ARLINGTON, Va. – A suburban Washington, D.C.-area restaurant and its owners have entered into an agreement ensuring that they would not intimidate or retaliate against employees who cooperate with a U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour investigation and subsequent ongoing litigation. The owners also agreed to stop soliciting “waivers” from employees to relinquish their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Employer name: Oaxaca Mexican Products, 100 8^th St., Passaic, New Jersey

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one willful, 20 serious and three other-than-serious violations on May 3, 2016.

State: Texas

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Initial Amount Approved: $2,155,068

Incremental Amount Awarded: $1,436,712

Funding Awarded to: Texas Workforce Commission

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 120

Employer name: Southeast Forest Products Inc., doing business as Southeast Pallet & Box Co.

Inspection site: 4596 Washington Ferry Road, Montgomery, Alabama 36108

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

“A few days ago, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez reached out to the parties in the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers and invited them to meet with him in Washington in an effort to help the parties resolve a dispute that is affecting thousands of workers, their families, and the company.

Date of Action: April 29, 2016

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendants: Tarry Bratton, B.C. Inc., B.C. Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan

Employer name: Atlantic Coffee Industrial Solutions LLC

Inspection site: 3900 Harrisburg Blvd., Houston

Citations issued: May 11, 2016

Employer name: Cinch Connectors Inc.

Inspection Site: 6900 South Bentsen Rd., McAllen, TX 

Citations issued: May 6, 2016

ARLINGTON, Va. – In a meeting with mining industry stakeholders today, the U.S.

MADISON, Wis. – In a town where images of the state university’s mascot “Bucky Badger” are common in restaurants and hotels alike, U.S. Department of Labor investigators are actively engaged in an education and enforcement effort to make sure employers do not deny hospitality workers the “bucks” they have earned legally.

Employers: Muir Orthopedics Specialists

Sites: 2625 Shadeland Drive, Walnut Creek, California

WASHINGTON – The European Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor compared practices and policies used to fight against long-term unemployment at a roundtable discussion in Washington on May 11, 2016.

Employer name: Ozburn-Hessey Logistics LLC
Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin

Citations issued: May 5, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Employer name: M&M Construction LLC, doing business as Michael Jones Contracting
1912 Constitution Drive, Fairmont, West Virginia

Inspection site: Locust Avenue, Fairmont, West Virginia

Citations issued:  The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued two willful and eight serious citations on April 29, 2016.

WASHINGTON – To reflect the important role disability plays in workforce diversity, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced that the theme of 2016’s official National Disability Employment Awareness Month is “#InclusionWorks.”

Employer name: Tritter Feefer Home Collection LLC

Investigation site: 200 East Lukken Industrial Drive, LaGrange, Georgia 30240

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the employer on May 10 for one willful and four serious safety violations.

Employer’s names: Red Diamond Enterprises Inc., doing business as Red Diamond Farms
German “Javier” Torres, president and owner

Investigation sites: Wimauma, Sarasota, Quincy and West Palm Beach, Florida

Employer name: Kellenberger Plumbing & Underground, Elgin, Illinois

Inspection site: 2708 Showplace Drive, Naperville, Illinois

Citations issued: May 2, 2016

In the week ending May 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 294,000, an increase of 20,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 274,000. This is the highest level for initial claims since February 28, 2015 when it was 310,000. The 4-week moving average was 268,250, an increase of 10,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 258,000.

WYOMING, Mich. – For a second time, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has determined that a Michigan-based, federal food service contractor systematically discriminated against 926 qualified women seeking entry-level warehouse laborer jobs.

In agreements with the department, Gordon Food Service, Inc. of Wyoming will pay a total of $1.85 million to female applicants, hire 37 female applicants and stop using a strength test that OFCCP found to be discriminatory.