August 10, 2023

US Department of Labor assesses Washington mushroom farm with $74K in penalties for H-2A program violations, recovers $59K for workers

Employer:      Ostrom Mushroom Farms LLC

                        1111 Midvale Road

August 10, 2023

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending August 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 248,000, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 227,000. The 4-week moving average was 231,000, an increase of 2,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 228,250.

August 10, 2023

Department of Labor will extend comment period for proposed changes to standards to better protect miners from hazardous silica dust levels

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration will extend the public comment period on proposed amendments to existing federal standards that protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to workplace exposure of respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust.

August 9, 2023

Federal court requires Peoria dentist to pay $20K in back wages to employee terminated after alleging unsafe working conditions

PEORIA, IL The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a judgment in federal court requiring a Peoria dentist to pay $20,000 in back wages for unlawfully terminating a dental assistant who complained about the risk of coronavirus infection, refused a work assignment they believed to be a risk for contracting coronavirus, and discussed workplace safety issues with coworkers.

August 9, 2023

Department of Labor enters agreement with Raytheon subsidiary to resolve alleged hiring discrimination in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a conciliation agreement with a federal defense contractor to resolve alleged discrimination against Black applicants who applied for assembler positions between 2018 and 2019 at its Burnsville facility.

August 9, 2023

US Department of Labor, Alabama’s builders, contractors form alliance to make construction workplaces safer

Who:  U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

            Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. – Alabama Chapter

What:  Safety and health alliance, OSHA’s Safe and Sound Campaign, Aug. 7 -11, 2023. 

August 9, 2023

Department of Labor, National Governors Association announce partnership to enhance state workforce development systems

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a partnership with the National Governors Association to bring federal partners, state policy advisors, workforce development boards and agencies, and other policymakers together to support states’ planning processes.

The partnership will take advantage of employment opportunities made possible by the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure and promote economic growth.

August 9, 2023

Court holds Hampton Inn operator, general manager in civil contempt for defying consent judgment, demanding worker repay back wages

QUAKERTOWN, PA – A federal court in Pennsylvania has found the general manager of a Quakertown Hampton Inn in civil contempt for violating a February 2023 consent judgment. The contempt order requires the employer to pay $8,750 in back wages, an equal amount in liquidated damages and $500 in interest to affected hotel workers, as well as $2,000 to reimburse the department’s investigative and attorney’s fees.

August 9, 2023

Department of Labor, Trade Representative reach agreement with Mexican government to address labor violations at Aguascalientes garment plant

WASHINGTON The U.S. and Mexico today announced agreement on a course of remediation at the INISA 2000 garment facility in Aguascalientes in response to a petition filed under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism.

August 9, 2023

Department of Labor, Norfolk Southern Corp., Teamsters’ railway union enter agreement to enhance safety at East Palestine, Ohio, derailment site

CLEVELAND – After several U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety and health investigations at the East Palestine, Ohio, site where a Norfolk Southern Corp. train derailed in February 2023, the train’s operator has entered into a settlement agreement with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division-International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

August 8, 2023

Una investigación recupera $45,000 en concepto de salarios atrasados de una empresa de frutas que les negaba a docenas de integrantes de su personal agrícola los salarios completos, el transporte y la vivienda

Nombre de la empresa:       Mt. Clifton Fruit Company LLC

Lugar de investigación:       17581 Mechanicsville Road, Timberville, VA 22853

August 8, 2023

US Department of Labor to host outreach event in southeastern Ohio on benefits for current, former nuclear weapons industry workers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will host an information session for current and former nuclear weapons workers and their families employed at covered facilities on the benefits available under the federal Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act on Aug. 16, 2023, in Hamilton, Ohio.

August 8, 2023

US Department of Labor announces final rule to modernize Davis-Bacon Act

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the issuance of the final rule “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulation” to update regulations that implement the Davis-Bacon Act and Davis-Bacon and Related Acts to reflect better the needs of construction workers on federal construction investments.

August 7, 2023

US Department of Labor finds Shreveport hotel denied employee federal family, medical leave protections; wrongly fired worker

Employer name:                   Hotel De Panache LLC, operating as Home 2 Suites                                       

Investigation site:                  6650 Eastbank Drive

August 7, 2023

Department of Labor returns to normal workplace safety enforcement operations throughout Guam following Typhoon Mawar

DEDEDO, GUAM – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has returned to normal enforcement operations throughout Guam in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar.

August 7, 2023

Department of Labor obtains consent judgment barring Aliera Healthcare, CEO Shelley Steele from serving as ERISA fiduciaries, service providers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a judgment barring a plan administrator and its CEO Shelley Steele from serving as fiduciaries or service providers to any plan covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, amid allegations they improperly paid themselves and affiliated businesses more than $100 million.

August 4, 2023

Statement by US Secretary of Labor Su on July jobs report

WASHINGTON – Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su issued the following statement on the July 2023 Employment Situation report: