FORT MYERS, FL – While a Fort Myers restaurant operator’s choice to deny 75 servers all of their hard-earned tips may not be an uncommon violation of federal law, the decision comes with familiar and costly consequences after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

BOSTON – Not keeping track of how many hours employees under age 16 worked and allowing some to operate a dangerous machine has proved costly for the Berkley, Massachusetts-based operator of 18 Dunkin’ franchise locations in Bristol, Norfolk and Plymouth counties after a U.S. Department Labor investigation.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Dollar Tree Stores Inc.’s failure to provide safe work conditions at two Rhode Island stores – violations of U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards – exposed employees to serious risks and injuries.

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement is applauding a report by the government of Mexico on April 20, 2023, detailing steps taken to address allegations that the Unique Fabricating facility in Querétaro, Mexico, denied workers’ rights.

Participants:

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

Moss & Associates LLC

University of South Florida On-Site Consultation Program

What:  Strategic Partnership agreement

Date of action:                       April 17, 2023

Type of action:                      Consent preliminary injunction

Participants:

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

Brasfield & Gorrie Construction

What: Safety alliance agreement

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $1 million in funding for up to four grants to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and harassment against underserved and marginalized women workers.

The Fostering Access, Rights and Equity grants will help survivors and women at high risk for violence and harassment in the workplace.

Employer:   CSI Catalano’s Nurses Registry Inc., operating as CSI

Investigation site: 3801 Bee Ridge Road,  Sarasota, FL 34233

WASHINGTON – To continue to promote equitable access, prevent and detect fraud, and recover fraudulent payments and ensure timely benefits, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the publication of an Unemployment Insurance Equitable Access toolkit to help states provide all workers with equitable access. The department has engaged in active efforts to help states promote equitable access for all workers, representing the most consistent focus on equitable access in the 90-year history of the UI program.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an initial grant of $800,000 to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security for cleanup and recovery activities after severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes in March 2023 killed 21 people and ravaged towns.

RESTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement agreement with a technology solutions provider to resolve alleged systemic hiring discrimination against Black applicants at the company’s Reston headquarters.

Employer:      Mcdreams Enterprises Inc., operating as Zaxby’s

                        1660 441 Historic Highway N

                        Clarkesville, GA 30523

WASHINGTON – On April 28, 1970, the nation first observed Workers Memorial Day at a time when an estimated 38 people died on the job in the U.S. each day. More than a half century later, this annual tribute endures as do the determined efforts of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Mine Safety and Health Administration to help protect the lives of our nation’s workers.

Participants:

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

Moss & Associates LLC

University of South Florida On-Site Consultation Program

What:             Safety partnership agreement

WINTER GARDEN, FL – Federal workplace safety inspectors have found Dollar General Corp., one of the nation’s largest discount retailers, exposing its employees and others to unsafe conditions again, this time in Winter Garden, Florida. 

DELRAY BEACH, FL – A federal whistleblower investigation has uncovered that Delray Beach retaliated against a city inspector who was fired after finding and reporting faults in the local water system that caused contamination of the public water supply.

OMAHA, NE – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has recovered $272,163 in overtime back wages for 133 workers employed by an Omaha-based operator of six bars, restaurants and live music venues that used a tip pool illegally, and denied servers and salaried employees correct overtime wages.

In the week ending April 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 245,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 239,000 to 240,000. The 4-week moving average was 239,750, a decrease of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 240,000 to 240,250.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a settlement with the Prudential Insurance Company of America — a subsidiary of Prudential Financial Inc. — that will require the financial giant to revise its practices after a federal investigation found the Newark, New Jersey-based company collected life insurance premiums from participants for extended periods, but then denied numerous claims after the participants died, citing the participants’ failure to provide evidence of insurability when they applied for insurance.