I received this email on Feb. 21, 2014, from my payroll company. The name of the company and its representative have been removed.
As you read the email which has been sent to all of this company’s Arizona business owners, please consider the following:
Declaration of Independence: "He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent out hither Swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their Substance."
Amendment IV from the U.S. Constitution: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Hello Business Owner,
As part of ……., I am expected to meet with you to help educate you on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) new Plan/Prevent/Protect initiative. This initiative compels businesses of any size to maintain documentation regarding labor and OSHA compliance, keep up with training initiatives to support your documents, and to assign on-site individuals responsible for maintaining the program. Though this initiative has been in place since 2010, funding for enforcement was not made available until July 2013, providing for more than 900 new auditors to seek out violations and generate fine and penalty revenue for the federal government.
One piece of P3 is extensive, unannounced enforcement audits to be conducted by the 900 newly hired Department of Labor agents/auditors. They are currently inspecting random zip codes to ensure you are compliant with this program and should you be out of compliance, the fines are astronomical. We have already seen the impact of this program locally. The DOL is estimating that for every dollar invested in staffing for this program, they’ll generate $9 back in fines and penalties for non-compliance (this means the average auditor, earning approximately $50,000 will generate an estimated $500,000 in fines for the DOL each year). If a DOL auditor were to walk through your doors tomorrow and ask to take a look around, would you be prepared?
The purpose of our meeting is to review what P3 is, how it will impact your business, and make sure you are not at risk for any fines or employee claims. We will also review your benefits and tax liability to see if we can save you time or money in that area.
The meeting normally takes 30-45 minutes and I’m currently scheduling for the last two weeks in February and the first week in March. Please reply to this email with what time and day is best for you and I will do my best to accommodate.
Looking forward to meeting you!
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