KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Fine Tune Enterprises Inc. - a cleaning service company based in Orlando, Florida - has paid $123,650 in back wages and fringe benefits to 44 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer violated labor requirements of the Davis Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA).

BOYNTON BEACH, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signed a strategic partnership with the University of South Florida, SafetyFlorida Consultation Program, H.J. High Construction, and the Haskell Co. to promote worker safety and health during the construction of the City of Boynton Beach’s Town Square development project in Boynton Beach, Florida.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded additional National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) funding to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to provide career and training services to individuals forced to relocate in the storm's aftermath and to continue disaster-relief efforts in response to Hurricane Michael.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced the availability of up to $400,000 in funding through its Brookwood-Sago grant program to support education and training to help identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation's mines.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the availability of up to $2.5 million for cooperative agreements with partnerships that will work to increase and expedite attainment of state occupational licenses by veterans and transitioning servicemembers. Through this funding opportunity, the Department expects to award one to three cooperative agreements for between $750,000 and $2,500,000; and the projects will have a three-year period of performance. 

CLEVELAND, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Walsh Construction Company II LLC have signed a strategic partnership to promote worker safety and health during the demolition, remodeling, and construction of the I-480 Valley View Bridge Project in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI – Green Meadows Lawnscape Inc. – operating as Green Meadows Turf & Tree Inc. and based in Rochester Hills, Michigan – has paid $130,325 in back wages to 50 employees to resolve alleged violations of the federal H-2B Visa program for non-immigrant temporary employees and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The employer also paid civil money penalties of $9,675.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of an opioid-crisis Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for up to $2,500,000, with $833,333 released initially. This grant funding will address the workforce impacts of the opioid crisis by providing employment services to eligible individuals affected by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose.  

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a series of new initiatives aimed at reducing improper payments in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program.

DENVER, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Colorado Contractors Association (CCA) have signed an alliance to provide the Colorado construction infrastructure industry with information, guidance, and access to training resources.

PEORIA, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has signed an alliance with the Illinois On-Site Consultation Program, and Illinois Funeral Directors Association (IFDA) to address safety and health hazards faced by industry employees.

In the week ending April 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 196,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since October 4, 1969 when it was 193,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 202,000 to 204,000. The 4-week moving average was 207,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since December 6, 1969 when it was 204,500. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 213,500 to 214,000.

SOUDERTON, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Brutus Construction Inc. for exposing employees to fall and other safety hazards at a worksite in Souderton, Pennsylvania. The company faces $181,699 in penalties.

MIDDLE ISLAND, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor will host an event on Thursday, May 2, 2019, in Middle Island, New York, to discuss the benefits available to current and former nuclear weapons workers from covered facilities, and their families, under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will present information on their roles in the program.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor recently made available $82.5 million in Reentry Employment Opportunity grants and $5 million in Fidelity Bonding Demonstration grants to improve employment opportunities for young adults and adults exiting the criminal justice system.

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has begun an education and enforcement initiative to address common Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations and to enhance compliance with federal wage laws in the dry cleaning and laundry services industry in the Northeast Region of the United States.

PICAYUNE, MS – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Heritage Plastics Inc. for exposing employees to amputations at the company's facility in Picayune, Mississippi. The plastics manufacturer faces $159,118 in penalties, including a willful violation that carries the maximum penalty allowed.

GUAYNABO, PR – U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) representatives are working in St. Croix and St. Thomas to provide compliance assistance and education for employers, and to investigate payroll practices related to ongoing recovery efforts following Hurricanes Maria and Irma.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that the Office of the Federal Register has published the Department's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would revise and clarify the responsibilities of employers and joint employers to employees in joint employer arrangements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The official publication in the Federal Register marks the start of the proposal's public comment period, which will remain open for 60 days and close on June 10, 2019.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that Judith S. Boggs has been assigned to chair the Department's Benefits Review Board. Boggs assignment comes upon the departure of Betty Jean Hall, who retired as board chair on March 31, 2019. Prior to this appointment, Boggs served as a member of the Benefits Review Board (BRB) since 2004, and on the Administrative Review Board from 2002 to 2004.