LOS ANGELES, CA – Following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that found overtime and minimum wage violations, prompting the Department to invoke a “hot goods” legal action, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent a Los Angeles garment manufacturer from shipping clothes to retailer Charlotte Russe.

CINCINNATI, OH ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has again cited Ohio roofing contractor Benny’s Roofing LLC for exposing employees to falls, and other safety hazards. Benny’s Roofing LLC faces proposed penalties totaling $138,394.

WESTBURY, NY – After an investigation and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Farmingdale Auto Collision Inc. and its owner and officers have paid $306,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 21 employees to resolve violations of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

PATERSON, NJ - After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), New Jersey plastics manufacturer Douglas Stephen Plastics Inc. has been cited for exposing employees to safety and health hazards at its Paterson, New Jersey, facility. OSHA proposed penalties of $435,679.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor has established a hotline for 1,471 current and former Houlihan’s employees of 17 of the restaurant chain’s New Jersey and New York locations to assist them in recovering back wages and liquidated damages.

WASHINGTON, DC – As part of U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta’s efforts to assist federal employees in filing 9/11 Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) claims, the U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new webpage that provides information on how to file a claim, the key evidence needed to establish a claim, and a section of frequently asked questions and answers. Additional information and links to potential benefits offered by other programs created under the Zadroga Act are also provided.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced today that it has issued three new opinion letters.

GREEN BAY, WI – In an effort to inform employers and employees about federal wage laws, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is engaged in an education and enforcement initiative at Green Bay-area restaurants. WHD is focused on providing compliance assistance information to employers and industry stakeholders through educational outreach events, as well as conducting investigations at individual restaurants.

WASHINGTON, DC – As part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s ongoing efforts to encourage occupational licensing reform, the Department today announced $7.5 million in funds to help review and streamline occupational licensing rules. Funds will be available to states, and associations of states, to review, eliminate and reform licensing requirements, and to promote portability of state licenses.

In the week ending April 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 233,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 242,000. The 4-week moving average was 230,000, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 228,250.

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WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta welcomed Jorge Triaca, Argentina’s Minister of Labor, Employment and Social Security, to the U.S. Department of Labor today to discuss bilateral cooperation and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that promotes further collaboration between Argentina and the United States on labor and employment issues. Argentina holds the presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) this year. 

ATLANTA, GA – Landscape industry associations and employers are partnering with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to sponsor one-hour, safety stand-down events to educate employees on landscaping hazards, and preventing heat-related illnesses. The events will be held at worksites in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi on April 17-18, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. EDT.

CHATTANOOGA, TN – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, Chattanooga-based Chao’s Mongolian Grill LLC will pay $48,197 in back wages to eight employees for violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ALBANY, NY – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, Georgia contractor Infinite Services and Solutions and its president, Khary Lewis, who provided transportation services for the U.S. Army in New York and Arizona, have been placed on a list of bidders ineligible for federal contracts for a period of three years as a result of violations of the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA).

GUAYNABO, PR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), fuel distributor Macro Companies Inc., engaged in hurricane recovery activities in Puerto Rico, has paid $1,151,291 in back wages to 219 employees for violating the overtime provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA), the fringe benefits provisions of the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), and the recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement today regarding President Trump’s Executive Order on Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility:

FRESNO, CA – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, Central Valley garlic grower Valley Garlic Inc. and its farm labor contractor X-Treme Ag Labor Inc. have signed consent judgments, entered by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Fresno. The U.S. Department of Labor sued Valley Garlic Inc. and X-Treme Ag Labor Inc. for being jointly responsible in a June 2015 crash that took the lives of four farmworkers who were being transported to work, including a 16-year-old minor.

WHITES CREEK, TN – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee has ordered Music City Masonry Contractors LLC and its owners, Brandy George and Robin “Bubba” Waller, to pay $493,987 in back wages and liquidated damages to 247 employees for violating the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON, DC – With the inclusion of key provisions related to America’s tipped workers included in the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has issued a Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) to address WHD’s enforcement of tip credit rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

BOSTON, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement with Lynnway Auto Auction Inc., in which the Billerica facility agrees to correct hazards, implement significant safety measures, and pay $200,000 in penalties. The Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Lynnway for 16 violations following a May 2017 incident in which a sport utility vehicle fatally struck five people during an auto auction.