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CLARKRANGE, TN – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a federal consent decree requiring a Clarkrange lumber producer to stop violating federal child labor regulations, pay penalties for their violations and surrender profits earned for products made while violations occurred.

KENNEWICK, WA – The U.S. Department of Labor has debarred a Kennewick farm labor contractor from participating in the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program for three years after finding the employer provided workers with unhealthy living conditions; transported them in unsafe vehicles driven by people without licenses or proper permits; withheld wages and made illegal pay deductions; told workers to falsify documents to mask violations of federal regulations; and denied U.S. workers access to jobs.

Empleador:                               La Flor de Mexico Inc.

Lugar de investigación:            5121 Commerce Drive

Employer:                                 La Flor de Mexico Inc.

Investigation site:                      5121 Commerce Drive

ATLANTA – As states across the Southeast address Hurricane Helene’s impacts, the U.S. Department of Labor reminds employers in disaster recovery and their workers that even when disaster strikes, worker protections apply.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development have launched a joint strategic enforcement initiative to combat violations of federal and state child labor laws.

Date of action:                       Sept. 24, 2024 

Type of action:                      Complaint

ROSEDALE, LA – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a court order assessing the operator of a Rosedale farm $12,000 in civil money penalties and preventing the Louisiana employers from applying for H-2A certification to bring foreign workers to the U.S. to fill temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs for one year, after investigators found the farm’s operator intimidated and threatened workers in violation of the law. 

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $154,009 in back wages and liquidated damages from an international plastics manufacturer that willfully failed to include bonus payments when calculating overtime for 743 workers.

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa – Workers on American Samoa employed in industries covered by the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 will receive a 40-cent increase in their hourly wage beginning Sept. 30.

Employer:                                          

Hopewell Operator LLC, operating as Wonder City Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

Employer:                             Bulletproof Plumbing & Heating Inc. 

Investigation site:             6920 Ropers Point 

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleging that Coway USA Inc., a Los Angeles-based company that sells, leases and services household appliances, failed to pay overtime wages earned by more than 180 employees, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

CHICAGO – A federal judge has ordered Mariusz Lekarczyk, the owner and operator of four Chicago-area We Wash Hand Wash and Car Detail Centers, and We Wash Car Care Center Inc. to pay $799,566 in back wages and damages to 110 employees and $110,990 in penalties to the U.S. Department of Labor, as part of a consent judgment and order obtained by the department. 

Employer:      Angry Fish Sushi Inc.

                        16250 E 14th St.

San Leandro, CA 94578

DALLAS – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $227,834 in back wages from the owner and operator of a Happy Lamb Hot Pot franchise in Grand Prairie that denied 47 restaurant workers required minimum and overtime wages and illegally allowed a manager to keep a portion of servers’ tips.

Employer:      Humberto Castaneda Produce

                        2859 Fulton Road

Fulton, CA 95439 

Empleador:    Humberto Castaneda Produce

                        2859 Fulton Road

Fulton, CA 95439 

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit in federal court against a Jefferson City buffet restaurant and its owner, after investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division found servers worked for tips only and cooks were paid a set cash salary regardless of how many hours they worked, leading to violations of minimum wage or overtime regulations.