A nationwide survey has found that states employ few investigators to enforce their laws covering the minimum wage, overtime, child labor and payment of wages.  Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit research institute based in Cleveland, found that 43 states and the District of Columbia collectively employ just 659.5 investigators enforcing state minimum wage, wage payment, overtime and child labor laws. Compared to the nearly 100 million private-sector employees in these states, that works out to more than 146,000 workers per investigator, though that is a rough gauge since not all workers are covered by state laws and some states leave much or all enforcement of minimum-wage laws to the U. S. Department of Labor.
 

A number of states, such as Ohio, Wisconsin and Arizona, have seen cutbacks in labor standards enforcement staff, though some others have maintained employment levels.  Most states have laws that require that workers are paid the wages they earn and that they are paid a minimum wage, as well as overtime for hours worked beyond a specific amount. They also protect against exploitation of child labor. These laws often mirror the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, but may go beyond it or extend coverage to some workers that federal law does not cover. While the Obama Administration has hired new investigators and boosted the enforcement effort against wage theft, the number of U.S. investigators is considerably smaller today than it was decades ago compared to the size of the workforce. State efforts are a vital element in enforcement of labor standards. (click on link to read full story)