INDEPENDENCE, VA – Following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, and an administrative law judge’s order, 20 temporary agricultural workers who traveled from Mexico to help provide pumpkins, Christmas trees and produce for Mid-Atlantic consumers will be paid $19,988 in back wages by an Independence farm. The farm will also pay $36,000 in civil money penalties.

HONOLULU –The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $62,908 in back wages and liquidated damages for 42 workers after an investigation found the operators of five Hawaii restaurants denied them overtime pay and allowed a manager and other employees to take a portion of the workers’ tips illegally.

ATLANTA - La División de Horas y Salarios del Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos continúa con su iniciativa plurianual de formación y cumplimiento de la ley para aumentar el cumplimiento de las leyes laborales federales en la industria agrícola del sureste. Además de la actividad de cumplimiento de la ley, la iniciativa proporciona asistencia para el cumplimiento a los empleadores y forma a los trabajadores y otras partes interesadas.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is continuing its multi-year education and enforcement initiative to increase compliance with federal labor laws in the Southeast’s agricultural industry. In addition to enforcement activity, the initiative provides compliance assistance to employers and educates workers and other stakeholders.

SEATTLE – An ongoing federal initiative to investigate pay practices of residential builders in Washington State found that a Lacey contractor recklessly failed to pay workers overtime for hours they worked over 40 in a workweek in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will offer online compliance seminars for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders to provide information on the requirements governing payment of prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.

PHILADELPHIA – A federal court has ordered a Philadelphia home healthcare staffing agency and its owner to pay nearly $410,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 43 employees after U.S. Department of Labor investigators found that the employer misclassified workers as independent contractors.

Employer:                              Chong’s Restaurant

Investigation site:                  5136 Hinkleville Road, Paducah, Kentucky 42001

HARTFORD, CT – A federal court entered a consent order that requires two Fairfield County restaurants and their owners – who used threats of retaliation to coerce nine workers to kick back thousands of dollars of back wages and liquidated damages recovered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division – to pay $150,000 to those employees.

DALLAS – As minor-aged workers seek to make extra cash by working more hours during spring recess, their employers should take the opportunity to review federal child labor laws to avoid violations and costly penalties.

WINCHESTER, IN – A Winchester non-profit provider of social services shortchanged caregivers by failing to pay them the federal minimum wage, as the law requires for all government contractors, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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 pa

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.