CHATTANOOGA, TN – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, Chattanooga-based Chao’s Mongolian Grill LLC will pay $48,197 in back wages to eight employees for violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ALBANY, NY – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, Georgia contractor Infinite Services and Solutions and its president, Khary Lewis, who provided transportation services for the U.S. Army in New York and Arizona, have been placed on a list of bidders ineligible for federal contracts for a period of three years as a result of violations of the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA).

GUAYNABO, PR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), fuel distributor Macro Companies Inc., engaged in hurricane recovery activities in Puerto Rico, has paid $1,151,291 in back wages to 219 employees for violating the overtime provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA), the fringe benefits provisions of the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), and the recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement today regarding President Trump’s Executive Order on Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility:

FRESNO, CA – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, Central Valley garlic grower Valley Garlic Inc. and its farm labor contractor X-Treme Ag Labor Inc. have signed consent judgments, entered by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Fresno. The U.S. Department of Labor sued Valley Garlic Inc. and X-Treme Ag Labor Inc. for being jointly responsible in a June 2015 crash that took the lives of four farmworkers who were being transported to work, including a 16-year-old minor.

WHITES CREEK, TN – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee has ordered Music City Masonry Contractors LLC and its owners, Brandy George and Robin “Bubba” Waller, to pay $493,987 in back wages and liquidated damages to 247 employees for violating the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON, DC – With the inclusion of key provisions related to America’s tipped workers included in the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has issued a Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) to address WHD’s enforcement of tip credit rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

BOSTON, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement with Lynnway Auto Auction Inc., in which the Billerica facility agrees to correct hazards, implement significant safety measures, and pay $200,000 in penalties. The Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Lynnway for 16 violations following a May 2017 incident in which a sport utility vehicle fatally struck five people during an auto auction.

BOYNTON BEACH, FL – Following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has sentenced Albert Samukia Jones-Saye, the owner of a substance abuse recovery residence, to 71 months in prison and three years of supervised release. The sentencing is in addition to $2,071,406 in court-ordered restitution by Jones-Saye following a previous guilty plea to conspiring with others to commit healthcare fraud.

ARLINGTON, VA – As the U.S. Department of Labor works to protect the safety and health of America’s miners, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) today announced that it will publish its Final Rule on Examinations of Working Places in Metal and Nonmetal Mines in the Federal Register on April 9, 2018.

ATLANTA, GA – The Federal Highway Administration, the state of Georgia, local government organizations, and employers are partnering with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to sponsor events to train road workers on the dangers from roadway work activities, during National Highway Work Zone Awareness Week, April 9-13.

AMES, IA – The U.S. Department of Labor will host an outreach event in Ames on April 17, 2018, for former and current nuclear weapons workers and their survivors. Federal representatives from the Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC) will discuss the new Special Exposure Cohort class of employees at the Ames Laboratory.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) announced today the availability of approximately $12 million in Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) grants to provide veterans with job-driven training to help them successfully transition from homelessness to sustainable housing and good civilian jobs.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding the March 2018 Employment Situation report:

KANSAS CITY, MO ‒ To raise awareness about grain engulfment prevention and other hazards in the grain handling industry, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) formed an alliance to provide information, guidance, and access to resources to help protect employees.

In the week ending March 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 242,000, an increase of 24,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 3,000 from 215,000 to 218,000. The 4-week moving average was 228,250, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 750 from 224,500 to 225,250.

Read the full release.

WASHINGTON, DC – President Donald J. Trump’s Administration is committed to reducing recidivism and breaking the cycle of crime to make American communities safer.  As part of that effort, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced an $82.5 million investment to help Americans exit incarceration and integrate into the workforce.

OMAHA, NE – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Omaha-based plumbing contractor Gavrooden Inc. for the second time in less than six months for failing to protect its workers from excavation collapse hazards. Gavrooden Inc., doing business as Mr. Rooter Plumbing, faces proposed penalties of $38,061.

TAMPA, FL – Investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division into rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma have resulted in 11 roofing companies paying $239,893 in back wages to 259 employees for violations of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

CAMDEN, NJ – Two companies that operate 17 Houlihan’s franchisee restaurants in New Jersey and New York and their owner Arnold Runestad will pay $5,000,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 1,471 current and former employees to resolve a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The agreement is part of a consent judgment filed on April 2, 2018, that is pending review and approval by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.