February 20, 2020

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending February 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 210,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 205,000 to 206,000. The 4-week moving average was 209,000, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 212,000 to 212,250.

February 19, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Reaches Resolution of Allegations Of Hiring Discrimination by Time Warner Cable

CHARLOTTE, NC – After a routine compliance evaluation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Time Warner Cable LCC – a large telecommunications company – and the department have entered into an early resolution conciliation agreement. As a result, the company will pay $745,000 in back wages and interest to resolve hiring discrimination violations found at three company facilities. Time Warner Cable did not admit any wrongdoing.  

February 18, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Nearly $100 Million In Apprenticeship Grants to Close the Skills Gap

RALEIGH, NC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the awarding of grants to 28 public-private apprenticeship partnerships totaling nearly $100 million through the Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grant program. These grants will support large-scale expansions of apprenticeship in industries including advanced manufacturing, healthcare and information technology.

February 18, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Illinois Contractor For Continuing to Expose Roofers to Fall Hazards

NAPERVILLE, IL ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited DB Custom Carpentry LLC – based in Aurora, Illinois – for exposing employees to falls. The homebuilder faces penalties of $333,968 for three willful and one repeat safety violations.

February 18, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Slidell, Louisiana Contractor Paying $78,038 to 12 Employees

SLIDELL, LA – After an investigation by the a U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Superior Air Conditioning and Heating LLC – based in Slidell, Louisiana – has paid $78,038 in back wages and fringe benefits to 12 employees for violating requirements of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

February 13, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Cites New York Cookie Manufacturer For Exposing Employees to Falls and Other Hazards

ALBANY, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Nonni’s Foods LLC for exposing employees to falls and other hazards at the Ferndale, New York, facility. The manufacturer of premium cookies faces $221,257 in penalties.

February 13, 2020

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending February 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 205,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 202,000 to 203,000. The 4-week moving average was 212,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 211,750 to 212,000.
 

February 12, 2020

U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia Joins One-Year Commemoration of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia today joined Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump at a roundtable event commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative.

February 11, 2020

U.S. Secretary of Labor Scalia Highlights Workforce Development and the President’s Trade Agreements in Central Florida

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Orlando and Tampa, Florida. In Orlando, he participated in a roundtable discussion with government and business leaders at Enterprise Florida, Inc., and gave remarks at the International Franchise Association’s 60th Annual Convention. In Tampa, Secretary Scalia held a second roundtable discussion with business leaders and educators and spoke with employers and workers at Port Tampa Bay before taking a tour of the port.

February 11, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor and New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions Partner to Protect the State’s Workforce and Enforce Wage Laws

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The U.S. Department of Labor and the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand and improve the protection of New Mexico's workforce, strengthen enforcement of wage laws and level the playing field for responsible employers.

February 11, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor to Host Roundtable to Discuss H-2A Program At Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center on Feb. 25, 2020

HAYS, KS ­- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will host an Agricultural Roundtable Event focusing on compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Employment of Foreign Workers Visa Program under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The event will take place Feb. 25, 2020, at the Kansas State University (KSU) Agricultural Research Center in Hays, Kansas.

February 11, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Austin Restaurant Paying $98,520 in Owed Wages, Damages to Employees

AUSTIN, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Polvos I LLC – doing business as Polvo’s Mexican Restaurant in Austin, Texas – has paid $98,520 in back wages and liquidated damages to 19 employees to resolve overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

February 11, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Recovers Back Wages and Damages For Oklahoma Healthcare Workers

CUSHING, OK – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), AHS Cushing Hospital LLC – operating as Hillcrest Hospital Cushing in Cushing, Oklahoma – has paid $30,488 in back wages and liquidated damages to 12 employees to resolve violations of the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

February 11, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Obtains Judgment Requiring Texas Contractor To Pay $318,244 to 69 Employees at Two Hawaiian Hotels

HONOLULU, HI – The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a $318,244 consent judgment against Steve Hoegger & Associates Inc. – a general contractor based in Wylie, Texas – for failing to pay overtime to employees who worked more than 40 hours per week, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), at two Hawaii hotels. The settlement follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD).

February 11, 2020

Saipan Waste Collection Company Pays Employees $30,077 in Back Wages, Damages, After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Overtime Violations

HONOLULU, HI – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), AYD Services Inc. – a Saipan-based provider of environmental and waste collection services – has paid $30,077 in back wages and liquidated damages to 21 employees for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirements. The employer also paid $17,976 in civil penalties as a repeat and willful violator of the FLSA’s wage standards.

February 11, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Conducting Wage Survey of Guam’s Building, Heavy, Highway and Residential Construction Projects

HAGATNA, GUAM – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is conducting a building, heavy, highway and residential construction survey in Guam to collect data to establish prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts.

The survey is not limited to federally funded construction projects, and covers active building, heavy, highway and residential construction projects in Guam between May 1, 2019, and April 30, 2020.

February 10, 2020

President Trump’s Budget Makes Key Investments in America’s Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor released the following statement regarding President Donald J. Trump's fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget.

February 7, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Georgia Farm for Exposing Employees to Safety Hazards Following Fatality

FORT VALLEY, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Pearson Farms LLC for safety violations after an employee suffered fatal injuries at the farm’s post-harvest operations facility in Fort Valley, Georgia. The farm is facing $128,004 in penalties.

February 7, 2020

Statement by U.S. Secretary of Labor Scalia on the January Jobs Report

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement on the January 2020 Employment Situation Report:

“January’s jobs report far surpassed expectations with a surge of 225,000 jobs created. 

February 6, 2020

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending February 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 202,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 216,000 to 217,000. The 4-week moving average was 211,750, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 214,500 to 214,750.