PHILADELPHIA – A federal court jury has awarded back wages of more than $22 million to the U.S. Department of Labor for more than 7,500 employees working for East Penn Manufacturing Company Inc. — one of the world’s largest battery manufacturers — after the department proved that the company failed to pay them overtime pay.

Employer name:        Texas Children’s Hospital

                                            1919 South Braeswood Blvd.

                                            Houston, TX 77030

Citations issued:        One serious citation and one Hazard Alert Letter.

Who:              U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division           

What:             Fair Labor Standards Act webinar for hotel industry employers, workers

When:            May 11, 2023, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT  

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the availability of $2 million in funds for the first year of a cooperative agreement for an employer-focused, disability policy development and technical assistance center.

TACOMA, WA – A federal court in Tacoma has ruled that the U.S. Postal Service retaliated against an employee who reported an injury to supervisors and applied for workers’ compensation benefits in 2019 while on probation as a new postal employee.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an incremental award of more than $2.8 million for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to support its continued efforts to provide employment and training services for people in communities affected by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction and overdose.

Employer:   APDC Cleaning Services Inc.

                     5824 Precision Drive, Orlando, FL 32819

LYNDHURST, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment in a federal court in New Jersey to recover $910,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 289 employees of a Lyndhurst staffing agency whose pay practices deprived them of hard-earned overtime wages.

Participants:      U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational

                Safety and Health Administration

                Holder Construction Group LLC

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

                                    IEW Construction Group

Participants:            

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

Georgia Department of Public Health

Mental Health America of Georgia

What:  Mental Health Safety Stand-Down

WASHINGTON – U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Public Affairs Julie McClain Downey issued the following statement on the April 2023 Employment Situation Report:

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 253,000 jobs in the month of April, and the unemployment rate ticked down to a historic low mark of 3.4 percent – the lowest since May 1969. The last time the unemployment rate was lower was October 1953. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that a new report finds that nearly half of workplace accommodations made for people with disabilities can be implemented at no cost to employers, and of those that do incur a one-time cost, the median expenditure has decreased when compared to previous reports to only $300.

Employer:                       The Heart and Medical Center                                     

Investigation sites:    2701 W. University Blvd.

                                              Durant, OK 74701                                  

In the week ending April 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 242,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 230,000 to 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 239,250, an increase of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 250 from 236,000 to 235,750.

GARY, IN – Like all first responders, firefighters employed by the City of Gary must be ready to respond when and wherever needed. In general, they work a 106-hour schedule at fire stations every two weeks in shifts sometimes lasting 24 hours or longer. When duty forces them to exceed their typical schedules, federal law requires their employer to pay overtime wages at time-and-one-half their hourly rates.

Participants:            

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

Holder Construction Group LLC

Georgia Tech On-Site Consultation Program

What:  Safety partnership agreement

LOUISVILLE, KY – Working in a kitchen late at night near dangerous cooking equipment is a reality for many adults in the food service industry. But finding 10-year-old kids in such a work environment is a cause for concern and action by the U.S. Department of Labor.

HARRISBURG, PA – A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction in response to the U.S. Department of Labor’s request to enjoin and restrain the owner of a Popeyes franchise restaurant in Harrisburg and its district manager from threatening workers, harassing federal investigators, and otherwise obstructing an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division.

HONOLULU – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $101,694 in back wages and liquidated damages from the owners of a Honolulu restaurant who denied full wages to 10 chefs — many of whom worked as many as 20 hours of overtime each week — by illegally excluding them from overtime compensation.