ICYMI: U.S. Department of Labor Acts to Help American Workers and Employers During the Coronavirus Pandemic

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor took a range of actions to aid American workers and employers as our nation combats the coronavirus pandemic.

Reopening America’s Economy:

• U.S. Secretary of Labor Scalia Highlights Workforce Development in Pennsylvania – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he joined Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) and Congressman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (PA-15) to highlight workforce development at JWF Industries, where they met with company leadership and apprentices. Secretary Scalia then traveled to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania where he visited the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Independent Electrical Contractors to meet with apprentices. “Apprenticeships play a key role in getting Americans back to work. The President’s actions to expand these programs, along with pro-business policies such as tax cuts, deregulation, and fair and reciprocal trade agreements will bolster our economic recovery,” said Secretary Scalia.

Keeping America’s Workplaces Safe and Healthy:

• U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Announces $1,222,156 In Coronavirus Violations – Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Oct. 8, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited 85 establishments for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $1,222,156.

Defending Workers’ Rights to Paid Leave and Wages Earned:

• Atlanta Condominium Management Company Pays Back Wages to Employee Denied Paid Sick Leave to Care for Child after Daycare Closed Due to Coronavirus Pandemic – A condominium company – based in Atlanta, Georgia – has paid $1,153 in back wages to an employee after wrongly denied emergency paid sick leave to the employee, who was unable to work while caring for a child when the family’s day care facility closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Labor is focused on protecting the safety and health of American workers, assisting our state partners as they deliver traditional unemployment and expanded unemployment benefits, ensuring Americans know their rights to new paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave, providing guidance and assistance to employers, and carrying out the mission of the Department.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.