More than 2500 Minorities and Women Benefit from U.S. Labor Department Action

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced today that Tyson Foods Inc., headquartered in Springdale, Ark., has entered into six consent decrees to settle findings of hiring discrimination. More than 2500 women and minorities will receive a total of $1.5 million in back pay.

Form T-1 Improves Disclosure and Increases Union Transparency

HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has sued Benitez Drywall LLC, a Houston-based drywall company, and its owners for alleged violations of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division following an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Back wages are expected to exceed $500,000 for more than 500 construction workers.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that Q.C. Financial Inc., a payday loan establishment that operates under the name of Quick Cash, has paid $519,088 in back wages to 900 employees to correct violations of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The corporation is headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., and has numerous locations throughout the U.S.

Office Relocates to F. Edward Hebert Building

NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that the Wage and Hour Division's New Orleans district office has returned to the city. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Wage and Hour staff conducted investigations and compliance assistance activities from a temporary office in Metairie, La.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a complaint and consent judgment with BMW which calls for payment of $629,869 in overtime back wages to 1,224 workers in Spartanburg, S.C. The suit was based on an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division into violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Department Has Paid Claimants More Than $1.5 Billion Since Program's Inception

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) this month marks the fifth anniversary of administering the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Program. The department has administered Part B of the program since its inception in 2001, and was charged with implementation of Part E, a provision created in October 2004 as part of an amendment to the energy program.

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Gardena, Calif.-based Southern California Maid Services and Carpet Cleaning (SCMS) for minimum wage, overtime pay and recordkeeping violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The suit seeks more than $1.8 million in unpaid backwages for approximately 386 employees.

NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Labor Department announced today that it has recovered a total of $181,689 in back wages for 164 employees who performed debris removal for three different companies in the Gulf Coast region. These three lower-tiered government subcontractors agreed to pay their workers back wages following investigations by the department's Wage and Hour Division under the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA).

Recommendations Would Strengthen DOL's Enforcement Authority

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Department of Labor official testifying today before the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims, highlighted the department's strong enforcement record despite limited enforcement authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act's H-1B visa program.

ATLANTA — The U.S. Labor Department announced today that Atlanta Erosion Consultants of Norcross, Ga., has agreed to pay $574,486 in overtime back wages to 193 workers after a Wage and Hour Division investigation found they had not been paid in accordance with the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON — Sterling Jewelers Inc., of Akron, Ohio, has agreed to pay $1,291,077 in back wages to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) overtime requirements, the Labor Department announced today. Sterling agreed to pay the back wages to 16,820 current and former employees of its retail stores operating at 1,200 locations in 41 states. The company does business under 14 retail names around the country.

BILOXI, Miss. — The U.S. Labor Department announced today that it has obtained agreements from three companies to pay a total of $362,673 in back wages for 680 employees in the hurricane-damaged Gulf Coast region. The companies are involved in the clean-up and reconstruction of casinos along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and have agreed to pay the back wages for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), following investigations by the department's Wage and Hour Division.

NEW ORLEANS — Over the course of the summer, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division will be available on two days each week at the Good News Camp to provide compliance information to workers and to answer wage and hour-related questions. Bilingual investigators will be available to assist Spanish-speaking individuals.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today launched a new Web-based back wage employee locator to provide easy and secure access for employees to find and collect back wages due to them.

Thai agricultural workers employed at Hawaiian farms

SAN FRANCISCO — A Los Angeles-based firm employing overseas workers at two Hawaii farms has been ordered to pay $156,995 in back wages plus $135,450 in civil money penalties following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The department found that Global Horizons Manpower Inc., owned by Mordechai Orian, owes backwages to 88 temporary non-immigrant agricultural workers from Thailand.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced today that George's Processing Inc. has agreed to pay $1,235,000 in back wages to 5,482 current and former employees of its Cassville, Mo., poultry processing plant for uncompensated overtime hours. The employees were not paid for time spent putting on (donning) and taking off (doffing) protective clothing and other gear, and walking to and from the changing area to their work stations. The judgment was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Springfield.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Compass Bank, headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., has agreed to pay 2,961 employees $1,036,236 in back overtime wages after an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division determined the company had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON — For their efforts to promote equal employment opportunity, seven companies and organizations were honored today by the U.S. Department of Labor at an annual awards ceremony hosted by the department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

Three types of awards — the Secretary of Labor's Opportunity Award, Exemplary Voluntary Efforts Award, and Exemplary Public Interest Contribution Award — were presented to recognize innovative workplace programs and initiatives that increase equal employment opportunity for the American workforce.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today announced the publication of the fifth edition of the Service Contract Act (SCA) Directory of Occupations.

The directory, a list of occupations most often included in SCA wage determinations, is a valuable tool that standardizes agency requests for wage determinations and provides definitive guidance for contractors to determine how employees working on a contract should be classified and paid.