HARTFORD, CT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Dollar Tree Stores Inc. for exit and storage hazards at a store in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The national discount retailer faces $208,384 in penalties.

"Today, on National Miners Day, we join our fellow Americans in recognizing the hundreds of thousands of men and women who perform painstaking work in more than 13,000 mines across the country. Every day, miners secure the raw coal, metal and non-metal materials that help power and build our nation.

At the Department of Labor, through the Mine Safety and Health Administration, we honor miners every day by working to protect their health and safety and to ensure they can return to their loved ones at the end of the workday."

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement on the November 2019 Employment Situation report:

"The November jobs report vastly outpaced predictions, with 266,000 jobs created. With 41,000 jobs in upward revisions for September and October, 6.6 million total jobs have been created since January 2017.

"The unemployment rate of 3.5% matched the September 2019 rate, a level that has not been achieved since 1969. November 2019 marks the 21st consecutive month in which the unemployment rate has been at or below 4%.

MIAMI, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Global Elevators Sales and Service Inc. – an elevator installation and maintenance contractor based in Hialeah, Florida – has paid $115,839 in back wages to four employees for violating requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA).

CENTER, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), JML Management Inc. – a construction company based in Center, Texas – has paid $141,141 in back wages to 21 employees for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime requirements.

ROYAL PALM BEACH, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Garabar Inc. – based in Lake Worth, Florida – for exposing employees to safety hazards at a worksite in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. The roofing contractor faces $64,974 in penalties.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Absolute Plumbing LLC – a residential and commercial plumbing company based in West Palm Beach, Florida – has paid $145,297 in back wages and liquidated damages to 46 employees for violating the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

In the week ending November 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 203,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 213,000. The 4-week moving average was 217,750, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 219,750.

PITTSTON, PA ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Dana Railcare – based in Wilmington, Delaware – for confined space hazards after an employee fatality in Pittston, Pennsylvania. The railcar service provider faces $551,226 in proposed penalties.

AVON, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has again cited Chanell Roofing and Home Improvement LLC – based in Cleveland, Ohio – for exposing employees to fall hazards. The company faces penalties totaling $200,451 for violations of OSHA’s fall protection standards at two separate jobsites in Avon, Ohio.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas has sentenced Rafael Enrique Rodriguez – manager and owner of 210 Workers LLC, and registered agent of Alta Vista Healthcare Group LLC in San Antonio, Texas – after his conviction on six counts of healthcare fraud, five counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in June 2019.

ST. LOUIS, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Martin Davila – operating as Davila Construction – for exposing employees to fall hazards at three separate Missouri job sites in May, June, and August 2019. The residential roofing company faces $205,098 in proposed penalties.

HOUSTON, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Mylanwings Enterprises LLC – operator of a Wing Stop franchise in Houston, Texas – has paid $31,888 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to four employees and $1,540 in civil money penalties for willful violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime and minimum wage requirements.

OPELIKA, AL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Ballard Construction Co. Inc. – a sewer and water utilities contractor based in Kellyton, Alabama – for exposing employees to excavation hazards after a worker was injured and hospitalized following a trench collapse. The contractor faces $34,476 in penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Wage and Hour Division (WHD) remind employers to protect worker safety and pay during the upcoming holiday season.

AUGUSTA, ME – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Shawn D. Purvis – owner of Purvis Home Improvement Co. Inc. based in Saco, Maine – for willful, repeat and serious workplace safety violations at a jobsite in Springvale, Maine. The roofing contractor faces a total of $278,456 in new penalties.

In the week ending November 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 213,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 227,000 to 228,000. The 4-week moving average was 219,750, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 221,000 to 221,250.

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recovered payment of $442,000 in penalties and interest from Washington Township, New Jersey-based construction company Altor Inc. and its president Vasilios Saites, after years-long efforts by the Department to collect unpaid penalties for the company's safety violations.

SYRACUSE, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Frazer & Jones Company Inc. for 33 workplace health and safety violations at the manufacturer’s Solvay, New York, iron foundry. The company faces $460,316 in penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia and Congressman Tim Walberg toured Classic Turning Inc. in Jackson, Michigan. Secretary Scalia and Congressman Walberg underscored the robust economic expansion many communities are experiencing.