LEBANON, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Karrenbrock Excavating LLC for allowing two employees to work in an unprotected trench while installing sewers. The company faces proposed penalties of $189,221.

SAN JOSE, CA – Full Power Properties LLC – prime contractor and employer for the 650-unit, high-rise Silvery Towers project in San Jose, California – has paid $250,000 to 22 employees to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found during a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation.

WHD investigators determined that Full Power Properties LLC benefited from the work done by employees supplied by Job Torres, an unlicensed subcontractor doing business as Nobilis Construction.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $150 million in grants to support sector-based approaches to expand apprenticeships on a national scale in key industry sectors. When awarded, the grants will move a step closer to President Trump's vision set forth in Executive Order on Expanding Apprenticeship in America, which calls for increasing the number of apprentices in the U.S. across all industries. 

BRYAN, TX – Texas-based cabinet manufacturer Kent Moore Cabinets LLC will pay $175,458 in back wages to 59 employees to resolve overtime, minimum wage, and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found in an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD).

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of funding to help recruit, train, and retain more women in quality pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, and pursue careers in manufacturing, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and healthcare, among other industries. The Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant helps to expand pathways for women to enter in, and lead in, all industries.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has rescinded the 2016 Persuader Rule, which exceeded the authority of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). The Persuader Rule impinged on attorney-client privilege by requiring confidential information to be part of disclosures and was strongly condemned by many stakeholders, including the American Bar Association. A federal court has ruled that the Persuader Rule was incompatible with the law and client confidentiality.

SYRACUSE, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Timberline Hardwood Floors LLC for willful and serious violations of workplace safety and health standards. The Fulton, New York, custom hardwood-flooring manufacturer faces proposed penalties totaling $182,917.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – As a result of a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation, El Paso Mexican Grill restaurant will pay $654,366 in back wages to 567 employees to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found at 23 of the employer's locations in Louisiana and Florida.

HOMERVILLE, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Dupont Yard Inc. after an employee suffered a partial hand amputation and other injuries while working on unguarded machinery in Homerville, Georgia. The wooden post manufacturer faces $109,548 in proposed penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – To prevent job losses and ensure affordable guided tours on federal lands, President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Order exempting seasonal outdoor guides and outfitters from Executive Order 13568 issued in 2014. Today, the U.S. Department of Labor issued guidance to contracting agencies and the public regarding the President's action.

BELHAVEN, NC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Belhaven Shipyard and Marina Inc. - doing business as TowBoatUS River Forest - after an employee drowned when a towboat capsized while operating in a winter storm. The company faces $11,640 in proposed penalties.

ST. LOUIS, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Alberici Healthcare LLC in St. Louis, Missouri, have signed a strategic partnership to promote worker safety and health during the construction of the 802,000-square-foot SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital.

The partnership will address falls, struck-by, caught-in or between, and electrocution hazards, the top four causes of fatalities in construction.

WEST MONROE, LA – West Monroe LLC, operator of Café Rawz in West Monroe, Louisiana, has agreed to pay $69,178 in back wages to 34 employees to resolve overtime, minimum wage, and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found in a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation.

LOUISVILLE, KY – Gra-pel Inc, a tire retailer based in Louisville, Kentucky, has paid $51,506 in back wages to 22 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer violated overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

In the week ending July 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, a decrease of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 231,000 to 232,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,000, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 224,500 to 224,750.

MEMPHIS, TN – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has found the Shelby County Board of Education violated the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when the school district terminated an employee for exercising her right to take time off for a qualifying illness. The school board has paid the employee $112,826 in back wages and medical expenses.

FREMONT, NC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has revoked the farm labor contractor certificate of registration for Jasiel Rodriguez-Nunez and has debarred the contractor and his business partner, unregistered farm labor contractor Aricel Lopez-Morales, from applying for H-2A certification for three years following an investigation. WHD found that Rodriguez-Nunez and Lopez-Morales each violated the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) and labor provisions of the H-2A visa program.

KISSIMMEE, FL – PPM Outdoor LLC, a lawn care company based in Kissimmee, Florida, has paid $55,345 to 40 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer violated overtime, minimum wage, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

GUAYNABO, PR – U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) representatives are in St. Croix and St. Thomas this summer to investigate wage issues and provide compliance assistance related to recovery efforts following Hurricanes Maria and Irma.

PHOENIX, AZ – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation revealed overtime and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Teharu Sushi restaurant will pay $158,860 in back wages and liquidated damages to 94 employees working at three of its Arizona locations. WHD also assessed $20,940 in civil money penalties.