February 14, 2022

Two Turlock, California agricultural employers shortchanged workers; transported, housed them unsafely, federal investigation finds

TURLOCK, CA – Too often, federal investigators find foreign-born workers brought to the U.S. fail to receive the rights and protections they are legally due. Employers don’t pay them as the law requires, and transport them in unsafe vehicles and house them in overcrowded – and sometimes hazardous – conditions. Employers who exploit these workers gain an unfair advantage over industry competitors and lower standards for domestic workers.

February 11, 2022

Federal court orders Weymouth restaurant, owner, to pay $345K in back wages, damages to 13 workers denied overtime, earned tips

BOSTON – An order issued by a federal judge in Massachusetts, has fully granted the U.S. Department of Labor’s motion for summary judgment regarding numerous violations of federal law by a Weymouth restaurant and its owner that deprived workers of their hard-earned wages and tips.

February 10, 2022

¿Fue usted un oficial del Departamento de Policía de Puerto Rico entre 2010 y 2014? El Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos puede tener salarios atrasados que se le deben

SAN JUAN, PR – El Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos está buscando a 287 ex-oficiales u oficiales actuales del Negociado de Policía de Puerto Rico, que trabajaron para el negociado entre el 13 de junio de 2010 y agosto 31 de 2014, y que se les deben salarios atrasados como parte de una orden judicial federal del 2016.

February 10, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers $61K in overtime back wages for 60 laborers at Livonia, Michigan, employer

LIVONIA, MI – By misclassifying 60 employees as independent contractors, a Detroit-area employer denied them their full wages and benefits and important protections under federal law – a situation now remedied by a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

February 10, 2022

Were you a Puerto Rico Police Department officer between 2010 and 2014? US Department of Labor may have back wages you’re owed

SAN JUAN, PR – The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking 287 former or current officers of the Puerto Rico Police Department, who worked for the department between June 13, 2010, and Aug. 31, 2014, and are owed back wages as part of a 2016 federal court order.

February 10, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers $26K in back wages for 16 workers after Flagler Beach restaurant violates federal labor laws

FLAGLER BEACH, FL – A Flagler Beach bar and grill’s decision to keep portions of employees’ credit card tips to cover cash drawer shortages and customer walkouts voided their ability to receive a tip credit and pay each affected worker less than the full federal minimum wage.

February 9, 2022

Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. recupera $42,000 en salarios atrasados, compensación por daños para seis trabajadores de restaurantes en California

SACRAMENTO, CA - Investigadores federales descubrieron que los propietarios de tres restaurantes del norte de California deliberadamente no pagaron a un cocinero y a otros cinco trabajadores las horas extras trabajadas por encima de 40 en una semana de trabajo.

February 9, 2022

US Department of Labor finds South Carolina fast food restaurants endangered minor employees, violated their work hours limits

COLUMBIA, SC Operators of four well-known fast food restaurant locations illegally employed workers under the age of 18 at hours and in occupations that jeopardized their safety, a series of investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor has found.

February 9, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers 42K in back wages, liquidated damages for six Northern California restaurant workers after investigation

SACRAMENTO, CA – Federal investigators found that the owners of three northern California restaurants willfully denied a cook and five other workers overtime wages for hours over 40 in a workweek.

February 8, 2022

El Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos anuncia una iniciativa de los trabajadores para salvaguardar los derechos, garantizar protecciones para los trabajadores en las industrias de almacén y logística

WASHINGTON- El aumento de la demanda de los consumidores y las restricciones relacionadas con la pandemia en la cadena de suministro global se han combinado para ejercer una enorme presión sobre la industria de almacenes y logística de la nación y han llevado al Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos a tomar medidas más estrictas para garantizar que los salarios y los derechos laborales de los trabajadores de almacén y logística estén protegidos.

February 8, 2022

US Department of Labor announces worker initiative to safeguard rights, ensure protections for workers in warehouse, logistics industries

WASHINGTON – The increased demand and the constraints on the global supply chain have combined to place enormous strain on the nation’s warehouse and logistics industries, and has prompted the U.S. Department of Labor to take heightened action to ensure that warehouse and logistics workers’ wages and workplace rights are protected.

February 8, 2022

Federal court orders New Jersey company, co-managers who deliberately denied workers’ overtime wages to pay $711K to 89 workers

UNION, NJ – A federal court in New Jersey ordered an electrical and heating, ventilation and air conditioning company based in Union, and its two co-managers, to pay 89 electricians, electrician helpers and HVAC technicians after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found the defendants deliberately denied overtime.

February 8, 2022

Indiana home healthcare provider ordered to pay $432K in back wages, damages to 171 caregivers following US Department of Labor investigation

INDIANAPOLIS – An Indianapolis employer assigned home healthcare workers to shifts at two related companies but failed to combine the hours, denying them earned overtime pay when they worked more than 40 hours per week for the same employer.

February 7, 2022

Winter Park bakery employed 13-year-old as unpaid ‘volunteer,’ allowed minor to operate dangerous slicer, in violation of federal laws

WINTER PARK, FL – A Winter Park bakery engaged a 13-year-old worker as an unpaid volunteer, and risked the child’s safety by allowing them to operate a power-driven bread slicer, in violation of federal laws governing pay practices and child labor.

February 4, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers $47K in back wages for 30 workers after investigation finds Miramar Beach restaurant violated law

MIRAMAR BEACH, FL – A federal investigation has recovered $47,088 for 30 employees from the operator of a Miramar Beach restaurant who denied them their rightfully earned overtime wages. 

February 4, 2022

US Department of Labor investigation of Bowling Green Home Instead operator reveals systemic wage violations in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee

BOWLING GREEN, KY – What started as an investigation of a single Bowling Green-based caregiving provider became a sweeping review of six other franchise locations across three states when investigators uncovered systemic violations by the employer.

February 1, 2022

New Hampshire retailer pays $50,000 in punitive damages to worker terminated after asking for owed overtime wages

MANCHESTER, NH A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation has determined Smokers Haven Inc. and owner Brett Scott violated the anti-retaliation, overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act

February 1, 2022

Investigation recovers $97K in back wages, damages for 330 workers after US Department of Labor finds violations at 11 frozen yogurt franchise locations

SEATTLE – A federal investigation recovered $96,973 in back wages and liquidated damages from the operator of 11 frozen yogurt shops in Washington and Oregon who allowed store managers to take a portion of workers’ tips illegally, and failed to pay some workers overtime wages when they worked over 40 hours in a workweek. The employer also did not keep an accurate record of hours worked.