January 4, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor to Award $4 Million Grant to Improve Worker Rights in Rural Sectors of the Indo-Pacific with a Focus on Women’s Rights

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced its intent to award up to $4 million in grant funding to the International Labor Organization (ILO) to improve worker rights in rural sectors of the Indo-Pacific with a focus on women’s rights.

January 4, 2021

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Award of Up to $25 Million In Disaster Recovery Funding in Response to California’s 2020 Wildfires

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant for up to $25,092,803 to the California Department of Employment Development to create jobs to address debris cleanup and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the September 2020 wildfires. 

January 4, 2021

Auto Care and Tire Shop Pays $152,109 in Back Wages to 248 Employees After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Wage Violations in Carolinas and Virginia

COLUMBIA, SC After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Colony Tire Corp. has paid $152,109 in back wages to 248 employees for overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at 25 establishments throughout the Carolinas and Virginia.

January 4, 2021

Florida Landscaping Material Supplier Pays $15,804 Civil Penalty After U.S. Department of Labor Discovers Child Labor Violations

ORLANDO, FL After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Sunscape LLC – a landscaping materials supplier based in Orlando, Florida – has paid a civil money penalty of $15,804 for violating child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

January 4, 2021

U.S. Labor Department Recovers $35,492 in Overtime Back Wages For 12 Employees of Pittsburgh Area Ambulance Service

PITTSBURGH, PA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance Association – a private ambulance service operating as Southeast Regional EMS in Clairton and Elizabeth, Pennsylvania – has paid $35,492 in back wages to 12 first responder employees for violating overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

December 31, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Publishes Guidance on Expiration of Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave for Coronavirus

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today announced additional guidance to provide information to workers and employers about protections and relief offered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA’s paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements will expire on Dec. 31, 2020. 

December 31, 2020

City of Tipton, Indiana, Pays $91,924 in Overtime Back Wages To 15 Firefighters Following U.S. Department of Labor Investigation

TIPTON, IN After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the City of Tipton, Indiana, paid $91,924 in back wages to 15 firefighters for violations of the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The WHD investigation found the City of Tipton failed to pay overtime to firefighters who worked more than 106 hours in their two-week pay period. 

December 31, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Two Wage and Hour Opinion Letters on Fair Labor Standards Act Compliance

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced two opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

December 31, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Announces $3,849,222 In Coronavirus Violations

WASHINGTON, DC – Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic through Dec. 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued citations arising from 295 inspections for violations relating to coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $3,849,222.

OSHA inspections have resulted in the agency citing employers for violations, including failures to:

December 31, 2020

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending December 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 787,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 3,000 from 803,000 to 806,000. The 4-week moving average was 836,750, an increase of 17,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 750 from 818,250 to 819,000.

December 30, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Announces New Guidance to States on Unemployment Insurance Programs

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration has issued guidance that provides overarching implementation information about unemployment insurance (UI) provisions contained in the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020, which is part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

December 30, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $81,399 in Back Wages For 45 Employees of Columbus, Ohio, Nursing Home

COLUMBUS, OH – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Chelsea Health Care LLC –has paid $81,399 in back wages to 45 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirements at its Columbus, Ohio, nursing home facility.

December 30, 2020

Restaurant Pays Penalties After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Child Labor Violations in Commerce, California

LOS ANGELES, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant in Commerce, California, has paid $27,150 in civil money penalties for violating child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

December 30, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor and Consulate General of Mexico Renew Alliance to Promote Worker Safety in Colorado

DENVER, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Consulate General of Mexico in Denver, Colorado, have renewed a two-year alliance to provide Mexican nationals with safety training and resources to educate them on their rights and employers’ responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

December 29, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance Supporting Workplace Flexibilities through Virtual Communication

WASHINTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today announced new guidance in its ongoing efforts to support the American workforce through the pandemic recovery. As employers continue to meet the challenges presented to their businesses by the coronavirus, and as telework arrangements and virtual communication increasingly provide solutions, the agency provides additional guidance to maximize the benefits of these arrangements for employers and workers alike.

December 28, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Releases the Office of Labor-Management Standards’ Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report of Performance and Activities

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) has released its annual fiscal year summary of its performance and program activities in its 2020 Annual Report today. OLMS administers and enforces most provisions of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA).

December 23, 2020

Southern California Produce Company Pays Back Wages to Five Employees Wrongly Denied Paid Sick Leave After Coronavirus Diagnoses

LOS ANGELES, CA – Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), DeFranco & Sons – a produce company in Los Angeles, California – has paid $6,000 in back wages to five employees after wrongly denying them paid sick leave after they received coronavirus diagnoses.

December 23, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division Delivers Record-Breaking Outreach in Fiscal Year 2020

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Wage and Hour Division (WHD) continued to break records in delivering outreach and education to workers and employers in fiscal year 2020.

December 23, 2020

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending December 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 803,000, a decrease of 89,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 7,000 from 885,000 to 892,000. The 4-week moving average was 818,250, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 1,750 from 812,500 to 814,250.