AUSTIN, TX - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will present an educational forum about developments in its policies and regulations, and its Payroll Audit Independent Determination Program (PAID), in Austin, Texas, on December 17, 2018.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced actions it is taking to assist Americans in Alaska affected by the devastating earthquake.

"The Department of Labor is committed to supporting the American worker as Alaska recovers from last week’s earthquake," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta.

ELBERTA, AL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Paradise Granite LLC – a countertop installation company based in Elberta, Alabama – will pay $134,097 in back wages and liquidated damages to 22 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Department also assessed the company a civil penalty of $8,097.

HOUSTON, TX - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will present an educational forum about developments in its policies and regulations, and its Payroll Audit Independent Determination Program (PAID), in Houston, Texas, on December 6, 2018.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) today released the 2018 Form M-1 and related instructions. Administrators of Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs) that provide medical benefits, including Association Health Plans (AHPs), must file the Form M-1 with the Department annually and following certain events, such as a MEWA’s expansion into a new State. 

SACRAMENTO, CA – Self-Serve Petroleum Inc. – owner and operator of multiple gas stations and convenience stores in Northern California – will pay $45,957 to 40 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found overtime, minimum wage, and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

COLUMBUS, IN – The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has ordered the fiduciaries of the Dorel Juvenile Group Inc. Welfare Benefit Plan to pay restitution of $145,635 to 596 employees of the Dorel Juvenile Group Inc.’s California, Indiana, and Massachusetts facilities who paid a tobacco use surcharge as part of their medical insurance premium.

PALATINE, IL ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Manuel Gallardo – operator of Palatine, Illinois-based Gallardo’s Construction Services Inc. – for exposing roofers to fall hazards. OSHA proposed penalties totaling $190,314. This is the 11th time since 2016 that OSHA has cited this company for fall hazards.

WASHINGTON, DC– The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) today announced three directives aimed at establishing an opinion letter process and enhancing OFCCP’s Help Desk, establishing a process to resolve compliance evaluations at the earliest stage possible with corporate-wide compliance, and clarifying the Agency’s compliance review procedures.

HOT SPRINGS, AR – Premier Parks LLC – operator of Magic Springs Theme and Water Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas – has paid $13,734 in civil money penalties to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) child labor provisions discovered during a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation.

BATESVILLE, MS – Prime Inns Inc. – operator of a Hampton Inn hotel in Batesville, Mississippi – has paid $15,917 in back wages and liquidated damages to 25 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation determined the employer violated minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ATLANTA, GA – RREMC Restaurant LLC – parent company of Denny's restaurants in Byron, Columbus, and Norcross, Georgia – has paid $122,523 in back wages and liquidated damages to 245 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation determined the employer violated minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

MCDAVID, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited L.A. Disaster Relief and Property Maintenance LLC after an employee suffered burn injuries at a McDavid, Florida, worksite. The property maintenance and land clearing company faces $94,415 in penalties.

In the week ending November 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 234,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 224,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,250, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 218,500.

ATLANTA, GA – Working in trenches and excavations can be hazardous, and trench collapses pose great risk to workers. To raise awareness of preventable incidents, compliance assistance specialists with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Southeast are conducting outreach to educate employers and employees on the hazards associated with trenching and excavation work.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Three restaurants in Minnesota and one in northern Iowa will pay $831,232 in back wages to 113 current and former employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Investigators found violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at the four restaurants.

NEW IBERIA, LA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Ernest P. Breaux Electrical LLC – an electrical contractor based in New Iberia, Louisiana – has paid $249,278 in back wages to 117 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime and recordkeeping requirements.

PORTLAND, OR – The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon has entered a consent judgment against Gerald (“Jerry”) Brazie, Jr. and three Portland, Oregon-based companies he controls, requiring that their drivers be paid $3,087,100 in wages and liquidated damages for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The judgment also requires the delivery service to pay $112,900 in civil money penalties.

SACRAMENTO, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued notices of safety violations to the U.S. Army Reserve 63 Regional Support Command at a Sacramento, California, maintenance facility.

NASHVILLE, TN – The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee has sentenced Bart Posey – of Springfield, Tennessee – to 168 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered the defendant to pay $6,524,888 restitution after a U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) investigation discovered a multi-million dollar insurance fraud that affected more than 17,000 individuals nationwide.