MADISON, WI – Five years after leaving their Guatemalan and Mexican homes for jobs promised by owners of two Wisconsin forestry companies and discovering they would not receive the wages, benefits and types of jobs described in their contracts, 263 workers will finally receive $1.1 million in unpaid wages after extensive federal investigations. 

DENVER – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint in federal court against the operator of a Firestone franchise restaurant who allegedly fired two workers whom the employer believed complained to the department’s Wage and Hour Division about the employer’s pay practice and participated in the investigation that followed.

Employer:                                          Pho Saigon restaurant

MONROEVILLE, OH ‒ An Ohio excavation contractor, cited six times since 2017 for ignoring federal trench-safety rules, allowed employees to work with damaged safety equipment on July 26, 2022, the day a 33-year-old worker in Columbus suffered fatal injuries, a federal workplace safety investigation has found.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh today issued a statement regarding the release of the Telecommunications Workforce Interagency Group’s report to Congress:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh will travel to Europe next week to meet with government and business leaders at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos, visit one of Europe’s foremost job training centers in Zurich, and learn more about apprenticeship programs in Austria.

WASHINGTON – To help identify and address barriers workers face regarding access to state unemployment insurance benefits, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $9.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to the New York State Department of Labor.

TRENTON, NJ – Less than four months after citing a Trenton roofing contractor for exposing unprotected workers to deadly fall hazards, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is once again holding the employer responsible for putting its workers’ safety at risk.

PHOENIX – A national auto parts distributor and an Arizona logistics firm that misclassified 1,398 drivers as independent contractors will pay them a total of $5.6 million in back wages and liquidated damages after the U.S. Department of Labor obtained a consent judgment in federal court.

BRAINTREE, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Eversource Energy Service Co. for five violations of workplace safety standards after its investigation of a fatal arc flash and arc blast in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood on July 12, 2022, that led to a worker’s death.

In the week ending January 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 205,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 204,000 to 206,000. The 4-week moving average was 212,500, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 213,750 to 214,250.

WASHINGTON – El Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos anunció hoy que la versión en español de la aplicación Timesheet del departamento para dispositivos iOS o Android, que rastrea las horas de trabajo, el tiempo de descanso, las horas extras trabajadas y calcula los salarios adeudados, ya está disponible para su descarga gratuita.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the Spanish-language version of the department’s Timesheet App for iOS or Android devices – that tracks work hours, break time, overtime worked and calculates wages due – is now available for free download.

SACRAMENTO – An ongoing compliance initiative by the U.S. Department of Labor found that four Sacramento-area home care providers failed to pay employees overtime as required despite some working 24-hour shifts caring for those in need.

LAS VEGAS – The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $179,860 in back wages and liquidated damages from the owners of 10 Korean BBQ, sushi and hot pot restaurants in Las Vegas who failed to combine the hours of 121 employees when they worked at more than one location and did not pay workers overtime wages for the hours over 40 in a workweek.

GARDEN GROVE, CA – Una corte federal ha aprobado una sentencia por consentimiento que ordena a un proveedor de cuidado de adultos del sur de California con antecedentes de infracciones laborales pagar $690,696 a 108 empleados después de que el Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. descubriera que el empleador con sede en Garden Grove nuevamente negó a los trabajadores todos sus salarios ganados.

GARDEN GROVE, CA – A federal court has approved a consent judgment ordering a Southern California adult care provider with a history of labor violations to pay $690,696 to 108 employees after the U.S. Department of Labor recently found the Garden Grove-based employer denied workers all their earned wages.

ORLANDO, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $14,813 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages after finding a Jacksonville Subway franchisee directed employees to handle work-related tasks off-the-clock at six restaurants.

CHESAPEAKE, VA – A Chesapeake home healthcare company and its owners must pay more than $1.5 million – $759,698 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages – to 194 employees after the U.S. Department of Labor obtained a summary judgment in federal court.

WASHINGTON – While Michigan saw overdose fatalities decline in 2018 and 2019, the pandemic forced more people to isolate, made treatment services less accessible and worsened the state’s opioids epidemic, reports the Michigan Opioids Task Force.