WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published a final interpretive rule that changes a rule interpreting the anti-retaliation provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the August 2021 Employment Situation Report:

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of up to $10 million in grant funding to advance labor compliance in the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Sonora and Baja California, consistent with the obligations of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Ambassador of Mexico to the United States Esteban Moctezuma led a ceremony today to renew collaboration agreements between the Government of Mexico and the Government of the United States, for the protection of the rights of Mexican workers in this country.

GREEN BAY, WI – A federal judge has signed a default judgment against an Appleton company and ordered fiduciaries of the defunct company’s retirement plan to restore $41,869 in employee payroll-deducted retirement contributions and lost opportunity costs to the plan.

PHILADELPHIA – In an investigative and legal pursuit that spanned more than 18 years, the U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a final order in a Pennsylvania federal court and concluded its long-standing case against a disbarred attorney and former benefits plan fiduciary who gained personally by diverting millions from employee benefit plans.

In the week ending August 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 340,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 353,000 to 354,000. The 4-week moving average was 355,000, a decrease of 11,750 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 225,500. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 366,500 to 366,750.

PHILADELPHIA – The operator of a popular Fishtown bar and bottle shop that prides itself on offering Philadelphia’s largest selection of beer and wine appeared to be less focused on paying its bartenders and servers as the law requires, a federal investigation found and a consent judgement entered in a U.S. District Court confirmed.

KANSAS CITY, KS – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division routinely collects data to help the division establish accurate prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits, required by the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. The division is currently surveying active heavy construction projects from Jan. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2020 in any of Kansas’ metropolitan counties.

CANTON, OH – Responding to a complaint of unsafe working conditions, federal safety inspectors found a Canton automotive steel mill did not install adequate machine guarding, implement lockout/tagout measures or train workers on safety procedures, all of which exposed workers to amputation hazards.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new monthly series of career workshops to provide employment assistance to spouses of transitioning military service members. Of the approximately 200,000 U.S. military service members who transition to civilian life annually, about half have spouses. 

ATLANTA – In November 2017, two railroad workers at a railyard in Waycross, Georgia, encountered and reported a blue flag that signaled their train could not move safely. For their actions, CSX Transportation Inc. pulled them from the job and later fired them, both actions found to be illegal in a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the establishment of the Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization to provide strategic leadership as the department works with state agencies and federal partners to modernize and reform the unemployment insurance system.

LAS VEGAS – In their ongoing efforts to protect the safety and health of construction workers, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Consulate General of Mexico in Las Vegas today signed an alliance to provide hazard prevention training to Mexican nationals working in Nevada, and help them understand U.S. laws governing workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges response crews and residents to recognize the hazards created by flooding, power loss, structural damage, fallen trees and storm debris in areas affected by Hurricane Ida.

DALLAS – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges response crews and residents in areas affected by Hurricane Ida to recognize the hazards created by flooding, power loss, structural damage, fallen trees and storm debris.

ORLANDO, FL – Since 1995, the U.S. Department of Labor has investigated the pay practices of a Sanford heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor eight times and found violations in six of its inquiries – leading to the recovery of $155,865 in back wages for more than 440 workers.

NEW YORK – When Mitchell Martin Health Care LLC contracted with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2020 to provide registered nurses and respiratory therapists to help care for an influx of coronavirus-related patients at four DVA medical centers in the New York City area, it committed to complying with federal wage and contracting laws.

SURFSIDE BEACH, SC – Restaurant servers work hard and put their safety at risk throughout the pandemic. They depend on diners’ tips to earn a living wage, but 10 workers at a Surfside Beach restaurant found their wages reduced illegally by the establishment’s manager and owner who required servers to share tips with them.

DENVER – A federal administrative law judge has upheld citations and penalties against a Denver roofing contractor for ignoring federal requirements to protect workers and subcontractors repeatedly from the risk of workplace falls – the leading cause of injury and death in the construction industry.