The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) Wage and Hour Division and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will be working more closely together to enforce workplace laws across the country. The two agencies signed a memorandum of understanding that took effect Sept. 13.

The partnership formalizes and increases coordination between the two agencies through information sharing, joint investigations, training and outreach. The agencies intend to share information from complaint referrals, investigative files and company demographic reports to the extent permitted under the law.

"Employers should expect more effective and robust enforcement," said Liz Morris, deputy director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. "The investigations are going to be more comprehensive."

"The practical upshot is that employers will need to be aware of the possibility of enforcement action by both agencies," said Cara Crotty and Jim Coleman, attorneys with Constangy, Brooks, Smith and Prophete in Columbia, S.C., and Washington, D.C., respectively, in a joint email.

The stakes are higher now, so employers should be extra careful, said Nancy Schess, an attorney with Tarter, Krinsky and Drogin in New York City.

In a press release, EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows emphasized potential collaboration on enforcing two recently enacted federal laws: the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act) and the...

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