ELKINS PARK, PA – The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has ordered SM Choi Inc. – which operates four fast-food establishments in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania – to pay $93,146 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 38 employees for willful violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Department also assessed the employer $26,121 in civil penalties.

CHARLESTON, SC – The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of South Carolina has ordered Hugo Villalpando, the owner of La Carreta Mexican restaurants in Charleston and Summerville, South Carolina, to pay $190,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 58 employees for violating the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The action comes after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD).

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will offer a compliance seminar for contractors, unions, workers and other interested parties to provide information on the rules governing federal prevailing wage requirements.

WHD will offer the training on October 24, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Ivy Tech Community College Culinary and Conference Center, 2820 North Meridian St., Indianapolis, Indiana 46208.

CHATTANOOGA, TN – A Tennessee poultry processing facility has paid $36,038 in back wages to 69 employees and a civil penalty of $7,469 after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found Koch Foods Inc. violated the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division will host a public listening session in Washington, D.C., to gather views on the Part 541 white-collar exemption regulations, often known as the "Overtime Rule," on October 17, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT.

PORT WENTWORTH, GA – Evicore Healthcare – a medical benefits management company based in Bluffton, South Carolina – has paid a former employee $17,760 in lost wages after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation determined the company violated the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

NAPLES, FL – Fish Ristorante LLC has paid $50,391 in back wages and liquidated damages to 57 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the Naples, Florida, restaurant violated the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

MILAN, TN – American Ordnance LLC – based in Middletown, Iowa – has paid $678,296 in back wages, overtime, and fringe benefits to 63 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer violated provisions of the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA). American Ordnance LLC is an ammunition manufacturer for the U.S. military performing work at the Milan Munitions Plant in Milan, Tennessee.

PHOENIX, AZ – The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona has entered a consent judgment requiring Bulletproof Securities Inc. of Phoenix, Arizona, to pay $39,500 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 151 employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) that identified minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

VINCENNES, IN – The Knox County Association for Remarkable Citizens Inc. (KCARC) – a federal contractor based in Vincennes, Indiana – has paid 95 current and former employees a total of $25,170 – including $3,755 to 28 workers with disabilities - following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD).

NAMPA, ID – G Man Insulation LLC – an insulation and drywall company based in Nampa, Idaho – will pay $272,253 in back wages, damages, and penalties after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) affecting 39 employees. 

WASHINGTON, DC – With over 1.1 million jobs currently open in healthcare and social assistance, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposal to allow younger Americans to safely develop critical skills for fast-growing jobs in healthcare – which are expected to add 2.4 million jobs, more than any other occupation, through 2026.

FORSYTH, GA – The Georgia Department of Corrections has paid $429,005 in back wages to 1,257 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation uncovered overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at more than 40 facilities statewide.

BOSTON, MA – The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has entered a consent judgment requiring Boston-based Village Pizza and Grill and its owner, Klaundjon Totoni, to pay $115,841 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 14 employees, plus $8,317 in civil penalties. The judgment follows an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) that identified violations of the child labor, overtime, minimum wage, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

GUAYNABO, P.R. – In the year since hurricanes Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has recovered $14,337,657 in unpaid wages for 7,761 employees engaged in recovery work in those territories. WHD has also undertaken significant outreach activities to educate employers and employees about compliance with federal wage laws, as part of its ongoing hurricane response efforts.

PHOENIX, AZ – Insearch Corp. – based in Tempe, Arizona – will pay $64,584 to 73 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the transportation company violated minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHITE PLAINS, NY – The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has entered a consent judgment requiring Hudson View Care Center Inc. - doing business as Regency Extended Care Center - and owner Michael Melnicke to pay $182,500 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 81 employees, plus $20,000 in civil penalties. The judgment follows an investigation by the U.S.

DETROIT, MI – The City of Detroit, Michigan, has created a total of five lactation stations and amended its break policy to accommodate nursing employees’ needs to express and store milk during the workday. The policy changes follow an investigation by the U.S.

OPELIKA, AL – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has resulted in the Opelika, Alabama, Police Department paying $56,681 in back wages to seven officers for violations of overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

MONTGOMERY, AL – Ozark Safety Services LLC – based in Montgomery, Alabama – has paid a former employee $10,095 in lost wages after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the company violated the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

WHD investigators found Ozark Safety Services LLC discharged the employee for absences that qualified for FMLA-protected leave. Rather than categorizing the absences as allowed and covered under the FMLA, the company labeled them as unauthorized, and took improper disciplinary action.