June 15, 2021

US Department of Labor announces funding availability of $1.5M in grants to better inform women about labor rights, benefits

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1.5 million funding opportunity available to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to develop partnerships with community-based organizations and other non-profits to conduct outreach to women workers to help them understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace. The fund will support up to six grants.

June 15, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers more than $1M for 362 gas pipeline workers in five states after federal court affirms investigation’s findings

BLUE BELL, PA – Following a Pennsylvania federal court order that upheld the findings of a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, oil and gas industry contractor Henkels & McCoy Inc. paid more than $1 million in back wages to hundreds of employees for violating worker protection laws.

June 15, 2021

US Department of Labor reminds North Dakota construction contractors that protecting workers from falls is a matter of life, death

BISMARCK, ND – Spurred by its significant population growth in the past decade, North Dakota experienced the nation’s largest increase in housing units – nearly 20 percent – over the same period. As the demand for new homes brings more jobs and construction projects to the state, employers must be vigilant in protecting workers from hazards on construction work sites.

June 15, 2021

US Department of Labor cites Rhode Island medical practice, owner for exposing employees to coronavirus in North Providence, West Greenwich

PROVIDENCE, RI – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the owner-operator of four Rhode Island medical facilities for failing to protect workers from exposure to the coronavirus and implement proper safety measures after six employees tested positive for the virus in the fall of 2020.

June 14, 2021

US Department of Labor honors Montana safety professionals group for continued commitment to workplace safety, health

BILLINGS, MT The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has named the American Society of Safety Professionals’ Big Sky Chapter an OSHA Alliance Program Ambassador in recognition of its partnership with OSHA and commitment to addressing workplace safety and health hazards in Montana.

June 14, 2021

OSHA initiative seeks to protect manufacturing workers in Midwest facilities from hazardous noise levels

CHICAGO ‒ Nearly one in 10 people endure noise levels at work loud enough to cause hearing loss while seven in 10 experience moderately loud noise levels, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet, the bureau’s Occupational Requirements Survey, published in 2019, found that more than half of the nation’s manufacturing workers reported not using personal protective equipment to protect their hearing.

June 11, 2021

US Department of Labor outlines upcoming worker-centered protections in Biden-Harris administration Spring 2021 Regulatory Agenda

WASHINGTON, DC – A mother of two struggles to budget for child care expenses on an hourly income of $11.50 as a call center worker with a federal contractor. A construction company owner learns they’ve lost another federal contract because a competitor was able to underbid the job by not paying livable wages. Socially conscious investors want to maximize their savings and do the planet some good, but are frustrated by the investment options available to do that.

June 10, 2021

La OSHA del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. emite estatuto temporal de emergencia para proteger a trabajadores de salud contra el coronavirus

WASHINGTON, DC La Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. ha emitido un estatuto temporal de emergencia para proteger a los trabajadores de salud contra el coronavirus. El estatuto se enfoca en trabajadores de salud con más probabilidad de entrar en contacto con alguien infectado con el virus.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor presents 2021 Iqbal Masih Award to Norma Flores López, International Labour Organization

WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced the joint winners of the 2021 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor during a virtual ceremony.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor awards nearly $20M to expand workforce development activities in out-of-school time organizations

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of nearly $20 million in grants to four national out-of-school time organizations to expand local work readiness programs and support workforce development activities among these organizations’ local affiliates. Out-of-School Time organizations operate supervised programs for youth when school is not in session.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor awards $89M in YouthBuild grants to support education, occupational skills development

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the award of $89 million in grants in 31 states and Puerto Rico to help youth ages 16-24 who are neither enrolled in school nor participating in the labor market to obtain employment in construction and other in-demand industries.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor’s OSHA issues emergency temporary standard to protect healthcare workers from the coronavirus

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced it will issue an emergency temporary standard to protect healthcare workers from contracting coronavirus. The standard focuses on healthcare workers most likely to have contact with someone infected with the virus.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor cites pharma, biotech manufacturer for failing to protect workers from coronavirus at Monmouth County facility

EATONTOWN, NJ – An Eatontown manufacturer failed to protect employees adequately from workplace exposure to coronavirus, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined, after an investigation into the deaths of two workers and the hospitalization of two others who contracted the coronavirus in the fall of 2020.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor investigation finds Campbellsville tobacco, hemp farm shortchanged temporary agricultural workers

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces the labor provisions of the federal H-2A temporary agricultural workers program to prevent employers from exploiting temporary, nonimmigrant workers hired for seasonal agricultural work and from gaining an unfair competitive advantage over law-abiding employers.

June 10, 2021

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending June 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 376,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 385,000. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000. The 4-week moving average was 402,500, a decrease of 25,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 428,000. This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 225,500.

June 8, 2021

US Department of Labor finds Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center required employees to work after clocking out, manipulated timecards

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas hospital that required workers to complete necessary paperwork without pay after their daily shifts ended also manipulated employee time cards to avoid paying overtime, a federal investigation has found.

June 7, 2021

US Department of Labor implements initiative to conduct random, weekend safety inspections to protect construction workers from falls, trench collapses

DENVER – As work at construction project sites increases in Colorado’s Front Range, more workers may find themselves exposed to falls and trenching and excavation hazards. Over the last two years, at least six workers have suffered fatal falls, and nearly a dozen excavation collapses and trenching incidents have led to the deaths of three workers in Colorado.

June 7, 2021

US Department of Labor cites Cambria grain facility for workplace safety failures following engulfment death of manager in corn silo

CAMBRIA, WI – After a worker who was clearing corn debris from an unsafe silo failed to arrive for a regularly scheduled meeting, employees called 911 when they could not find him at the silo, nor reach him by phone. It took emergency services nine hours to recover the body of the 52-year-old manager, found engulfed in the silo operated by Didion Milling Inc. in Cambria.

June 4, 2021

US Department of Labor partners with OHL North America construction company, University of South Florida to promote workplace safety

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Obrascón Huarte Lain North America are collaborating to promote worker safety and health at the South Corridor Rapid Transit project, a 20-mile stretch of existing busway.

June 4, 2021

Statement by US Secretary of Labor Walsh on the May Jobs Report

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the May 2021 Employment Situation Report: