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DLI reports $2.25M collected in unpaid wages in 2024 and lists major enforcement settlements
Summary
The Department of Labor and Industry’s Labor Standards Division reported $2.25 million collected in unpaid wages in 2024 and summarized several enforcement cases, including penalties and recoveries for overtime, pregnancy discrimination and child labor violations.
Nicole Blissenbach, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, told the Senate Labor Committee the Labor Standards Division collected $2,250,000 in unpaid wages in calendar year 2024 and assessed about $5,500,000 in total amounts owed to workers.
Blissenbach said the division also collected more than $2,000,000 in civil penalties and responded to more than 23,000 stakeholder inquiries. She highlighted four enforcement matters from 2024:
- Bushel Boy: DLI determined the employer failed to pay overtime for employees who regularly worked more than 48 hours in a week; the department recovered about $200,000 in unpaid overtime.
- Sanford Health system: DLI found an employee’s hours were cut and she was terminated after requesting 12 weeks of parental leave under state law; as part of resolution the health system agreed to statewide training for its employees on legal requirements.
- GrapeTree Medical Staffing: The employer agreed to pay about $336,000 to workers after DLI determined the employer made improper deductions for missed or canceled shifts; the payments covered roughly 1,000 impacted employees.
- Smithfield Foods (child labor case): DLI identified at least 11 minors, ages 14–17, working in violation of state child labor laws; Smithfield resolved the matter with a consent order that included $2,000,000 in penalties, Blissenbach said.
The commissioner emphasized that the division enforces child labor laws, earned sick and safe time, misclassification, overtime, minimum wage, prevailing wage, wage theft and provisions of the Women’s Economic Security Act. Committee members asked about enforcement capacity and appealed to the department to continue outreach and education alongside enforcement.
