WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking as it considers updating the regulations that implement the Davis-Bacon Act and Davis-Bacon and Related Acts to reflect better the needs of workers in the construction industry and planned federal construction investments.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division today published and launched several resources to help combat retaliation by employers against employees for exercising their worker rights. These resources include the following:

FROSTPROOF, FL – Un juez federal aprobó un acuerdo con un contratista agrícola de Frostproof (José M. Gracia Harvesting Inc.), quien, según descubrió el Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU., defraudo a los trabajadores y no les proporcionó condiciones de vida higiénicas y seguras, una práctica que requerirá que pague los salarios atrasados y una sanción pecuniaria civil.

FROSTPROOF, FL – A federal judge approved a settlement with a Frostproof farm labor contractor – Jose M. Gracia Harvesting Inc. – who the U.S. Department of Labor found shortchanged workers and failed to provide them with safe and sanitary living conditions – a practice that will require him to pay back wages and a civil money penalty.

BOSTON - Tras una investigación y un litigio del Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos, un tribunal federal ordenó a una empresa de servicios de árboles de Holbrook y a su propietario -que amenazó a un ex empleado que participó en una investigación de la División de Horas y Salarios del departamento- que pagaran al trabajador $25,000 en concepto de daños punitivos.

GOSHEN, IN – At 18 locations across Indiana, a Goshen-based credit union failed to pay 34 mortgage loan advisors and mortgage loan originators the full overtime wages they were due.

Date of action:                       January 11, 2022

Type of action:                      Complaint

Names of defendants:          Sentinel Security Group Inc.

BOSTON – Após uma investigação e litígio pelo Departamento do Trabalho dos EUA, um tribunal federal condenou uma empresa de poda de árvores de Holbrook e seu proprietário – que ameaçaram um ex-funcionário por participar em uma investigação do departamento da Divisão de Horas e Salários – a pagar ao trabalhador $25,000 em indenizações punitivas.

BOSTON – Following an investigation and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, a federal court ordered a Holbrook tree service company and its owner – who threatened a former employee who participated in an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division – to pay the worker $25,000 in punitive damages.

ATHENS, GA – A federal investigation has found two Zaxby’s franchise restaurants in Lilburn and Grayson endangered minor-aged employees and allowed them to work outside of prescribed hours, in violation of federal child labor laws.

YOUNGSTOWN, OH – A federal judge ordered American Made Bags LLC in Akron and its owner to pay a total of $189,756 – $94,893 in back wages and an equal amount in damages – to 48 employees after two separate federal investigations found numerous illegal pay practices.

NEW KENSINGTON, PA – A federal court has approved a consent judgment ordering a New Kensington landscaping company and its owner to pay $150,000 in back wages and penalties after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found the employer willfully denied overtime pay to its workers.

UPPER DARBY, PA – A federal court has ordered an Upper Darby home healthcare agency to pay $4,544,872 in back wages and liquidated damages after U.S. Department of Labor investigators found that the employer misclassified some workers as independent contractors, which denied 503 home health aides their rightfully earned overtime wages.

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

                         Bureau of Labor Statistics

WALTERBORO, SC – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found a Walterboro landscaping company failed to reimburse workers employed in the U.S. under the H-2B guest worker program for their travel costs and failed to pay wage rates as required.

SIOUX CITY, IA – Slaughterhouse workers spend long hours on their feet to process livestock and put beef, pork and other meats on the nation’s dinner tables – essential work that keeps Americans fed. For their labor, employers are legally required to ensure these workers are paid all their rightful wages.

BUENA PARK, CA – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation recovered $158,096 in back wages and liquidated damages for employees of a global medical products manufacturer that failed to pay workers, putting many of them at risk of being unable to provide for their basic needs.

PENSACOLA, FL – A commercial cleaning contractor shortchanged 19 workers at a Federal Aviation Administration worksite in Pensacola by failing to combine hours worked at different job sites and not paying prevailing wages and benefits required on federally funded contracts, the U.S. Department of Labor has found.

WALTERBORO, SC - Una investigación del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. descubrió que una empresa de jardinería de Walterboro no reembolsó a los trabajadores empleados en EE.UU. bajo el programa de trabajadores invitados H-2B sus gastos de traslados y no pagó las tarifas salariales como se requiere.

COLUMBUS, OH– Home healthcare workers assist their clients with daily living tasks and even stay overnight at their homes to provide around-the-clock care. Despite their essential labor, these workers are sometimes denied all their rightful wages by their employer’s illegal pay practices, as federal investigators found in a recent labor investigation in Columbus.