The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is the state agency charged with protecting and enforcing worker's rights, processing unemployment claims and ensuring workers' compensation claims are paid in accordance with the law.

This state agency promotes effective employment relations in the municipal, state and private sectors. WERC Commissioners and staff travel the State conducting hearings and issuing labor relations decisions in administrative law and contract grievance disputes; mediating contract negotiation and grievance disputes; conducting secret-ballot employe votes; and providing labor management cooperation training and facilitation.

This agency decides appeals in cases involving Unemployment  Insurance (UI),  Worker's Compensation (WC), and  Equal Rights (ER).

OSER provides human resources leadership in state government and as such is the agency responsible for overseeing the state civil service system, negotiating state labor contracts, managing labor relations and the state's affirmative action and equal opportunity employment programs.