Confidentiality and the DOL

[Job_Hunting]

What is the name of your state? IL

I have received a questionnaire from the USDL in regards to my company's wage and salary practices. It is my understanding they are auditing my company due to a claim/complaint, not a random audit.

The form states: "Identity will be kept confidential to the maximum extent possible under existing law".

My concern, naturally, is that if I am honest with the answers on my form, in the end, my company will be ordered to pay back wages, etc., and be fined. However, it is likely this will happen regardless if I reveal this information in my form or not--all they have to do is look at records.

Management has let it be known they are very displeased that an individual contacted the DOL. I have every reason to believe that any employee's name that comes out will have their days numbered as an employee for that company.

Under the "maximum extent of the law", how confident can one be that their name will not be disclosed?

Thanks to anyone with experience in this area.

 

[cbg]

The DOL is not going to provide them with any names.

It is illegal to fire you for reporting illegal activity to the DOL. Even in the extremely unlikely event that they are able to figure out who placed the report or who responded to the survey, if you were to be fired for it you'd have a nice little wrongful termination suit to play with.

 

[Job_Hunting]

Thanks very much cbg.

It is also a concern that management will start "finding reasons" to create files on suspects and ultimately we will be terminated for something "unrelated", if you know what I mean.

 

[cbg]

I do. But if there is a valid reason to believe that the reason used is a pretext and that the "REAL" reason was the report to the DOL, that counts as a wrongful term as well.