WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker issued a statement regarding today’s release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of its 2022 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:

FLORENCE, WI – Despite federal regulations barring young workers from operating dangerous machinery, the management of a Wisconsin sawmill allowed several minors workers to perform maintenance on equipment without training or following required safety procedures.

On June 29, 2023, a 16-year-old worker became trapped in a stick stacker machine as he tried to unjam it. The young worker remained trapped until he was found and freed, and then transported to the hospital where he passed away two days later. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposal by its Employee Benefits Security Administration intended to support critical health care protections for consumers by rescinding its 2018 rule, “Definition of Employer – Association Health Plans.” 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule from its Mine Safety and Health Administration to help protect miners from accidents, injuries and fatalities related to surface mobile equipment.

Employer:      Hale Vietnam Inc.

                        1140 12th Ave.

Read this news brief in English.

Empleador:    Atlanta United Interiors

265 18th St. NW

Atlanta, GA 30318

WESTBURY, NY – A Long Island awnings company and its owner will pay $252,370 in back wages and damages to nearly three dozen workers whose employers intentionally denied them overtime wages over a three-year period, after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

BOSTON – In a complaint filed in Vermont federal court, the U.S. Department of Labor has alleged that a Milton excavation company retaliated against an employee in social media posts after the company’s workers received back wages and damages in 2023, resulting from an investigation into the employer’s pay practices.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The owner and operator of four western Michigan convenience stores agreed to pay $36,528 in back wages and damages to 13 workers to resolve a lawsuit brought by the U.S.

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Employer:      

Atlanta United Interiors

265 18th St. NW 

Atlanta, GA 30318 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today published a Request for Information so the public can provide input on whether to revise the list of Schedule A job classifications that do not require permanent labor certifications.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an incremental award of more than $2.8 million to support continued efforts to provide disaster-relief employment and training services for Ohio communities affected by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction and overdose. 

HOUSTON – A federal investigation into the fatal roof collapse at Friendswood High School in June 2023 in which four workers suffered injuries — including one who later died — found two Houston-area contractors exposed employees to safety hazards by ignoring federal requirements to complete an engineering survey before demolition began.  

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested the government of Mexico conduct a review based on its finding that a denial of workers’ rights has occurred at the Fujikura auto parts plant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila.

CAMBRIA, WI – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement agreement with Didion Milling Inc. that requires the Cambria corn milling company to pay more than $1.8 million in penalties after a May 31, 2017, explosion that killed five workers and injured more than a dozen others. The company has also agreed to make extensive safety and health improvements at the facility. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to enhance the National Apprenticeship System by modernizing regulations for Registered Apprenticeships.

The proposed rule would include the following enhancements: 

Employers:    Detroit Body Guards Protection Unit LLC

                        Carla Bland, human resources director

Actions:          Fair Labor Standards Act complaint filing

Courts:           U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

In the week ending December 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 202,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 220,000 to 221,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,250, a decrease of 7,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 220,750 to 221,000.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the final rule to implement the requirements of Executive Order 14055, “Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts,” which seeks to prevent the displacement of skilled and experienced workers in the federal services workforce.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A federal court in Michigan has ordered the owner of a Haslett assisted living facility, 

who allegedly threatened to fire three employees after she suspected they cooperated with a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, to attend training on federal anti-retaliation regulations and pay back wages and damages.