In the week ending June 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 238,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 242,000 to 243,000. The 4-week moving average was 232,750, an increase of 5,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 227,000 to 227,250.

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

What:             Southeast Region Whistleblower protections webinar 

SANDUSKY, OH – A Sandusky pork processing facility exposed workers to a release of ammonia gas, leading the U.S. Department of Labor to open two inspections and issue 43 violations of federal regulations.

ANN ARBOR, MI – An Ann Arbor restaurant operator who sought and received nearly $950,000 in federal assistance to help keep workers employed during the pandemic has agreed to pay $196,531 in back wages and liquidated damages to 20 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into the employer’s illegal pay practices. 

GREENBELT, MD – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment requiring a health and welfare benefits administration firm, its owner and others to restore more than $4.4 million in fringe benefits owed to people employed by government service contractors across the U.S.

BELMAR, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered more than $84,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 13 workers and assessed $4,459 in penalties after its investigation determined a Jersey Shore steakhouse owner violated federal overtime regulations deliberately.

ARLINGTON, TX – A federal workplace safety investigation of a global manufacturer and distributor of pet products in Arlington identified one willful violation and eight serious violations of required safety regulations during its investigation into how an employee suffered severe facial burns in December 2023.  

MIAMI – The U.S. Department of Labor reminds emergency responders and others working in rescue and recovery efforts as well as residents in areas flooded recently by intense rainfall to be vigilant and to protect themselves and avoid many hazards in a storm’s aftermath.

In the week ending June 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 242,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 227,000, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 222,250.

RADNOR, PA ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor announced a settlement with the Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. that requires the company to change its evidence of insurability requirement – commonly known as proof of good health –for participants in job-based life insurance plans.

SAN JACINTO, CA – Un juez federal reafirmó la conclusión del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. de que una empresa constructora de Nebraska que operaba en el sur de California discriminó descarada y deliberadamente a trabajadores estadounidenses al traer a EE.UU. trabajadores mexicanos con falsos pretextos, a los que pagó de menos y puso su seguridad y salud en riesgo en condiciones de alojamiento deficientes.  

SAN JACINTO, CA – A federal judge has reaffirmed the U.S. Department of Labor’s finding that a Nebraska construction company operating in Southern California blatantly and willfully discriminated against U.S. workers by bringing Mexican workers to the U.S. under false pretenses, shortchanging their wages and putting their safety and health at risk in substandard living conditions. 

HANOVER PARK, IL – Federal workplace safety inspectors found an Illinois construction contractor — cited seven times since 2020 — again exposing employees doing framing work to the risk of deadly falls from elevation at two homes under construction in Hanover Park in December 2023 and February 2024. 

EAST ST. LOUIS, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint in federal court against two Illinois restaurants — operating as IHOP franchises in O’Fallon and Alton — and their owner after its investigation identified numerous violations, including management telling servers to surrender their tips to a shared tip pool when, in fact, the owner was keeping the tips for the restaurant or sharing them with back-of-the-house employees not eligible to participate in a mandatory tip pool. 

BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a settlement with Unum Life Insurance Co. of America that requires the Portland, Maine-based insurer to change how it administers its proof of good health requirement — referred to as evidence of insurability — for participants in job-based life insurance plans.  

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a court order requiring one of the nation’s most successful thoroughbred horse trainers to pay $243,260 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages after its investigation found the employer’s illegal pay practices denied 163 grooms and hotwalkers at Churchill Downs and at Keeneland racetrack in Lexington of overtime wages.

Employers name:            X.M. Investment LLC, Beemer Investments LLC, both operating as Crackin’ Crab

Investigation sites:        4959 Pan American Freeway NE, Suite C, Albuquerque, NM 87114

                                                  2100 Louisiana Blvd. NE, Suite 413, Albuquerque, NM 87114

Fecha de la acción legal:       20 de mayo de 2024

Tipo de acción legal:             Sentencia por consentimiento

Date of action:                       May 20, 2024

 Type of action:                      Consent Judgment  

WASHINGTON – The Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the May 2024 Employment Situation report:  

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 272,000 jobs in May, and the jobless rate was little changed at 4.0 percent. The rate of unemployment has been at or below 4 percent for the past 30 months, the longest stretch since 1970. These strong labor market indicators continue to point to strong, stable growth in the U.S. economy.