Date of action:  December 29, 2016

Type of action:  McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act Debarment Action

Names of respondents:  Restaurant Associates LLC, Restaurant Associates Inc., and Dick Cattani
132 West 31^st Street, Suite 601, New York, NY 10001

In the week ending December 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 265,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 275,000. The 4-week moving average was 263,000, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 263,750.

DENVER – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found that BNSF Railway Company violated federal law when it terminated a track inspector for insubordination after the employee reported railroad track defects to management.

WASHINGTON – Results from the First Responder Workforce Diversity study, conducted for the U.S.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor awarded an additional $5.5 million to help youth between the ages of 16 to 21 who are at risk of dropping out of public or alternative high school gain skills to serve their communities in justice careers. Six non-profit organizations received funding for pilot programs that provide at risk youth mentoring and career exploration in justice and emergency services, including police officers, firefighters, lawyers, and paramedics.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration announced today updated guidance for plan fiduciaries with respect to proxy voting. Specifically, the agency released Interpretive Bulletin 2016-01, which withdraws IB 2008-2 and reinstates earlier guidance related to such proxy voting, but with certain updates to clarify what the law requires of plan fiduciaries.

Who: U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration

What: The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced federal inspectors issued 152 citations and five orders during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and seven metal and nonmetal mines in November 2016.

Where: MSHA conducted special impact inspections at mines in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed penalties of $274,934 to a New Philadelphia plastics manufacturer after its investigation of a second debilitating injury suffered by an employee in less than 18 months.

MARATHON, Wis. –Federal safety inspectors found multiple woodworking machines at a Wisconsin lumber company lacked adequate safeguards and that workers were not properly trained in isolating energy to machines to prevent contact with operating parts during set-up, servicing and maintenance.

COLUMBUS, Wis. – A federal investigation prompted by the death of a 17-year-old worker at a Columbus metal fabrication facility has resulted in multiple safety and health violations.

PASSAIC, N.J. – Fifty-five low-wage production workers who spend long work days sewing and loading mattresses at a Passaic mattress refurbishment company will soon receive their share of $292,998 in back wages and liquidated damages after the company entered into a consent judgment with the U.S. Department of Labor.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. General Services Administration, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, today announced the issuance of the Request for Proposals (RFP) — Phase I for a new DOL Headquarters.

NEWARK, N.J. — For too long, a hard day's work for United Airlines' baggage handlers at Newark Liberty International Airport meant unnecessary pain and the risk of debilitating injuries caused by lifting customer baggage using awkward postures. From 2011 to January 2015, the airline's baggage handlers reported at least 622 musculoskeletal injuries.

Date of Action: Dec. 21, 2016

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendant(s): Larry Porter, Susan Porter, SeaBoard Management LLC, SeaBoard Management Inc., and SeaBoard Management Inc. Money Purchase Plan

Employer name: Hackensack Roofing Co. Inc.
83 First St.
Hackensack, New Jersey

Inspection sites: 297 Carlton Ave.
East Rutherford, New Jersey

3100-3400 Nelkin Drive
Wallington, New Jersey

Citations issued: On Dec. 16, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the company for one serious and three repeat safety violations.

MOLINE, Ill. – Under terms of a settlement agreement, a pipefitter previously employed by John Deere will receive a total of $204,315 in back wages and “front pay” and $70,685 in other damages.

In the week ending December 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 275,000, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 254,000. The 4-week moving average was 263,750, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 257,750.

MIAMI – If Southern Chills, a Homestead-based contractor, had not ignored the construction industry’s most dangerous hazard, Leonardo Javier Lopez-Montelo might be alive today.

The 33-year-old laborer fell nearly 11 feet through an unprotected stairway opening as he performed punch-list activities at the Kendall Square housing complex construction site in Miami, and suffered fatal injuries.

WATFORD CITY, N.D. – An operator and two servicing companies’ failure to control a North Dakota oil well properly led to a flash fire that killed a 52-year-old worker and burned three other workers severely at a Watford City well site, federal investigators have found.

Employer name: Southern Sanitation Inc.

Investigation site: 7706 B Hampton Place
Loganville, Georgia 30052