Enforcement agency announces 10 criminal convictions and 9 indictments for October 2008

Final rule brings two-year public process to close with common sense reforms for modern workforce

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor will publish a final rule on Nov. 17 to update its regulations under the 15-year-old Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) — a measure that will help workers and their employers better understand their rights and responsibilities, and speed the implementation of a new law that expands FMLA coverage for military family members.

STERLING, Va. — GlobalCynex Inc., a Sterling information technology company, has agreed to pay $1,683,584 to 343 non-immigrant workers after a U.S. Labor Department investigation found the company violated the H-1B visa provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Enforcement agency announces 3 criminal convictions, 7 indictments for September 2008

Johns Hopkins Health System receives Secretary of Labors Opportunity Award

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has announced the reopening of its Houston District Office to assist employees and employers in the communities affected by Hurricane Ike with wage-related issues.

The Houston office was closed because of wind and rain damage as a result of Hurricane Ike. During that period, the work normally performed out of the division's Houston office was handled by its San Antonio District Office.

Rule establishes Form T-1 for union trust reporting

Lawsuit seeks backwages for 2,000 ready mix drivers in 8 states

Agency obtained 8 convictions and 10 indictments during month

Enforcement agency announces 10 criminal convictions and 8 indictments for July 2008

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) today unveiled two initiatives aimed at promoting the hiring of veterans and protecting the rights of applicants with disabilities: The Good Faith Initiative for Veterans Employment (G-FIVE) and Ensuring the Accessibility of Online Application Systems.

Agency also marks 70th anniversary of Fair Labor Standards Act

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor reminds employers and employees that the federal minimum wage will increase to $6.55 on Thursday, July 24. With this change, employees who are covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will be entitled to pay at no less than $6.55 per hour.

Workers to benefit from increased transparency

WASHINGTON — On May 5, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia dismissed a challenge to the U.S. Department of Labor's authority to require reports from attorneys who make payments to unions or union officials. The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) requires employers to file reports if, among other things, they provide money or other things of value to a union or a union officer or employee.

Bulk of cases involve embezzlement of union funds

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) today announced its criminal enforcement data for April 2008. During the month, OLMS obtained seven convictions, nine indictments and court orders of restitution totaling $225,615. The office's totals for fiscal year 2008 (which began on Oct. 1, 2007) now stand at 59 convictions and 76 indictments. The bulk of the cases involved the embezzlement of union funds.

Revisions designed to better protect union members right-to-know

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking on May 12 to enhance union financial transparency. The proposed rule, issued under the authority of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA), protects the rights of labor union members to have meaningful information about union finances and expenditures.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that it has added to its Web site information about occupational diseases associated with toxic substances found at facilities covered under Part E of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).

BOSTON — Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics Inc. has agreed to pay 238 employees across the country a total of $688,772 in overtime back wages due under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

DENVER — The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit to recover $1,094,486 in back wages for 302 Denver-area employees of Aggregate Industries, WRE Inc., a subsidiary of Bardon US Corp. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Denver, resulted from an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division that found violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

OLMS exceeds 900 indictments since 2001

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) today announced its criminal enforcement data for March 2008. During the month, OLMS obtained four convictions, five indictments and court orders of restitution totaling $279,202. The office's totals for fiscal year 2008 (which began on Oct. 1, 2007) now stand at 52 convictions and 64 indictments. The bulk of the cases involved the embezzlement of union funds.

DALLAS — Dallas-based Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. has entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to settle allegations of hiring discrimination based on race and gender and agreed to a settlement of $1.5 million.