Keith E. Sonderling was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 22, 2020, to be a Commissioner on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for a term expiring July 1, 2024. The EEOC administers and enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. These laws include: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA).
Prior to his confirmation, Commissioner Sonderling served as the Acting and Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). At the Wage and Hour Division, Sonderling oversaw enforcement, outreach, regulatory work, strategic planning, performance management, communications, and stakeholder engagement. During his tenure, the Division accomplished back-to-back record-breaking enforcement collections and educational outreach events. Sonderling oversaw the development and publication of large-scale deregulatory rules, and authored numerous Opinion Letters,, Field Assistance Bulletins, and All Agency Memorandums. Additionally, he was instrumental in developing the Division’s first comprehensive self-audit program, which collected more than $7 million for nearly 10,000 workers.
The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) administers and enforces federal labor laws including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA),the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA, H-1B, H-2B, H-2A), government contracting laws such as the The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBA) & (DBRA), The McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act (PCA), The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA), The Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA), The wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA), and certain provisions of Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA).
Before joining the Department of Labor in 2017, Commissioner Sonderling was a partner at the Gunster Law Firm in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he practiced labor and employment law.
