant or lead employers in an industry or geographic area; status-blind enforcement; creating new metrics less driven by complaints filed and resolved; combating the misclassification of employees as independent contractors; and leveraging the resources of other public and private agencies.

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