Recent U.S. Labor Department news releases show something important about its current approach to enforcing the federal Fair Labor Standards Act:

? An enforcement initiative directed at Long Island, New York full-service restaurants resulted in assessments of more than $2.3 million in back wages for 578 employees, as well as in civil money penalties of over $200,000.

? DOL is conducting a multi-year enforcement initiative focused upon the construction industry in Connecticut and Rhode Island, where 183 investigations of construction-industry employers have so far recovered nearly $3.3 million in back wages for 1,226 employees.

? A DOL enforcement initiative focused upon hand-harvested crops in Florida has generated back-pay of over $156,000 for 689 agricultural workers and approximately $680,000 in civil money penalties.