WASHINGTON, DC – As the holiday season approaches, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Wage and Hour Division (WHD) are reminding employers to protect worker safety and pay. 

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced actions it is taking to assist Americans in California affected by devastating wildfires.

"The Department of Labor is actively engaged in Administration efforts to help those impacted by devastating wildfires in California," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. "As Californians come together to help their friends, neighbors, and all individuals who have been affected recover, the Department of Labor is committed to supporting the American worker."

WEST COVINA, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Pho Ha Pomona Inc. – operator of Pho Ha Vietnamese Restaurant based in Pomona, California – will pay $219,716 in back wages and liquidated damages to 33 employees for minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

PHOENIX, AZ – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Sound Image – a audio, visual and lighting installation company in Tempe, Arizona – has paid 32 employees $120,860 in back wages and liquidated damages for violating overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) continues to provide technical assistance and outreach in areas hit hardest by Hurricane Michael, and is returning to normal enforcement operations throughout most of Florida and Georgia.

LAKEWOOD, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Mister Cookie Face LLC for machine safety hazards after an employee suffered an amputation at the Lakewood, New Jersey, facility. The company faces $103,476 in penalties.

SPRINGDALE, AR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Rental Concepts LLC - doing business as RNR Tire Express in Springdale, Arkansas - has paid $96,511 in back wages to 239 employees to resolve systemic violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime provisions. The employer also violated the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) recordkeeping provisions.

HIALEAH, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited PGT Industries Inc. – operating as CGI Windows and Doors Inc. in Hialeah, Florida – for machine guarding hazards after an employee suffered a partial finger amputation while working on an unguarded punch press. The window and door manufacturer faces $398,545 in penalties, including the maximum amount allowed by law for the violations that can cause life-altering injury. 

LAS VEGAS, NV - The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will present an educational forum about developments in its policies and regulations, and the Department's Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) Program, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 27, 2018.

WEST COVINA, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Pacific Custom Pools Inc. – based in Pasadena, California – will pay $104,739 to 13 employees for overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

RIVERSIDE, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Super Happy Buffet – a restaurant based in Riverside, California – will pay $65,704 to 10 employees for minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

SAN DIEGO, CA – Twenty-five El Pollo Loco restaurants in San Diego County – operated by Pel/Lion LLC of Oceanside, California – will pay 35 employees $31,939 after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

LOS ANGELES, CA – Templar Transportation Corporation – based in Burbank, California – will pay $80,140 to 26 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer violated overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Department also assessed the company $12,163 in civil penalties.

GREELEY, CO - The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and JBS USA have entered into a consent decree resolving allegations of hiring discrimination at the company's beef processing facilities in Hyrum, Utah, and Cactus, Texas.

In the week ending November 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 216,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 214,000. The 4-week moving average was 215,250, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 213,750.

GRAND ISLAND, NE – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Rivera Agri Inc. – a provider of temporary agricultural labor – for failing to protect employees working in excessive heat after a farmworker succumbed to apparent heat-related symptoms while working in a cornfield near Grand Island, Nebraska.

ROME, GA – Crothall Laundry Services Inc. has agreed to pay $72,000 in back wages after a routine compliance evaluation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) found alleged systematic hiring discrimination violations at its Rome, Georgia, worksite.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) today released advance informational copies of the 2018 Form 5500 Annual Return/Report and related instructions. The "Changes to Note" section of the 2018 instructions highlights important modifications to the Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF, and their schedules and instructions. Modifications are as follows:

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant (NHE DWG) award to the California Department of Employment Development to provide employment services to eligible individuals in rural California counties impacted by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose.  

NEW FRANKEN, WI – Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Anna's Healthcare Inc. will pay $113,701 in overtime back wages to 114 current and former employees at both of its Wisconsin residential healthcare facilities in New Franken and Sturgeon Bay. Violations of the overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) were identified.