WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is hiring 45 additional investigators to conduct investigations to determine employers’ compliance with applicable federal labor laws.

New recruits will join a busy and productive team, including 45 new investigators and 15 Wage and Hour Technicians the hired earlier this year.

CHICAGO, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a petition asking the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, to enforce an administrative subpoena the department served to Alight Solutions LLC – based in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

ST. JOSEPH, MO ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Skinner Tank Company – based in Yale, Oklahoma – for lack of fall protection after an employee constructing a storage tank suffered fatal injuries in a 50-foot fall at a Missouri agricultural facility in October 2019. The company faces $415,204 in penalties for two willful and 11 serious safety violations, and has been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

PEORIA, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),  Grain and Feed Association of Illinois (GFAI), and Illinois On-Site Consultation Program have signed a two-year alliance to address safety and health hazards employees face at Illinois grain-handling sites.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a new poster listing steps all workplaces can take to reduce the risk of exposure to coronavirus.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) today announced the availability of $42.5 million in Youth Apprenticeship Readiness grants to support the enrollment of in-school or out-of-school youth apprentices (ages 16-24) into new or existing Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs).

BETHESDA, MD – The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland has issued a summary judgment requiring defendants WH Administrators, its owner and chief executive officer (CEO) and chief operating officer to restore $28,650,604 to health and welfare plans sold to employers by the now defunct Bethesda, Maryland-based benefits administration company.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the publication of Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) 16-20 providing guidance to states for implementation of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the publication of Unemployment Insurance Guidance Letter 15-20 (UIPL) providing guidance to states for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC). Under FPUC, states will administer an additional $600 weekly payment to certain eligible individuals who are receiving other benefits.

WASHINGTON, DC – In the latest effort to implement President Donald J. Trump’s Memorandum on Making General Use Respirators Available, the U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced more guidance to provide information to workers and employers about how each will be able to take advantage of the protections and relief offered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which went into effect April 1, 2020.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Heaslip Engineering LLC, Citadel Builders LLC, Suncoast Projects LLC – doing business as Hub Steel – and eight subcontractors for safety and health violations at the construction site of a planned Hard Rock hotel in downtown New Orleans. Three workers suffered fatal injuries and 18 other workers suffered serious injuries in a partial building collapse. 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued interim enforcement guidance to help combat supply shortages of disposable N95 filtering face piece respirators (N95 FFRs). The action marks the department’s latest step to ensure the availability of respirators and follows President Donald J. Trump’s Memorandum on Making General Use Respirators Available.

EVANSTON, IL –  The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited three employers – Northwestern University, Hill Mechanical Corp. and National Heat & Power Corp. – for exposing workers to permit-required confined space hazards associated with underground steam vaults. Proposed penalties for the three companies total $235,962.

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

“Today’s report shows 701,000 fewer jobs, and the unemployment rate rising to 4.4%.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the publication of Unemployment Insurance Program Letter 14-20 (UIPL) outlining relevant provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act related to the administration of and eligibility criteria for state unemployment insurance (UI) programs, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) for those not typically eligible for UI, such as gig workers, and expanded UI benefits.

WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement regarding Unemployment Insurance claims:

In the week ending March 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 6,648,000, an increase of 3,341,000 from the previous week's revised level. This marks the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in the history of the seasonally adjusted series. The previous week's level was revised up by 24,000 from 3,283,000 to 3,307,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,612,000, an increase of 1,607,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 6,000 from 998,250 to 1,004,250.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced new action regarding how American workers and employers will benefit from the protections and relief offered by the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, both part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) posted a temporary rule issuing regulations pursuant to this new law, effective today, April 1, 2020.

ORLANDO, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Skanska-Granite-Lane – a joint venture operating as SGL Constructors – for exposing employees to safety hazards at the I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project worksite in Orlando, Florida. One worker suffered fatal injuries and another was hospitalized. The contractor faces $53,976 in penalties.