WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding the February 2018 Employment Situation report:

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is conducting a survey of wages paid to workers in 74 metropolitan Georgia counties on all active building and heavy construction projects to establish prevailing wage rates required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA).

In the week ending March 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 231,000, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 210,000. The 4-week moving average was 222,500, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 220,500.

Read the full release.

BENSALEM, PA – The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Strong Contractors Inc., a Bensalem carpentry framing company, for safety and health hazards at a worksite in Lansdale. The company has been fined $213,318.

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Jax Utilities Management Inc., a Jacksonville utilities contractor, for exposing employees to trenching hazards. The company faces proposed penalties of $271,606.

HOUSTON, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, a Houston-based pool construction company, South Bay Gunite Inc., will pay $115,786 in back wages to 68 employees to resolve violations of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – After a U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) investigation, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Oakland Division, has ordered a former pension benefit plan trustee to pay $234,271 in restitution and to serve one year of probation for violating federal criminal statutes pertaining to plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor is announcing a new pilot program, the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, which expedites resolution of inadvertent overtime and minimum wage violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The PAID program will ensure that more employees receive back wages they are owed—faster.  Employees will receive 100 percent of the back wages paid, without having to pay any litigation expenses, attorneys’ fees, or other costs that may be applicable to private actions. 

BRAINTREE, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Massachusetts Division of Occupational Safety (MDOS), and the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts (ASM), recently renewed an alliance to promote workplace safety and health, and educate workers on construction hazards.

HONOLULU, HI – The U.S. Department of Labor has finalized a series of settlements with contractors on Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands that will pay a collective $13.9 million in back wages and damages to thousands of employees who came from China to build the Saipan Casino and Hotel on the island.

WASHINGTON, DC – At a special ceremony today at the U.S. Department of Labor, Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta inducted President Ronald Reagan into the Department of Labor’s Hall of Honor, which was established in 1988 to honor Americans whose distinctive contributions have elevated working conditions, wages, and overall quality of life for American families.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta released the following statement today regarding the start of Women’s History Month:

In the week ending February 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 210,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since December 6, 1969 when it was 202,000. The previous week's level was revised down by 2,000 from 222,000 to 220,000. The 4-week moving average was 220,500, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since December 27, 1969 when it was 219,750.

SEATTLE, WA – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against a northern Washington berry farm for violating the labor provisions of the H-2A visa program. Sakuma Brothers Farms Inc. and the Washington State Farm Labor Association have been assessed $124,575 in civil money penalties and an additional $9,599 for failing to pay back wages to an eligible U.S. worker who was not hired and to workers who drove the buses that transported workers to the farm.

ERIE, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Clarion University Small Business Development Center (Clarion University SBDC) recently formed an alliance to educate small businesses in Pennsylvania on workplace safety and health hazards.

NEWARK, NJ – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, AWAB Transport Inc., a Newark medical transportation company, will pay $77,202 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 38 employees to resolve violations of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

NAPLES, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited L.I. Aluminum Design Inc., a Naples-based patio and pool enclosure manufacturer and installer, for failing to protect employees from fall hazards. Proposed penalties total $40,096.

MEMPHIS, TN – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, Empire Packing LP, a Memphis meat cutting and packing company, will pay $127,830 in back wages and liquidated damages to 272 employees for violating overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ESTILL SPRINGS, TN – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, Tinsley Asphalt LLC, a Tennessee paving company, will pay $77,467 in back wages to 43 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

KIHEI, HI – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, Piilani Gardens LLC, based in Kihei will pay $84,136 in overtime back wages to 22 employees performing maintenance and landscaping activities on Maui to resolve federal overtime pay and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).