October 23, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Alabama Newspaper Publisher For Exposing Employees to Amputations after Injury

OPELIKA, AL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited BH Media Group Inc. for exposing employees to amputation hazards after an employee suffered an injury at the Opelika, Alabama, facility. The company faces $145,858 in penalties.

October 23, 2019

Corrected: Managers Sentenced to Probation and Ordered to Pay Fines for Conspiracy To Obstruct Justice in U.S. Department of Labor Fatality Investigation

CLEVELAND, OH – The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio has sentenced Brian K. Carder and Paul Love – former managers at Extrudex Aluminum’s plant in North Jackson, Ohio – after each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice charges. The court’s action follows an investigation by the U.S.

October 23, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Missouri Health Care Facility Paying $42,696 in Back Wages

FLORISSANT, MO – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) Helia Healthcare – doing business as Pillars of North County – has agreed to pay $42,696 in back wages to 99 current and former nursing staff employed at the long-term care facility in Florissant, Missouri. WHD investigators found violations of the overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

October 22, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Bayonet Point, Florida, Construction Contractor Paying $33,795 in Back Wages, Damages

BAYONET POINT, FL After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Bayonet Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning LLC – based in Bayonet Point, Florida – has paid $33,795 in back wages and liquidated damages to 57 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

October 22, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Proposes New Electronic Disclosure Rule

WASHINGTON, DC – Consistent with President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 13847, Strengthening Retirement Security in America, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposed rule to allow online retirement plan disclosures to reduce printing and mail expenses for job creators and make disclosures more readily accessible and useful for America’s workers.

October 21, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in North Carolina Healthcare Agency Paying $90,640 in Back Wages and Damages to Employees

WILMINGTON, NC – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Care Providers of Wilmington Inc. – a healthcare agency based in Wilmington, North Carolina – has paid $90,640 in back wages and liquidated damages to 21 employees for violating minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

October 21, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Cites South Jersey Manufacturer For Repeat Violations of Workplace Safety and Health Laws

PENNSAUKEN, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has again cited Aruvil International Inc. for multiple workplace violations – including four willful safety citations - at the company's Pennsauken, New Jersey, facility. The commercial and residential fencing company faces $370,298 in penalties.

October 21, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Roofing Contractor For Repeatedly Exposing Employees to Fall Hazards

MARTIN, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Mike Krueger – doing business as Altogether Roofing in Martin, Ohio – for exposing employees to fall hazards. The contractor faces penalties totaling $247,544 for willful, repeated and serious violations of OSHA standards at construction sites in Toledo and Perrysburg, Ohio.

October 21, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Cites South Florida Contractor For Cave-in and Engulfment Hazards After Fatality

PEMBROKE PINES, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Westwind Contracting Inc. for exposing employees to excavation and confined spaces hazards after a fatality at a Pembroke Pines, Florida, work site. The contractor faces $185,239 in penalties.

October 21, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Alabama Auto Parts Manufacturer For Amputation Hazards After Employee Injury

AUBURN, AL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Strahle + Hess USA Inc. for exposing employees to amputation hazards at the company’s Auburn, Alabama, facility. The auto parts manufacturer faces $140,554 in penalties.

October 18, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Ohio Plastics Parts Manufacturer For Exposing Employees to Machine and other Hazards

SHARON CENTER, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Flambeau Inc. for exposing employees to amputation and other serious hazards at its Sharon Center, Ohio plant. OSHA has proposed $208,562 in penalties, and placed the company in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

October 18, 2019

U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia Visited Community Learning Center in Texas

WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia visited the Community Learning Center in Forest Hill, Texas, where more than 10,000 unemployed or underemployed workers have received training for high skill, family-sustaining careers in the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries.

October 17, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Debars South Dakota Construction Company From Participation in H Visa Programs for 5 Years

FLORENCE, SD – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Dagel Steel Construction – based in Florence, South Dakota – agreed to be debarred from participating in the H Visa programs for five years. WHD investigators alleged the company violated the labor provisions of the H-2B Visa Program.

October 17, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Vaping Shop Retailer Paying $63,842 in Back Wages, Damages

SPRINGDALE, AR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Jasleen Enterprises LLC–based in Springdale, Arkansas, and doing business as Vapor Maven – has paid $63,842 in back wages and liquidated damages to 103 employees for violating the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

October 17, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Reaches Conciliation Agreement With Wells Fargo & Co. to Resolve Discrimination Allegations

PHILADELPHIA, PA –The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has entered into a conciliation agreement with Wells Fargo & Co. to resolve allegations of race discrimination in Arizona and gender-based discrimination in Virginia and Utah.

October 17, 2019

Orange County Residential Care Home Operators Pays Workers $1,100,000 For Exploitive Working Conditions Resulting in Federal Violations

LOS ANGELES, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered a consent judgment resulting in two Orange County, California, residential care home operators paying $1,100,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 66 employees for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

October 17, 2019

Administrative Law Judge Upholds U.S. Department of Labor Citations In Schenectady, New York, Wood Chipper Fatality Case

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) willful and serious citations against Tony Watson - doing business as Countryside Tree Service - were affirmed by an administrative law judge with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. OSHA issued its citations after an employee died after being pulled into a wood chipper on his first day on the job at a Schenectady, New York, work site. The judge’s decision also orders the employer to pay $66,986 in penalties.

October 17, 2019

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending October 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 210,000. The 4-week moving average was 214,750, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 213,750.

October 16, 2019

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Release of Annual Report Of the Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the release of the Annual Report of the Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group. This report is released on behalf of the signatories to the Declaration of Joint Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol, which was signed by the U.S. Department of Labor, the governments of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana and the National Confectioners Association, on behalf of the international chocolate and cocoa industry.

October 16, 2019

Connecticut Restaurant Pays $39,314 in Back Wages and Damages After U.S. Department of Labor Investigates

HARTFORD, CT – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Nolita LLC – operating as Nolita Ristorante in East Hartford, Connecticut – and owner Vishal Sharma has paid $19,657 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 14 current and former employees to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).