HOUSTON, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Alpha Technical Services (ATS) – doing business as Quala Rail and Specialty in Pasadena, Texas – for exposing employees to confined space hazards after two employees were fatally overcome by fumes while cleaning a tank trailer. The company faces $499,134 in penalties.

GREENCASTLE, PA – A compliance action by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has led Mitchell Machine Shop – based in Greencastle, Pennsylvania – to grant paid sick leave and pay back wages to an employee who requested leave to provide child care due to a coronavirus-related school closing. The agency determined that the employee was entitled to receive paid leave at two-thirds their regular rate of pay for up to 12 weeks under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

SAN JOSE, CA – After a routine compliance evaluation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Mphasis Corp. – a technology services company and federal contractor based in San Jose, California – has agreed to pay $171,300 in lost wages to resolve allegations of discriminating against white applicants at its facility.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has undertaken a public service messaging effort to remind workers that the agency is committed to ensuring their safety and health during the coronavirus pandemic.

FORT WORTH, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor and TTI Inc. – a federal contractor that manufactures and distributes electronic components – have entered into a conciliation agreement to resolve alleged hiring discrimination at two of its Fort Worth, Texas, locations.

LUBBOCK, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), West End Futures LLC - operator of a Chick-fil-A franchise in Lubbock, Texas - has paid $12,510 in back wages to 184 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) minimum wage and overtime requirements.

PRAIRIE GROVE, AR – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Specialty Fastening Systems Inc. – doing business as Specialty Nail Company in Prairie Grove, Arkansas – has paid $111,895 in back wages to 260 employees to resolve violations of the overtime and anti-retaliation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

CHICAGO, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Chicago-based Ferrara Candy Company for violations of OSHA’s machine safety standards after employees suffered severe injuries in two separate incidents at the Bellwood, Illinois, facility. The company faces $485,008 in penalties, and OSHA has placed them in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

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 pandemic.

 Reopening America’s Economy:

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published frequently asked questions and answers to help protect workers from exposure to the coronavirus.

WILMER, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), MBlock and Sons Inc. – operator of a warehouse in Wilmer, Texas – has agreed to pay $857 in back wages after failing to provide an employee paid sick leave after their doctor ordered the employee with potential coronavirus symptoms to self-quarantine.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced $4.1 million in grants available to community organizations to recruit, mentor, train and retain more women in quality apprenticeship programs, and to help those women pursue successful careers in manufacturing, infrastructure, cybersecurity, healthcare and other industries.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) in Salt Lake City, Utah, will hold a webinar on July 8, 2020, to help Salt Lake City-area employers and employees understand the benefits and protections provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

BOTKINS, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Boomerang Rubber Inc. – based in Botkins, Ohio – with two willful and six serious violations for exposing employees to machine and electrical hazards. The company faces penalties of $330,269.

BILLINGS, MT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the conclusion of a two-year strategic partnership agreement with Langlas & Associates Inc., the general contractor that completed construction of a new high school in Billings, Montana.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement on the June 2020 Employment Situation Report:

In the week ending June 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 1,427,000, a decrease of 55,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 1,480,000 to 1,482,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,503,750, a decrease of 117,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 1,620,750 to 1,621,250.

WASHINGTON, DC – Because of the observance of the Independence Day holiday on Friday, July 3, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will release its monthly Employment Situation Report on Thursday, July 2, at 8:30 a.m. EDT. The BLS release coincides with the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims release, which occurs each Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to mark the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s (USMCA) entry into force. Secretary Scalia participated in a roundtable discussion with JobsOhio, where he highlighted the USMCA’s benefits to American workers and manufacturers and discussed the safe reopening of the economy. The USMCA will create as many as 500,000 or more jobs for workers at a time when many Americans have been forced out of work due to the coronavirus.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor awarded $81,046,170 in grants intended to support activities that improve states' ability to serve, improve and expand the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) model by strengthening the national apprenticeship system, promoting system alignment and partnership, and improving data sharing and data integrity.