Employment Standards Administration

The Employment Standards Administration (ESA) was the largest agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. Its four subagencies enforced and administerered laws governing legally mandated wages and working conditions, including child labor, minimum wages, overtime pay, and family and medical leave; equal employment opportunity in businesses with federal contracts and subcontracts; workers' compensation for certain employees injured on their jobs; internal union democracy, financial integrity, and union elections, which protect the rights of union members; and other laws and regulations governing employment standards and practices.