WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced employee benefit plan compliance guidance and relief for victims of Hurricane Maria and the October 2017 California Wildfires.

The Department understands that plan fiduciaries, employers, labor organizations, service providers, and participants and beneficiaries may encounter issues complying with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) over the next few months as the implications of Hurricane Maria and the California Wildfires unfold.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the IRS, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) today released advance informational copies of the 2017 Form 5500 annual return/report and related instructions.

GIBSONTON, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Tampa Electric Co. and Critical Intervention Services, a security services provider, for $43,458 in total proposed penalties, following a release of anhydrous ammonia – a chemical refrigerant – at its Gibsonton facility.

CAMBRIA, WI – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $1,837,861 in fines against Didion Milling Inc. following a May 31, 2017, explosion that killed five workers and injured 12 others, including a 21-year-old employee who suffered a double leg amputation after being crushed by a railcar. 

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached agreements to resolve three lawsuits with First Bankers Trust Services Inc. (FBTS). The lawsuits alleged that FBTS violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) when it approved stock purchases by three Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). As part of the agreements, FBTS will pay $15.75 million to the plans and reform its procedures for handling ESOP transactions.

In the week ending November 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 249,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 239,000. The 4-week moving average was 237,750, an increase of 6,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 231,250.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today toured the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local Union 100’s Apprenticeship Training Center in Suitland, Maryland. The facility is with SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART).

CHATTANOOGA, TN – MetalTek International Inc. – a foundry and machinist shop in Chattanooga – has agreed to pay a total of $335,680 in back pay and liquidated damages to 68 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by not allowing its workers to put on and remove protective equipment while on the clock.

FORT WALTON BEACH, FL – A recent U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation of Alabama-based government contractor InfoPro Corp., found an unintentional software glitch caused employee health and welfare benefits to be underpaid from July 1, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2016. Division investigators determined that InfoPro owed $126,329 in health and welfare benefits to 84 employees covered by the Service Contract Act (SCA).

MEMPHIS, TN – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee issued a judgment and permanent injunction against Mulrooney Enterprises to pay $140,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for violating the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ROANOKE, VA – As a result of a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia entered a consent judgment ordering six Roanoke area restaurants and their owners to pay $1.5 million in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, to 149 employees. The consent judgment rectifies federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations. 

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement today regarding the first meeting of the President’s Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion:

“Today, business, labor, educational institutions, trade groups, workforce advocates, and public officials discussed best practices regarding how to expand apprenticeships across industries. The practical expertise that the Task Force members shared will benefit the Administration’s strategy to grow high-quality apprenticeships.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor will hold informational meetings in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for former and current nuclear weapons workers and their survivors on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has awarded $10,537,000 in grant funding to reduce mining accidents, injuries, and illnesses by supporting safety and health courses, and other programs. The awards were made to 47 states, the Navajo Nation, Guam, and Native Village of Barrow.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today welcomed the start of National Apprenticeship Week, a nationwide opportunity for companies, trade and industry groups, nonprofit organizations, unions, labor-management organizations, and educational institutions to highlight how apprenticeship programs can address the nation’s skills gap. President Donald J.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding Veterans Day:

“On Veterans Day, we continue a solemn national commitment to always remember the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans. Veterans are patriotic and selfless, reflecting the very best of our nation.

BOSTON, MA – A Chestnut Hill restaurant and its owner will pay $141,132 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 15 employees in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor. Café Misono Inc. and owner Kenneth Lee have also amended their pay practices to comply with federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirements. They will also pay a $7,000 civil money penalty to the Department.

BOSTON, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Lynnway Auto Auction Inc. for electrical, struck-by, and other hazards at its auto auction facility in Billerica.

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has again cited Trade Fair Supermarkets for exposing employees to safety and health hazards at three of its locations in Queens, New York. The company faces $505,929 in proposed penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced its Final Rule for the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing (HIRE) American Military Veterans Act. The law, signed by President Trump in May, creates the HIRE Vets Medallion Program, which will recognize companies and organizations for their efforts to recruit and retain America’s military service veterans.

The HIRE Vets Medallion Program will launch as a demonstration in 2018 with about 300 participating employers. It will be fully implemented in 2019.