WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of approximately $54 million in grants to help low- to middle- skilled parents access the affordable, quality child care they need to earn an education, participate in training programs and ultimately compete for better-paying jobs in emerging industries. Grants to 14 partnerships across the country were awarded as part of the Strengthening Working Families Initiative.

WASHINGTON – Women make up a significant share of the U.S. workforce, but sex discrimination remains an unfortunate reality. To address this issue, the U.S. Department of Labor is publishing new sex discrimination regulations that update – for the first time in over 40 years – the department’s interpretation of Executive Order 11246 to reflect the current state of the law and the reality of a modern and diverse workforce.

Employer name: Soundwich Inc.
Cleveland, Ohio

Citations issued: June 10, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued one repeated, 15 serious violations and one other-than-serious violation to Soundwich Inc. after conducting inspections at the aerodynamic and emission control product manufacturer’s Cleveland facility in January and April 2016.

ALLIANCE, Neb. – A mere 20 minutes after an 8-foot deep trench collapsed, burying a 61-year-old plumber under thousands of pounds of soil, emergency responders pronounced the man dead. Partially buried, his co-worker escaped the trench and frantically tried to rescue the man until help arrived.

Employer: Foothill Packing, Inc.

Location: 1582 G-Moffet St., Salinas, California

WASHINGTON – A new report from the U.S. Department of Labor shows 74 percent of workers displaced by foreign trade return to work three months after receiving benefits and services provided through the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers program. At the six-month mark, more than 92 percent remain employed.     

Employer name: Dove Die & Stamping Company, Brook Park, Ohio

Citations issued: June 7, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Cleveland Area Office cited Dove Die & Stamping Company for two willful and two serious safety and health violations.

Employer name: PhytogenX Inc.  

Inspection site: 35 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Morgantown, Pennsylvania

Citations issued: On June 8, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to PhytogenX for four willful and six serious violations.

BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio – Less than a year after federal inspectors cited an Ohio rubber-hose manufacturer for 11 machine safety violations, the company now faces an additional $70,000 in fines after safety lapses led a 27-year-old male worker to suffer severe injuries at its Bellefontaine plant.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor filed two separate federal lawsuits in Houston today alleging that two employers operating in the city illegally fired employees for making safety complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

Employer: Hibachi City Buffet, Inc.

Sites: 72600 Dinah Shore Drive, Palm Desert, California

BALTIMORE – Enterprise RAC Company of Baltimore, LLC, a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest vehicle rental companies and a federal contractor, is discriminating against African-American applicants pursuing entry-level management trainee positions, the U.S. Department of Labor alleges in a lawsuit filed recently.

CHICAGO ‒ As a 54-year-old worker, who fell more than 11 feet as he installed a roof joist, recovered from his injuries, federal inspectors investigating his fall on March 8, 2016, arrived two days later and found a co-worker about 40 feet off the ground without proper fall protection.

Employer: MMM Foundation Repair

Site: 10510 Aves St., Houston, Texas

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Federal workplace safety and health inspectors have cited a Massachusetts construction company after a worker suffered serious injuries after he fell almost 19 feet from a Portsmouth roof.

Responding to a complaint, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an inspection of Paramo Daniela Construction of Brockton and found that the employer had:

In the week ending June 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 264,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 267,000 to 268,000. The 4-week moving average was 269,500, a decrease of 7,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 276,750 to 277,000.

Employer name: Motor Castings Company, West Allis, Wisconsin                                

Citations issued: May 26, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today published a Request for Information on approaches to control and monitor underground miners’ exposures to diesel exhaust. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Ashley Furniture, the nation’s largest retailer of home furnishings, have entered into a corporate wide settlement agreement that provides an effective framework for protecting workers from machine hazards.

BOSTON – A truck driver concerned he couldn’t complete his delivery from Massachusetts to New Jersey and back without violating federal safety regulations and putting himself and others at risk thought he’d devised a solution to deliver his cargo on-time and comply with the regulations. Instead of thanking him, his employer fired him.