NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached an agreement with the owner of a Manhattan laser surgery center to pay $5 million to its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to resolve violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The agreement was entered in a consent judgment by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

NEW YORK, NY – A New York paperboard mill faces $357,445 in proposed penalties for exposing workers to 61 safety and health hazards.

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a consent decree with B&H Foto & Electronics Corp. to resolve allegations of systemic hiring, compensation, and promotion discrimination, as well as harassment, at the company’s Brooklyn Navy Yard warehouse.

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is conducting a statewide survey of wages paid to workers in Alabama on all active highway construction projects to establish prevailing wage rates required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts.

BOSTON, MA – A Massachusetts behavioral health facility faces $207,690 in proposed penalties from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for violations found while conducting a follow-up inspection.

BEDMINSTER, NJ –Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta delivered remarks following his meeting with President Donald J. Trump on the optimistic outlook of the American workforce. They specifically discussed the Department of Labor’s progress implementing his Executive Order on Apprenticeships.

Excerpts from his remarks are below:

It’s a pleasure to be here to update President Trump on the optimistic outlook of the American workforce.

BILLINGS, MT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), Big Sky Chapter, are renewing an alliance to provide safety professionals in Montana with training resources. The five-year renewal will serve to protect the safety and health of workers, and to help safety professional understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

In the week ending August 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 244,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 240,000 to 241,000. The 4-week moving average was 241,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 241,750 to 242,000.

Read the full release.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced nearly $1.3 million is available to help more women access quality apprenticeship programs and pursue careers in advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, information technology, and transportation, among other industries.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is announcing immediate action to address a longstanding issue by implementing an action plan for employees who do not meet the Agency’s medical standards. Some employees have not met medical standards for several years.

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration  (OSHA) has again cited a North Florida roofing contractor for failing to protect its workers from the risks of dangerous falls and other hazards at two St. Augustine work sites.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement on the July 2017 Employment Situation report:

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta encouraged state officials to partner together to reduce excessive licensing.

Excerpts from his remarks, as delivered, at the Western Governors' Association Workforce Development Workshop, are below:

…I would like to ask for your leadership to reduce excessive licensing.

***

Today, more than 1,100 careers are licensed in at least one state.

In the week ending July 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 240,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 244,000 to 245,000. The 4-week moving average was 241,750, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 244,000 to 244,250.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy announced today that “Inclusion Drives Innovation” will be the theme of National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October 2017.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today that – for the third consecutive year – none of the nation’s more than 13,000 mining operations meets the criteria for a Pattern of Violations notice. The screening period started on July 1, 2016, and ended on June 30, 2017.

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has reached a settlement agreement with owners of six southern New Jersey gas stations to pay nearly $500,000 in back wages and damages to 27 employees working as gas station attendants.

WASHINGTON, Pa. – A Pittsburgh-area wholesale nursery has paid nearly $150,000 in back wages and penalties after the U.S. Department of Labor found the company failed to recruit and hire American workers from Puerto Rico before hiring foreign workers under the H-2A visa program, in violation of section 218 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. 

BOSTON – An enterprise operating six limited-service restaurants with pizza delivery in Worcester, Shrewsbury, and Auburn has paid $292,016 in back wages and an equal amount in damages for 73 employees. It has also amended its payroll practices to comply with federal Fair Labor Standards Act requirements in an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor.

DENVER – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the DJ Basin Safety Council have renewed an alliance to provide oil and gas industry workers in northern Colorado with information, guidance, and training to enhance the industry’s safety culture.