March 27, 2023

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OBTAINS CONSENT ORDER, US VIRGIN ISLANDS SUPERMARKET CHAIN MUST PAY $240K IN BACK WAGES, DAMAGES TO 33 UNDERPAID WORKERS

ST. THOMAS, VI - El Departamento de Trabajo ha obtenido una sentencia por consentimiento que requiere que cuatro supermercados de las Islas Vírgenes de EE. UU. y su propietario y ex administrador paguen a 33 trabajadores (incluidos los conserjes, guardias de seguridad y personal de reposición) $240,000 en salarios atrasados más daños y perjuicios después de que una investigación de la División de Horas y Salarios del departamento descubriera que el empleador les negaba los salarios por horas extras.

March 27, 2023

US Department of Labor, Grain and Feed Association of Illinois renew alliance to address common hazards in the grain-handling industry

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

                        Grain and Feed Association of Illinois

What:             OSHA alliance renewal

March 27, 2023

US Department of Labor recovers $259K from South Carolina manufacturer who denied 939 workers legally earned overtime

Employers:    

Jadex Inc., 1303 S. Batesville Road, Greer, SC 29650

Alltrista Plastics LLC, 1303 S. Batesville Road, Greer, SC 29650     

 ArtaZn LLC, 2500 Old Stage Road, Tusculum, TN 37745

LifeMade Products LLC, 1303 S. Batesville Road, Greer, SC 29650

Shakespeare Co. LLC, 6111 Shakespeare Road, Columbia, SC 29223                                 

March 27, 2023

Court requires Austin auto dealership to pay $15K in damages to employee fired in 2020 after raising COVID-19 safety concerns

AUSTIN, TX – When an employee of a luxury auto dealership in Austin learned a co-worker had tested positive for COVID-19 in December 2020, they alerted the company’s management and requested they notify other employees immediately of their exposure risk.

After the dealership failed to act, the employee emailed all company employees about the potential hazards. Less than an hour later, the car dealer terminated the employee.

March 27, 2023

Department of Labor obtains consent order, US Virgin Islands supermarket chain must pay $240K in back wages, damages to 33 underpaid workers

ST. THOMAS, VI – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment that requires four U.S. Virgin Islands supermarkets, and their owner and former operations manager to pay 33 workers – including janitors, security guards and stock people – $240,000 in back wages and liquidated damages after an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found the employer denied them overtime wages.

March 27, 2023

US Department of Labor recovers $67K for employee illegally terminated for exercising rights to bond with newborn child, care for spouse

COVINGTON, GA – A Covington distribution center turned an employee and their family’s joyous celebration of life and a chance to bond with their newborn into a nightmare by illegally terminating the worker for exercising their rights under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, an investigation has found.

March 24, 2023

US Department of Labor finds lawn service contractor ignored safety standards, allowed workers to operate riding mowers dangerously at Fort Campbell

FORT CAMPBELL, KY – A federal workplace safety inspection of a lawn service contractors’ operations at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has found the company ignored safety requirements to save time, including removing safety guards on industrial lawnmowers.

March 23, 2023

US Department of Labor finds Hidalgo County wrongly denied full bonuses to workers who used legally protected Family and Medical Leave

Employer name:                   Hidalgo County

Investigation site:                Hidalgo County Head Start Program

                                                       1901 W. State Hwy 107

                                                        Edinburg, TX 78504

March 23, 2023

US Department of Labor sues Kansas restaurants, owner to recover $771K in minimum wage and overtime back wages, damages for 75 employees

KANSAS CITY, KS – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against the owner of two Kansas restaurants who allegedly denied minimum and overtime wages to kitchen staff, servers, hosts and food runners after some worked as many as 66 hours per week.

March 23, 2023

Federal court order aids Department of Labor recovery of $265K in back wages for 182 employees of Milford drywall contractor

Date of Action:          March 13, 2023

Type of Action:         Fair Labor Standards Act consent order and judgment

Company/Owners:    GEM Interiors Inc., Milford, Ohio

March 23, 2023

Department of Labor finds Tennessee McDonald’s franchisee endangered minor who suffered deep fryer burn, assesses $3K civil penalty

MORRISTOWN, TN – A U.S. Department of Labor child labor investigation has found that the operator of a McDonald’s franchise location in Morristown assigned a 15-year-old employee – who suffered hot oil burns while using a deep fryer – to perform tasks considered hazardous for young workers.

March 23, 2023

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending March 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 191,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 192,000. The 4-week moving average was 196,250, a decrease of 250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 196,500.

March 23, 2023

Pesos on the dollar: US Department of Labor recovers $465K in back wages, damages from Carlsbad manufacturer who underpaid Mexican workers

CARLSBAD, CA – A federal investigation has recovered $465,993 in back wages and liquidated damages for 44 employees of a California medical injection molding manufacturer who denied them their legally earned wages, including overtime, by incorrectly classifying many as trainees.

March 22, 2023

Unfit wages: US Department of Labor survey finds widespread violations by Southern California garment industry contractors, manufacturers

LOS ANGELES – A survey of Southern California garment-sewing contractors and manufacturers by the U.S. Department of Labor has found workers making garments sold by many of the nation’s leading fashion retailers often continue to be victims of wage theft and employers’ illegal pay practices.

March 22, 2023

US Department of Labor recovers $46K in back wages for Indiana construction workers on federal projects

Employer:  Force Construction Company Inc., Columbus, Indiana

Investigation findings:  U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators recovered $46,125 in back wages for 35 employees after evaluating the company’s pay practices on 10 government contracts.

March 21, 2023

US Department of Labor, Power Generation Workgroup alliance promotes importance of safety for workers

On March 10, 2023, Luminant’s Voluntary Protection Program Coordinator Alexander Miller; OSHA Regional Administrator Jennifer Rous; and Onward Energy’s Corporate Safety Director Kelli Heflin signed an alliance agreement to promote workplace safety and health for people working near high voltage.
On March 10, 2023, Luminant’s Voluntary Protection Program Coordinator Alexander Miller; OSHA Regional Administrator Jennifer Rous; and Onward Energy’s Corporate Safety Dire