July 2, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Offers Webinar on Families First Coronavirus Response Act’s Paid Leave Provisions for Employers and Employees

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) in Salt Lake City, Utah, will hold a webinar on July 8, 2020, to help Salt Lake City-area employers and employees understand the benefits and protections provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

July 2, 2020

Warehouse Employer Pays Back Wages to Employee Denied Paid Sick Leave Required by New Coronavirus-Related Federal Law

WILMER, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), MBlock and Sons Inc. – operator of a warehouse in Wilmer, Texas – has agreed to pay $857 in back wages after failing to provide an employee paid sick leave after their doctor ordered the employee with potential coronavirus symptoms to self-quarantine.

June 29, 2020

Norwell, Massachusetts, Employer Pays Back Wages to Employee Denied Coronavirus-Related Paid Sick and Family Leave

BOSTON, MA – After the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) initiated a compliance action, Consumer Medical – based in Norwell, Massachusetts – has paid an employee $3,076 in back wages to resolve violations of the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

June 29, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Offers Webinars for Business Owners, Employers and Other Stakeholders on Coronavirus-Related Paid Sick Leave

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the IRS, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) are presenting a webinar on paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) for employers and business owners.

June 29, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Interim Final Rule to Implement Provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an interim final rule providing regulations necessary to implement and administer the high-wage components of the Labor Value Content (LVC) requirements set forth in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the treaty’s implementing statute.

June 29, 2020

Charlotte Area Transit System Reinstates Employee, Pays Back Wages After Violating Family and Medical Leave Act

CHARLOTTE, NC – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the Transit Management of Charlotte Inc. – operating as Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) – has reinstated and paid one employee $21,998 in back wages for violating requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

June 26, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance on Child Labor; Paid Sick And Expanded Family and Medical Leave Amid School and Camp Closures

WASHINGTON, DC With school and summer activity schedules greatly altered as America continues to re-open in the wake of the coronavirus, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today issued two Field Assistance Bulletins to clarify issues relevant to the pandemic’s effects on the workplace.

The bulletins issued today specifically address the following:

June 26, 2020

Iowa McDonald’s Franchise Pays Employee Back Wages After Wrongly Denying Paid Leave Due to Coronavirus-Related School Closure

ONAWA, IA After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Kastim Corp. – operator of a McDonald’s franchise in Onawa, Iowa – has paid an employee $573 in back wages for wrongly denying the worker’s request for paid leave to care for children due to school closures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

June 26, 2020

Delivery Contractor Pays Back Wages After Wrongly Denying Paid Sick Leave to Employee Ordered to Quarantine

KATY, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Zoom X Inc. – a delivery service contractor based in Katy, Texas – has paid $1,700 in back wages to an employee for wrongly denying paid sick leave for a qualifying reason covered under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

June 26, 2020

Orlando Restaurant Pays $30,878 in Back Wages After U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Finds Violations

ORLANDO, FL After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Santos Burgos Corp. – operating as Guavate Restaurant in Orlando, Florida – has paid $30,878 in back wages to 42 employees for violating the minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

June 26, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Wage and Hour Division Openings

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will hire 55 additional investigators and eight additional technicians to support its efforts to assist employers and ensure compliance with federal requirements.

June 25, 2020

Court Orders Hudson Valley, New York, Convenience Stores and Owners To Pay $400,301 After U.S. Department of Labor Investigation, Litigation

NEW YORK, NY After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and litigation by the Department’s Office of the Solicitor, the U.S.

June 25, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $73,452 in Overtime Back Wages For Northeast Texas Trucking Company Employees

LINDALE, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Barrington Trucking – a trucking company based in Lindale, Texas – has paid $73,452 in back wages to 15 employees for violating the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

June 25, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Napa, California Residential Care Facility Paying $225,000 for Overtime Violations

NAPA, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Stayman Estates LLC – a residential care home operator based in Napa, California – will pay $225,000 in back wages to 25 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirements.

June 25, 2020

Florida Stable Pays $65,807 in Wages, Penalties After Investigation By U.S. Department of Labor Finds H-2B Visa Program Violations

OCALA, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Eddie Woods Stables – a horse training center in Ocala, Florida – has paid $26,514 in wages to 42 employees for violating labor provisions of the H-2B visa program. The company also paid a $39,293 civil penalty that the department accessed.

June 25, 2020

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

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced five new 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:

June 25, 2020

Border Warehouse Company to Pay $134,922 in Back Wages To Employees After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Minimum Wage, Overtime Violations

SAN DIEGO, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has reached a settlement with G-Global – a border warehousing company in Otay Mesa, California – in which the employer will pay 61 Mexican national employees $124,465 after investigators found the company paid the workers below minimum wage in pesos, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

June 25, 2020

Bakersfield Non-Dairy Product Manufacturer Pays Back Wages After Denying Paid Sick Leave to Worker Caring for Children With Closed School

BAKERSFIELD, CA – An employee of a Bakersfield, California, farm has received $5,402 in back wages after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found the employer wrongfully denied paid sick leave benefits required under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The employee requested leave to stay at home caring for children whose school closed due to the coronavirus.

June 25, 2020

Auburn, Alabama, Pep Boys Pays Employee Back Wages After Violating Family and Medical Leave Act

AUBURN, AL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), a Pep Boys automotive service location in Auburn, Alabama, has paid an employee $10,094 in back wages after WHD found the employer violated the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

June 25, 2020

Subway Franchisee Pays Back Wages After Denying Paid Sick Leave To Worker with Children at Home When School Closed During Coronavirus

IRVINE, CA – A resolution by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has led a Subway franchisee in Irvine, California, to pay $595 in back wages to an employee who missed work to remain home to care for her children due to the lack of childcare during the coronavirus.