May 23, 2016

OSHA finds lack of proper ‘work zone’ in plumber’s death as he repaired leak under Philadelphia’s 63rd Street

PHILADELPHIA – Had his employer properly created a work zone, a passing car on Philadelphia’s 63rd Street might not have struck and killed a 27-year-old plumber working to repair an underground leak on a mid-November night in 2015. 

May 23, 2016

Statement of US Department of Labor on provisions of H.R. 5286 that would roll back civil rights protections

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement on provisions of H.R. 5286 that would roll back civil rights protections.

May 23, 2016

Alabama convenience stores owner to pay nearly $72K in back wages, damages to workers after US Labor Department investigation

Employer names: MV Petro LCC, doing business as, End of the Road Chevron
JJB Petro LCC, doing business as, Country Freeze Food Mart

Investigation sites: 3565 Laurendine Road, Theodore, Alabama 36582
3860 Turnbull Court, Mobile, Alabama 36619

May 23, 2016

Staffing agency to pay nearly $25K in back wages, damages to 15 employees at Kissimmee hotel after US Labor Department investigation

Employer name: Perfect Service Excellent Benefits Services Inc.

Investigation site: 7475 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, Florida 34747

May 20, 2016

US Labor Department offers free, three-day seminar on prevailing wage requirements in federal contracts for contractors, unions and workers

Who: U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division

What: Seminar on prevailing wage requirements in federal contracts and service agreements

When: Tuesday, June 14, 2016: Check-in at 8 a.m., presentation from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 16, 2016: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
(All times are MDT.)

Where: Hotel Cascada
2500 Carlisle Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110

May 19, 2016

OSHA fines 2 Pennsylvania contractors more than $236K for again exposing employees to serious workplace dangers

Employers name:

  • Penn Stucco Systems Inc., 385 West Ridge Pike, Limerick, Pennsylvania
  • BC Stucco and Stone, 36 Marian Court, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

Inspection site: 3018 West Thompson St., Philadelphia

General contractor Westrum Development Co. hired Penn Stucco Systems Inc. to complete stucco work on a building at the site location. Penn then contracted BC Stucco and Stone to provide labor for the job. 

May 19, 2016

Jefferson County metal manufacturer cited for 27 serious violations in federal workplace safety inspection, faces $47K in fines

Employer name: Falls Creek Powdered Metals Inc., 82 Industrial Drive, Brockway, Pennsylvania

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 27 serious citations on May 17, 2016.

May 19, 2016

Sacramento electrical contractor to pay workers on federal projects in California, Washington $385K after failing to pay prevailing wages

Employers: Harold E. Nutter & Son Inc., an electrical federal contractor

Sites: Napa Valley Wine Train Relocation Project, Napa, California
Beale Air Force Base, Child Development Center, Beale AFB, California
Folsom Dam Project, Folsom, California
Beale Air Force Dock 4 Repair, Beale AFB, California
Beale Air Force Base Dock 1, Beale AFB, California
Ft. Irwin Barracks Complex, Ft. Irwin, California
U.S. Armed Forces Reserve Center, Vancouver, Washington

May 19, 2016

Federal agencies host Arizona public meetings on benefits for former, retired and current nuclear weapons workers, survivors on compensation programs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies will host three town hall meetings in Arizona to provide former, retired and current nuclear weapons workers and their survivors with information about benefits available through the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act and other federal programs.

May 19, 2016

Pier 1 Imports endangers workers again with blocked exits, stacked boxes

GLENDALE, Wis. – Pier 1 Imports’ workers in Glendale are the latest group of employees to be put at risk by  the national home décor retailer’s failure to prevent boxes from blocking aisles and being piled at dangerous heights. Federal workplace safety inspectors have found similar safety hazards at several other U.S. store locations.

May 19, 2016

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending May 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 278,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 294,000. The 4-week moving average was 275,750, an increase of 7,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 268,250.

May 18, 2016

Orange County recycler to pay 7 workers $113K in back wages, penalties

Employers: Sanchez Recycling, Inc.

Sites: 2018 East Orangeview, Placentia, California (Main office/yard)
1459 South Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, California
1130 West 6th St., Corona, California
2560 North Perris Blvd., Perris, California

May 18, 2016

US Department of Labor signs alliance agreement to increase inclusion of workers with disabilities

WASHINGTON – To promote inclusive workplaces that embrace the skills and talents of workers with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy signed an alliance agreement today with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.

May 18, 2016

OSHA finds safety failures allowed machine to sever 30-year-old worker’s three fingertips at Nature’s Path subsidiary in Wisconsin

SUSSEX, Wis. ‒ A rotating airlock blade severed a 30-year-old worker’s three fingertips as he cleaned the machine at a Sussex subsidiary of organic food manufacturer Nature’s Path Foods Inc., an incident federal safety investigators found could have been prevented if the machine had been powered down fully.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the subsidiary, Nature’s Path USA II LLC, for the same violation in 2012.

May 17, 2016

Statement of US Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez on the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement on the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers.

May 17, 2016

OSHA orders Polar Service Centers to pay $190K in back wages, damages to safety manager demoted for reporting potential DOT violation

LANSING, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Polar Service Centers to reinstate and pay $190,547 in back wages and damages to a safety manager at its Lansing facility. The action comes after a federal investigation found the commercial tank trailer company violated the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act.

May 17, 2016

H&H Lawn Service and Snowplowing to pay $38K in back wages, damages to 11 employees for overtime violations

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act consent judgment

Name of Defendants: H&H Lawn Service and Snowplowing LLC, Muskegon, Michigan
Darrell Hinken

Investigation Findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the company and its owner Darrell Hinken violated the FLSA’s overtime and record keeping provisions. 

May 17, 2016

Former Bridgeport attorney incarcerated for failing to comply with federal judge’s orders in employee benefit plan diversion scheme case

PHILADELPHIA – Acting on a United States district court judge’s order, federal marshals took John J. Koresko V, a disbarred attorney and former employee benefit plan administrator, into custody on May 6, 2016, after Koresko failed to transfer $1.68 million in assets in contempt of an earlier court order in a case involving violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

May 17, 2016

US Labor Department initiative finds 14 Lawrence restaurants owe more than $112K in back wages to 130 workers

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Hospitality industry jobs are often filled by students, temporary, or foreign workers – many of whom are new to the workforce. Among the nation’s lowest-paid workers, they are often unfamiliar with wage laws and their rights. Language barriers, fear of retaliation, and fears about immigration status can also cause them to be among those least likely to exercise their rights, leaving them vulnerable to labor violations.