Rio Grande attorney, Aaron Ramirez, explains nicely the problems with seeking redress for wage violations from the Department of Labor. As he says, its better to seek relief through a private attorney.
Aaron points out for example that DOL does not normally seek liquidated damages. Liquidated damages is a phrase referring to monies used to compensate the victim of a wage issue for emotional issues and to help punish the employer.
In my own experience, DOL does little more than *maybe* issue a finding that the employer has violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (the minimum wage law).