NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment requiring the operator of a New Orleans-area home healthcare agency to pay 80 workers a total of $630,000 in back wages and damages after the employer misclassified them as independent contractors.

BEACHWOOD, OH ‒ While the potential deadly risks of mixing electricity and water are well known, Take 5 Car Wash, a Beachwood company operated by a subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest automotive services companies, ignored reports of employees suffering electrical shocks for more than 14 months, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $7.5 million, five-year cooperative agreement to continue support for a policy center aimed at boosting disabled youth employment.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Employee Benefits Security Administration is seeking nominations to fill five, three-year vacancies on the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, known as the ERISA Advisory Council. The deadline to submit nominations is Oct. 23, 2023.

GREEN BAY, WI – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a federal consent order and judgment against sawmill operator Florence Hardwoods LLC following the death of a child. The order requires the Florence County company to place labels and signage to prevent children under age 18 from using dangerous equipment and entering the company’s sawmill and planer buildings.

In the week ending September 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 216,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 228,000 to 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 229,250, a decrease of 8,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 237,500 to 237,750.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor invites outstanding recent law school graduates with a passion for public service to apply for its two-year Honors Program and earn unique experience in one of the federal government’s preeminent legal offices.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will host an information session in Arvada, Colorado, on Sept. 12, 2023, for current and former nuclear weapons workers and their families employed at covered facilities on the benefits available under the federal Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.

FILADELFIA - Una investigación federal de las prácticas de pago de un mayorista de Filadelfia ha llevado al Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. para obtener una sentencia acordada en un tribunal federal, la cual exige que las empresas paguen $419,615 a 21 personas empleadas a quienes se les negó deliberadamente los salarios por horas extras.

PHILADELPHIA – A federal investigation of the pay practices of a Philadelphia wholesaler has led the U.S. Department of Labor to obtain a consent judgment in federal court, requiring the employers to pay $419,615 to 21 workers deliberately denied overtime wages.

Date of Action:          Aug. 30, 2023

Type of Action:         Employee Retirement Income Security Act complaint filing

Company/Owners:   Virtual Matrix Corp.

Suman Thotakura

Virtual Matrix 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan

WASHINGTON – U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su issued the following statement on Labor Day 2023:

WASHINGTON – Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su issued the following statement on the August 2023 Employment Situation report: 

BOSTON – Leaders of the U.S. Department of Labor convened yesterday in Boston for a roundtable discussion on the importance of mental health friendly workplaces, particularly in the building trades. The event was held at the Iron Workers Local 7 Union Hall.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Stafford engine component manufacturer again for failing to correct safety hazards that caused an employee’s finger amputation in March 2022.

Who:  

U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Response crews and residents in areas affected by Hurricane Idalia

WASHINGTON – To help identify and address barriers workers face when accessing state unemployment insurance benefits, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $3 million to the state of Georgia.

WASHINGTON – To celebrate and recognize extraordinary individuals whose distinctive contributions to the field of labor elevated working conditions, wages and overall quality of life of America's working families, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced new inductees into its Hall of Honor.

The inductions will begin on Sept. 18 with a ceremony at which Acting Secretary Julie Su will honor the hall’s first 2023 inductees, the El Monte Thai Garment Workers.  

In the week ending August 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 228,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 230,000 to 232,000. The 4-week moving average was 237,500, an increase of 250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 236,750 to 237,250. 

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a default judgment to recover $153,768 for four people whose former employer abandoned its employee retirement plan more than two decades ago, leaving no one to administer the plan and authorize distribution of its funds, a violation of federal law.