RALEIGH, NC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the awarding of grants to 28 public-private apprenticeship partnerships totaling nearly $100 million through the Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grant program. These grants will support large-scale expansions of apprenticeship in industries including advanced manufacturing, healthcare and information technology.

NAPERVILLE, IL ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited DB Custom Carpentry LLC – based in Aurora, Illinois – for exposing employees to falls. The homebuilder faces penalties of $333,968 for three willful and one repeat safety violations.

SLIDELL, LA – After an investigation by the a U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Superior Air Conditioning and Heating LLC – based in Slidell, Louisiana – has paid $78,038 in back wages and fringe benefits to 12 employees for violating requirements of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). 

ALBANY, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Nonni’s Foods LLC for exposing employees to falls and other hazards at the Ferndale, New York, facility. The manufacturer of premium cookies faces $221,257 in penalties.

In the week ending February 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 205,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 202,000 to 203,000. The 4-week moving average was 212,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 211,750 to 212,000.
 

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia today joined Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump at a roundtable event commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Orlando and Tampa, Florida. In Orlando, he participated in a roundtable discussion with government and business leaders at Enterprise Florida, Inc., and gave remarks at the International Franchise Association’s 60th Annual Convention. In Tampa, Secretary Scalia held a second roundtable discussion with business leaders and educators and spoke with employers and workers at Port Tampa Bay before taking a tour of the port.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The U.S. Department of Labor and the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand and improve the protection of New Mexico's workforce, strengthen enforcement of wage laws and level the playing field for responsible employers.

HAYS, KS ­- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will host an Agricultural Roundtable Event focusing on compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Employment of Foreign Workers Visa Program under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The event will take place Feb. 25, 2020, at the Kansas State University (KSU) Agricultural Research Center in Hays, Kansas.

AUSTIN, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Polvos I LLC – doing business as Polvo’s Mexican Restaurant in Austin, Texas – has paid $98,520 in back wages and liquidated damages to 19 employees to resolve overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

CUSHING, OK – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), AHS Cushing Hospital LLC – operating as Hillcrest Hospital Cushing in Cushing, Oklahoma – has paid $30,488 in back wages and liquidated damages to 12 employees to resolve violations of the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

HONOLULU, HI – The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a $318,244 consent judgment against Steve Hoegger & Associates Inc. – a general contractor based in Wylie, Texas – for failing to pay overtime to employees who worked more than 40 hours per week, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), at two Hawaii hotels. The settlement follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD).

HONOLULU, HI – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), AYD Services Inc. – a Saipan-based provider of environmental and waste collection services – has paid $30,077 in back wages and liquidated damages to 21 employees for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirements. The employer also paid $17,976 in civil penalties as a repeat and willful violator of the FLSA’s wage standards.

HAGATNA, GUAM – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is conducting a building, heavy, highway and residential construction survey in Guam to collect data to establish prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts.

The survey is not limited to federally funded construction projects, and covers active building, heavy, highway and residential construction projects in Guam between May 1, 2019, and April 30, 2020.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor released the following statement regarding President Donald J. Trump's fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget.

FORT VALLEY, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Pearson Farms LLC for safety violations after an employee suffered fatal injuries at the farm’s post-harvest operations facility in Fort Valley, Georgia. The farm is facing $128,004 in penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement on the January 2020 Employment Situation Report:

“January’s jobs report far surpassed expectations with a surge of 225,000 jobs created. 

In the week ending February 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 202,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 216,000 to 217,000. The 4-week moving average was 211,750, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 214,500 to 214,750.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, to participate in a roundtable discussion with local business leaders at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and to give the keynote address at the Independent Electrical Contractors’ Business Summit. Building on President Trump’s State of the Union message, Secretary Scalia underscored the administration’s efforts to provide the nation’s workers with ample opportunities to gain the skills needed for success in today’s advanced economy.

LOUISVILLE, KY – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), NPT Partners I LLC – a Louisville, Kentucky-based franchisee of six McDonald’s restaurants – has paid a civil money penalty of $48,258 for violating child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In addition, the franchisee has paid $20,015 in wages to eight employees for violating minimum wage and overtime requirements of the FLSA.