The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division collected nearly $172 million in back wages in fiscal year 2006, up from just over $166 million in fiscal year 2005.

More than $120.5 million of the back wages collected in 2006 involved violations of the overtime rules of the Fair Labor Standards act (FLSA). Another $15.2 million involved FLSA's minimum wage rules.

Of the $135.7 million in FLSA back wages collected, more than $13.2 million was collected for employees as a result of violations of the revised Overtime Security regulations (29 C.F.R. Part 541). The most frequently cited violation was one in which the employee's primary duty was not "the performance of office or non-manual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer's customers." The Wage and Hour Division cited this violation of the administrative duty test in 353 cases.

The Wage and Hour Division says it collected more than $1.3 million in back wages for employees working on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

The division says it received fewer complaints alleging violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act. The number of FMLA complaints dipped from 2,784 in 2005 to 2,161 in 2006.