MINOOKA, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited the Minooka Grain, Lumber and Supply Company for grain-handling safety violations after corn engulfed an employee clearing clumps in a grain storage bin. First responders were able to rescue the worker. The company faces $69,010 in penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today issued an Information Letter under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) concerning private equity investments as a component of a professionally managed asset allocation fund offered as an investment option for participants in defined contribution plans. 

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement regarding the retirement of Department of Labor Inspector General Scott Dahl.

“For seven years, Scott Dahl has helped improve the integrity and quality of the Department of Labor’s programs. The Department and the people it serves have benefited greatly from his contributions. We wish Scott and his family the very best in the future.”

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today issued guidance that includes recommended actions to protect agriculture workers from exposure to the coronavirus.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an alert listing safety tips employers can follow to protect stockroom and loading dock workers in the retail industry from exposure to the coronavirus. 

Safety measures employers can implement include:

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia signed a new Secretary’s Order regarding debt management at the U.S. Department of Labor. The Secretary’s Order will centralize the debt management activities across the Department under the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), while keeping existing mission-driven authorities and activities within the respective agencies. In so doing, the order will enhance both deterrence and the effectiveness of Department programs.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Mooresville, North Carolina, where he joined business leaders for a roundtable discussion on reopening the economy safely. Secretary Scalia also toured a local Lowe’s store, met with frontline employees and discussed the reopening process with Lowe’s leadership team.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that Samantha Thomas, an Associate Regional Solicitor in its Office of the Solicitor, received an Arthur S. Flemming Award for Legal Achievement for her efforts to recover $5,867,536 in back wages for 1,562 coal miners and other mine employees in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Wyoming.

PANAMA CITY, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited two Florida construction contractors – CMR Construction & Roofing LLC of Panama City, Florida, and Modern Construction Experts LLC of Stuart, Florida – for failing to protect employees from fall hazards at a construction worksite in Panama City, Florida. The two companies face $126,169 in penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor took a range of actions to aid American workers and employers as our nation combats the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Reopening America’s Economy:

NORTH BRANCH, MN – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has led the City of North Branch, Minnesota, to pay $1,696 in back wages to an employee denied paid sick leave after her healthcare provider recommended a 14-day quarantine for reasons related to coronavirus.

DES MOINES, IA – BAH Brazilian Steakhouse has paid 14 employees $3,059 in back wages after the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found the Des Moines, Iowa, restaurant failed to pay employees for the last payroll period worked prior to the restaurant’s closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

MARLTON, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited AA& B Builders Inc. and Ebenezer General Construction Excavating for exposing employees to safety hazards on a worksite in Ewing, New Jersey. The companies face a combined total of $148,264 in proposed penalties.

DULUTH, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Construction Management & Engineering Services Inc. for exposing employees to excavation hazards at a Duluth, Georgia, worksite. The Norcross, Georgia-based construction contractor faces $134,937 in penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an alert listing steps employers can follow to implement social distancing in the workplace and to help protect workers from exposure to the coronavirus.

Safety measures employers can implement include:

WASHINGTON, DC – As the nation faces the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is dedicated to keeping the American workforce safe and healthy. Today, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt testified before the House Education and Labor Committee’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee about  the agency’s role during the crisis.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the awarding of 20 grants totaling nearly $24 million as part of the Job Corps Scholars Program, a new national demonstration project aimed at providing at-risk youth with job skills instruction, educational opportunities and individualized employment counseling.

In the week ending May 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 2,123,000, a decrease of 323,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 8,000 from 2,438,000 to 2,446,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,608,000, a decrease of 436,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 2,000 from 3,042,000 to 3,044,000.

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Jax Utilities Management Inc. for exposing employees to cave-in hazards at a Jacksonville, Florida, worksite. The construction contractor faces $56,405 in penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of four Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) totaling $23,823,000 to help address the workforce-related impacts of the public health emergency related to the coronavirus. These awards are funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided $345 million for DWGs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.