January 15, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Final Rule to Modernize H-2A Temporary Agricultural Labor Certification Program

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule that modernizes the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Labor Certification Program.  

Furthering the Trump Administration’s agenda to help American farmers, the Department’s Employment and Training Administration, and Wage and Hour Division are issuing this final rule in response to the extensive public comments received from farmers, farmworkers, as well as advocates and associations for both groups from across the country.

January 14, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Launches Education and Enforcement Initiative to Ensure Child Care Industry Complies with Federal Labor Laws

DALLAS, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has launched an outreach and enforcement initiative to improve compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) among businesses in the child care industry in its Southwest region.

January 13, 2021

Florida Beekeeper Pays $10,487 in Back Wages and Penalties After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Violations of Guest Worker Visa Program

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL – After an investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) assessed S&S Apiaries LLC – a New Smyrna, Florida-based beekeeper – a $6,357 civil money penalty and found the employer owed $4,130 in back wages to three employees for violating the labor provisions of the H-2A guest worker visa program.

January 13, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $53,841 in Back Wages for Florida Beauty Supply Retailer’s Employees After Finding Wage Violations

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Classy Beauty Supply Inc. – based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida – will pay $53,841 in back wages to 10 employees to resolve minimum wage and overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

January 8, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Two Wage and Hour Opinion Letters

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced two opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

January 6, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Final Rule to Clarify Independent Contractor Status Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule clarifying the standard for employee versus independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

January 5, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Finds Kentucky Landscaping Contractor Violated Requirements of Guest Worker Visa Program

WILDER, KY – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Merkle Lawn Care Inc. – based in Wilder, Kentucky – has paid $20,502 in back wages to 42 employees for violating labor provisions of the H-2B visa program. The Department also assessed Merkle Lawn Care Inc. a civil penalty of $10,335.

January 4, 2021

Auto Care and Tire Shop Pays $152,109 in Back Wages to 248 Employees After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Wage Violations in Carolinas and Virginia

COLUMBIA, SC After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Colony Tire Corp. has paid $152,109 in back wages to 248 employees for overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at 25 establishments throughout the Carolinas and Virginia.

January 4, 2021

Florida Landscaping Material Supplier Pays $15,804 Civil Penalty After U.S. Department of Labor Discovers Child Labor Violations

ORLANDO, FL After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Sunscape LLC – a landscaping materials supplier based in Orlando, Florida – has paid a civil money penalty of $15,804 for violating child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

January 4, 2021

U.S. Labor Department Recovers $35,492 in Overtime Back Wages For 12 Employees of Pittsburgh Area Ambulance Service

PITTSBURGH, PA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance Association – a private ambulance service operating as Southeast Regional EMS in Clairton and Elizabeth, Pennsylvania – has paid $35,492 in back wages to 12 first responder employees for violating overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

December 31, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Publishes Guidance on Expiration of Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave for Coronavirus

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today announced additional guidance to provide information to workers and employers about protections and relief offered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA’s paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements will expire on Dec. 31, 2020. 

December 31, 2020

City of Tipton, Indiana, Pays $91,924 in Overtime Back Wages To 15 Firefighters Following U.S. Department of Labor Investigation

TIPTON, IN After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the City of Tipton, Indiana, paid $91,924 in back wages to 15 firefighters for violations of the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The WHD investigation found the City of Tipton failed to pay overtime to firefighters who worked more than 106 hours in their two-week pay period. 

December 31, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Two Wage and Hour Opinion Letters on Fair Labor Standards Act Compliance

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced two opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

December 30, 2020

Restaurant Pays Penalties After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Child Labor Violations in Commerce, California

LOS ANGELES, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant in Commerce, California, has paid $27,150 in civil money penalties for violating child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

December 30, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $81,399 in Back Wages For 45 Employees of Columbus, Ohio, Nursing Home

COLUMBUS, OH – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Chelsea Health Care LLC –has paid $81,399 in back wages to 45 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirements at its Columbus, Ohio, nursing home facility.

December 29, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance Supporting Workplace Flexibilities through Virtual Communication

WASHINTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today announced new guidance in its ongoing efforts to support the American workforce through the pandemic recovery. As employers continue to meet the challenges presented to their businesses by the coronavirus, and as telework arrangements and virtual communication increasingly provide solutions, the agency provides additional guidance to maximize the benefits of these arrangements for employers and workers alike.

December 23, 2020

Southern California Produce Company Pays Back Wages to Five Employees Wrongly Denied Paid Sick Leave After Coronavirus Diagnoses

LOS ANGELES, CA – Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), DeFranco & Sons – a produce company in Los Angeles, California – has paid $6,000 in back wages to five employees after wrongly denying them paid sick leave after they received coronavirus diagnoses.

December 23, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division Delivers Record-Breaking Outreach in Fiscal Year 2020

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Wage and Hour Division (WHD) continued to break records in delivering outreach and education to workers and employers in fiscal year 2020.

December 22, 2020

Indiana Restaurant Operator to Pay $317,108 in Back Wages To 21 Employees Following U.S. Department of Labor Investigation

EVANSVILLE, IN – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Los Tequila Inc. – operator of Los Tres Caminos restaurant in Evansville, Indiana – will to pay $317,108 in minimum wage and overtime back wages to 21 employees for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).