KANSAS CITY, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association Kansas City Chapter (SMACNA-KC) have signed an alliance to protect sheet metal and air conditioning employees from industry-specific hazards.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Bay Area Underpinning Inc., a Northern California foundation repair company, will pay $62,672 to 16 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found overtime and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON, DC – During tours today in Maine of the Penobscot Job Corps Center and the Cianbro Institute, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) highlighted the importance of ensuring all Americans have the skills they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow. With Maine’s unemployment rate holding at a record low for two straight months, Secretary Acosta and Senator Collins focused on the importance of ensuring that workforce education programs meet the needs of job creators and job seekers.

GLASGOW, KY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has debarred Christopher Lee Smith – owner of Christopher Lee Smith Farms in Glasgow – from applying for certification to request temporary foreign workers under the H-2A agricultural worker visa program for three years. WHD also assessed the employer a $35,755 civil penalty for violating the labor provisions of the H-2A program, and found that Smith owed $58,820 in back wages to 14 employees.

WICHITA, KS ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Wichita roofing contractor Jose Barrientos for exposing employees to falls and other safety hazards. Barrientos faces proposed penalties totaling $191,071 for two willful and six serious violations.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement today regarding Memorial Day:

“On Memorial Day, Americans keep a promise to forever honor the courage, bravery, and patriotism of America’s fallen heroes. Through solemn observances and in quiet moments, we honor the proud men and women of America’s armed services who gave their lives to defend our nation. We are forever grateful for their selfless sacrifice. Because of their heroic service, we are able to live in freedom.”

MARATHON, FL – Marathon Paradise Inc., which operates a seafood restaurant based in Marathon, Florida, will pay $210,258 in back wages to 78 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer violated overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON, DC – When President Trump addressed the American Farm Bureau Federation in January of this year, he reminded the audience that his commitment to our farmers has been clear since the day his Administration began:  “From that day on, we have been working every day to deliver for America’s farmers just as they work every single day to deliver for us.” 

BATON ROUGE, LA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has opened registration for a comprehensive compliance seminar for employers and federal contractors on the requirements of federal labor laws. Attendance is free; pre-registration is required.

The training event will be held June 7 at the Baton Rouge Community College, 201 Community College Drive. Attendees should check-in from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on June 7. The program ends at 5:00 p.m.

ST. PAUL, MN – The State of Minnesota’s 2nd Judicial District Court in Ramsey County has sentenced Latasha Lee Rosetta Wilson - former treasurer of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1969 - to 20 years of probation and 100 hours of community service after she pleaded guilty to making $58,150 in unauthorized cash withdrawals from the union.

The court ordered Wilson to make full restitution to the local union that represents U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs employees in the Twin Cities area, and fined her.

McLEAN, VA - The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has ordered the appointment of an independent fiduciary to distribute $535,790 in assets to 24 participants of the Cambridge Technology Group Inc. 401(k) Plan and removed Cambridge Technology Group Inc. and the company’s president and CEO Andrew Carrington as fiduciaries in a default judgment entered on May 22, 2018.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited P&S Paving Inc., a Daytona Beach underground utility construction company, for exposing employees to cave-in hazards. The company faces $138,927 in proposed penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $20 million in grants to help Americans who are injured or ill remain in or return to the workforce. The grants are intended to identify new, replicable strategies to help individuals with a work-related disability stay on the job.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Dong Phuong Oriental Bakery Inc., doing business as DP Bakeshop, will pay $127,128 in back wages to 43 employees to settle overtime and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found in an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD).

In the week ending May 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 234,000, an increase of 11,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 222,000 to 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 219,750, an increase of 6,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 213,250 to 213,500.

Read the full release.

HIALEAH GARDENS, FL – South Florida medical transportation service company Care Transport Service LLC will pay $75,358 in back wages to 51 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer violated overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

MIAMI, FL – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has found Endemol Latino NA, a TV production company in Miami, owes $70,341 in back wages to 82 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) will host outreach events in June 2018 in Grand Junction, Colorado, and in Moab, Utah, for former and current workers in the uranium mining and nuclear weapons industries. If a uranium mining or nuclear weapons worker is deceased, his or her surviving family members are invited to participate.

WASHINGTON, DC - In keeping with the U.S. Department of Labor’s  commitment to ensuring an American workforce for Americans of all abilities, this year’s official National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) theme will be “America’s Workforce: Empowering All,” the Department announced today.

NAPLES, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Douglas N. Higgins Inc., a South Florida utility company, after an employee suffered fatal injuries at a Naples Park worksite. The company faces $162,596 in proposed penalties, the maximum allowed.