WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $49 million in grants to support 28 states and territories as they continue their efforts to combat fraud in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs. The department is making these awards from $100 million in funding announced Jan. 15, 2021 for states to combat fraud in these programs.

BELLAIRE, MI – A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation has found that Trinidad Resort & Club LLC, operator of the Shanty Creek Resort in Bellaire, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime requirements repeatedly when it paid workers only for the hours they were scheduled, rather than for the total number of hours they actually worked.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration has confirmed that “Improving Investment Advice for Worker & Retirees,” an exemption for investment advice fiduciaries, will go into effect as scheduled on Feb. 16, 2021.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today approved additional funding of $2,935,100 to the California Department of Employment Development to support continued employment for disaster-relief cleanup and recovery after severe winter storms in 2019 led to flooding, landslides and mudslides in 23 northern and central California counties.

In the week ending February 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 793,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 33,000 from 779,000 to 812,000. The 4-week moving average was 823,000, a decrease of 33,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 8,250 from 848,250 to 856,500.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – A Fort Lauderdale heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor has paid $20,547 in back wages to 18 employees after a federal investigation found the employer failed to pay workers overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek.

HUGO, OK – A U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety investigation has found a Hugo rail car products and services provider did not follow federal safety standards for working in confined spaces after two workers died from inhaling toxic fumes.

WASHINGTON, DC – Detecting child labor and forced labor in complex supply chains can be a daunting challenge. Fragmented and dispersed global-sourcing operations sometimes makes supply chains opaque, and research shows the risk of exploitative labor practices increases greatly in activities such as extraction of raw material and agricultural work, as they support other industries.

WASHINGTON, DC – Under a hot sun, a child wields a machete at work in the fields, forced to inhale pesticides sprayed by adults eager to maintain their cocoa crop. Sadly, it is a reality for too many children, particularly those at work in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana’s cocoa industries.

WASHINGTON, DC – A boy toils long hours lugging mica from deep underground mines to the surface above and then sorts and processes the mineral. With no protection from razor sharp tools, the child’s work exposes him fully to the mica and sand dust kicked up in the mining and sorting processes. At the end of the supply chain, the mined and processed mica finds its way into the manufacture of many consumer products such as automobiles, cosmetics and electronics.

WASHINGTON, DC – Acting Secretary of Labor Al Stewart issued the following statement regarding the death of former U.S. Secretary of Labor George P. Shultz:

AZLE, TX – The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas has sentenced a former secretary-treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Division 620 in Azle for embezzlement after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.

On Jan. 29, 2021, the court sentenced Edward C. Davis, Jr. to 6 months incarceration and 3 years supervised release. Davis must also pay $61,386 in restitution.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new monthly series of career workshops to provide employment assistance to transitioning military spouses. Participation is free and classes are open to all transitioning military spouses. The launch follows a successful pilot program in October 2020.

DETROIT – A Detroit grocery store employed several minors in violation of federal child labor laws by allowing them to operate trash compactors and tend to bottle recycling machines.

MAUMEE, OH – While records at Journey Through Life Care Services LLC showed the Maumee health care service provider paid employees legally required state minimum wage plus time-and-a-half for overtime, federal investigators found the employer regularly failed to pay its employees overtime wages – sometimes paying a mere 50 cents per hour more for hours over 40 in a workweek.

MODESTO, CA – The owner of eight residential care facilities in Modesto will pay $135,092 in back wages to 56 employees and $27,872 in civil penalties after the U.S.

LAS VEGAS – A federal contractor working at Nevada’s Tonopah Test Range – including Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs – has paid $293,051 in back wages and fringe benefits to 69 employees after the U.S. Department of Labor found the employer failed to pay workers required prevailing wages.

In the week ending January 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 779,000, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 35,000 from 847,000 to 812,000. The 4-week moving average was 848,250, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 18,500 from 868,000 to 849,500.

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement with Google LLC to resolve allegations of systemic compensation and hiring discrimination at the company’s California and Washington State facilities and will pay over $3.8 million to more than 5,500 current employees and job applicants.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the immediate end of its Payroll Audit Independent Determination program launched by the department’s Wage and Hour Division in 2018.