MONTGOMERYVILLE, PA - A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has awarded $1,047,399 in lost wages and punitive damages to two former employees of a Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, manufacturer after a jury found the company and its owner fired them in retaliation for their participation in a federal safety investigation.

In the week ending August 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 209,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 220,000 to 221,000. The 4-week moving average was 214,500, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 213,750 to 214,000.

PHOENIX, AZ –An Administrative Law Judge in the Department of Labor ordered West Valley Ear, Nose and Throat – a medical clinic based in Phoenix, Arizona – to pay $15,000 in civil penalties after the employer violated federal law by requesting that five employees submit to polygraph tests.

SIOUX FALLS, SD ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Midwest Excavating LLC for exposing employees to trench cave-in hazards at a jobsite in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The company faces penalties of $58,343.

ST. LOUIS, MO ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited J.H. Berra Construction Co. – based in St. Louis, Missouri – for exposing employees to excavation hazards at a residential construction site in Saint Charles, Missouri. The company faces penalties of $143,206.

LAKE BARRINGTON, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Five Star Roofing Systems Inc. – based in Hartford City, Indiana – for exposing employees to fall hazards while performing roofing work at a commercial building site in Lake Barrington, Illinois. The company faces $220,249 in penalties for repeated fall protection violations.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Hall of Honor ceremony, which will include the inductions of former U.S. Senator Robert Griffin and former National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Howard Jenkins, Jr. based on their work on the landmark Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA), will take place on Thursday, September 26 at 2:00 p.m. EDT, at the Department's Frances Perkins Building in Washington, D.C.

SAN JUAN, PR – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation, Xperts Inc. – a San Juan, Puerto Rico, disaster response contractor – has paid $1,341,829 in back wages to 1,853 employees to resolve violations of the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited L N Framing Inc. for exposing employees to fall hazards at a Jacksonville, Florida, worksite. The residential and commercial framing contractor faces $58,343 in penalties.

FLATWOODS, KY – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky has sentenced Michael Anthony Wheeler – owner of Tri-State Lawn Care Inc. operating in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia – to serve five years on unsupervised probation and ordered him to pay $327,087 in back wages to 17 employees for violating requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the H-2A visa program.

OSHA cited Choice Products for five egregious willful violations for failing to implement and train employees on lockout/tagout procedures to prevent unintentional contact with machine operating parts during service and maintenance. Inspectors also determined that the company failed to install machine guarding, and comply with forklift regulations.

OSHA cited Choice Products for exposing employees to similar machine hazards following an October 2016 inspection.

OMAHA, NE – After a joint investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. District Court of Nebraska has sentenced Craig A.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced the release of the first solicitation under the new firm-fixed price approach to procuring Job Corps center operations on Federal Business Opportunities at https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=8ebcfadd06ee5319297bd729f8ed447f&tab=core&_cview=0.

FOREST, VA – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia has ordered the former CEO of a Virginia packaging equipment company and the bank that acted as a transactional fiduciary of the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to restore $6,502,500 to the plan.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor is hosting an online dialogue to help employers and nursing mothers understand their rights and responsibilities under the law. The Supporting Nursing Mothers in the Workplace dialogue will also solicit best practices to educate nursing mothers about key protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Employers, nursing mothers, state and local policymakers, and other interested people can participate through Friday, August 23, 2019.

BUFFALO, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Arbre Group Holding – doing business as Holli-Pac Inc. – for willful and serious violations of workplace safety and health standards at its Holley, New York, facility. The company, which packages frozen fruits and vegetables for retailers, faces a total of $200,791 in penalties.

In the week ending August 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 220,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 209,000 to 211,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,750, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 212,250 to 212,750.

MIAMI LAKES, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Point Blank Enterprises Inc. – operating as The Protective Group in Miami Lakes, Florida – for exposing employees to amputation and other safety hazards. The company faces $92,820 in penalties.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Michael Andoniades – the owner of five St. Petersburg, Florida, hotels – has paid $23,368 in back wages and liquidated damages to 30 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The five St. Petersburg hotels involved in the investigation are:

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking intended to clarify the civil rights protections afforded to religious organizations that contract with the federal government. The proposed rule ensures that conscience and religious freedom are given the broadest protection permitted by law.