Dr. Sandie Morgan and Dave Stachowiak are joined by another partner, Paul Chang, to discuss Labor Trafficking. Paul is the Western Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator for the US Department of Labor in the Wage and Hour Division. Together, they discuss the nuances of labor trafficking and how DOL partnerships can help better equip your community!


Key Points

The Wage and Hour Division specializes in distinguishing conditions and patterns between labor exploitation and labor trafficking.
Labor exploitation is when somebody is not getting what they're owed, but when there are signs of force, fraud, or coercion involved it becomes a labor trafficking case.
Fine tune labor trafficking training in your own community with the help of DOL partners in your region!

Resources

Department of Labor
Wage and Hour Division
Contact Paul Chang at 714-418-8620 or Chang.Paul@dol.gov

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Transcript
Dave [00:00:00] You're listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 202, The Role of the Department of Labor in Combating Human Trafficking.  

Production Credits [00:00:11] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.  

Dave [00:00:31] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.  

Sandie [00:00:37] And my name is Sandie Morgan.  

Dave [00:00:39] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, as we talk about often on the show, there is such an important role to play of partners across all sectors: the private sector, nonprofits, schools and universities which of course is a big part of our work as well, and then of course- government agencies. And today a perspective from one of the most important partners in U.S. government in combating trafficking and I'm so excited for our guest today.  

Sandie [00:01:13] Me too. We've been trying to set this up for a long time so it's exciting.  

Dave [00:01:18] We are glad to welcome to the show today, Paul Chang. He is the Western Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator for the U.S. Department of Labor in the Wage and Hour Division and he's going to be joining us to share some of the perspectives from the Department of Labor and work against human trafficking. Paul, we're so glad to welcome you to the show.  

Paul [00:01:40] Dave, thank you. And Sandie, thank you for having me.  

Sandie [00:01:42] Well, tell us what is included in the western region.  

Paul [00:01:46] The western region encompasses eight states and its the territories from Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, as well as Guam and Saipan.  

Sandie [00:01:59] Okay, so you have a pretty broad job title.  

Paul [00:02:03] It is and it's a new position that was created back in 2017 and I'm just very thankful to be doing this type of work.  

Sandie [00:02:12] And I just want our listeners to know that we've known each other for more than a decade working together on the Orange County human trafficking task force. And so, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has always had an important role to play in combating human trafficking. But what people often don't understand is the difference in their vantage point and the resources that they bring to the table. So why don't you start by kind of explaining civil enforcement as your position in combating human trafficking?  

Paul [00:02:51] Back when we were working together in Orange County, I was an assistant district director back then.