December 6, 2016

Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant to pay $459K in back wages, damages to 28 employees after US Labor Department investigation

Employer name: Los Arcos Inc., doing business as Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant

Investigation sites: 214 St. James Ave.
Goose Creek, South Carolina 29445

1136 Hungry Neck Blvd.
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 29464

December 5, 2016

OSHA finds flooring subcontractor workers exposed to dangerous falls at construction site; Dallas-area employer faces $87K in fines

Employer Name: Subfloor Systems Inc.
10509 Tube St.
Hurst, Texas

Citations Issued: Nov. 8, 2016

December 5, 2016

Roofing company did not provide adequate fall protection for roofers working at commercial site in O’Fallon, Illinois

O’FALLON, Ill. ‒ Federal investigators saw eight workers at risk of falls of more than 14 feet while re-roofing a commercial structure in O’Fallon in October 2016 because their employer failed to provide adequate fall protection.

December 2, 2016

Statement of US Labor Secretary Perez on November employment numbers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the November 2016 Employment Situation report released today:

December 1, 2016

Pennsylvania hospital workers exposed to violence, bloodborne hazards

Employer name: Universal Health Services of Doylestown Inc.
833 East Butler Ave.
Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Corporate Headquarters: Universal Health Services Inc.
367 South Gulph Road
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

December 1, 2016

US Labor Department sues Garland, Texas, bakery; seeks more than $150K in owed wages, liquidated damages for workers

Date of Action: Nov. 17, 2016

Type of Action: Lawsuit

Name of Defendants:Tango Bakery Inc., doing business as Tango Bakery
Adrian Gordillo-Ross
Sergio Mendoza

December 1, 2016

OSHA fines USPS $342K after inspectors find workers exposed to bloodborne pathogen hazards at Brooklyn, Maryland, annex

Employer name: U.S. Postal Service LLC, doing business as Brooklyn South Carrier Annex

Inspection site: 1500 Cherry Hill Road, Brooklyn, Maryland

Citations issued: On Nov. 22, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the postal service for one serious, two willful, and three repeat health violations.

December 1, 2016

OSHA finds Texas reel manufacturer exposed workers to amputation, chemical hazards; company faces $107K in fines

Employer name: JFM International Inc.
300 E Stewart St.
Willis, Texas

Citations Issued: Nov. 30, 2016

December 1, 2016

Louisiana Cajun food retailers pay $571K in back wages, damages, penalties for willful, systemic violations following US Labor Department investigations

SCOTT, La. – Investigators have found more than $571,000 in back wages, liquidated damages and penalties resulting from labor violations at area Cajun food retailers just six months after the U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division found violations at another local specialty meat processor.

December 1, 2016

US Department of Labor announces final rule updating nondiscrimination, equal opportunity regulations of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

WASHINGTON – To ensure that the U.S. workforce development system serves all people equally, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Civil Rights Center issued a final rule today updating the existing nondiscrimination and equal opportunity regulations of the bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

December 1, 2016

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending November 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 268,000, an increase of 17,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 251,000. The 4-week moving average was 251,500, an increase of 500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 251,000.

November 30, 2016

Oregon cleaning service ordered to pay $70K in back wages to 19 workers

Employer:Stars Cleaning Inc., doing business as Stars Cleaning Service

Site:14320 SW Barlow Court
Beaverton, Oregon

November 30, 2016

Cleaning company must pay $196K in back wages, damages to 40 workers after falsifying payroll records, owner faces five years of probation

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. – Imagine being told that you and your spouse would have to split a paycheck for 80 hours of work – despite that fact that each of you worked 80 hours – or receiving your paycheck issued under a co-worker’s name because your employer was attempting not to pay you overtime.

November 30, 2016

Mine Safety and Health Administration announces results of special impact inspections in October 2016

Who: U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration

What: The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced federal inspectors issued 130 citations and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and five metal and nonmetal mines in October 2016.

Where: MSHA conducted special impact inspections at mines in Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

November 30, 2016

Occupational Safety and Review Commission approves settlement between US Labor Department, event company after circus tent collapse

BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Florida-based Walker International Events on Feb. 4, 2016, for 14 serious violations of workplace safety standards in connection with a circus tent collapse in Lancaster, New Hampshire on Aug. 3, 2015, during a severe thunderstorm.

November 30, 2016

OSHA cites Washington marine cargo handling company for willful safety violations after worker’s fatal fall

SEATTLE – For longshoremen who load and offload timber in the upper Northwest, every ship that sails into port carries a reminder of the litany of hazards they face at work. Loads of extremely heavy logs must be handled carefully to avoid serious and potentially fatal injuries. At the same time, employers must take all necessary steps to ensure the work area is free of avoidable hazards – a lesson apparently lost on a Seattle-based cargo handling company following the June 2016 death of a 48-year-old longshoreman.

November 29, 2016

OSHA cites Washington marine cargo handling company for willful safety violations after worker’s fatal fall

SEATTLE – For longshoremen who load and offload timber in the upper Northwest, every ship that sails into port carries a reminder of the litany of hazards they face at work. Loads of extremely heavy logs must be handled carefully to avoid serious and potentially fatal injuries. At the same time, employers must take all necessary steps to ensure the work area is free of avoidable hazards – a lesson apparently lost on a Seattle-based cargo handling company following the June 2016 death of a 48-year-old longshoreman.

November 29, 2016

GSA announces shortlist of sites for the new Department of Labor headquarters, continues to explore options for exchange

WASHINGTON – The U.S. General Services Administration, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, today announced the conclusion of the site evaluations for the new DOL headquarters. GSA has identified three sites as potential locations. The conclusion of the site evaluations is part of GSA’s continued effort to explore options for a new DOL headquarters that would help enable the department’s mission to support a 21st century workforce.

The shortlist for a new DOL headquarters are:

November 29, 2016

US Department of Labor files suit alleging Michigan DHHS, Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital violated Family and Medical Leave Act

Date of Action: Nov. 28, 2016

Type of Action: Family and Medical Leave Act complaint

Name of Defendants: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital

November 29, 2016

Life Time Fitness to pay more than $976K in back minimum wages, damages to 15K employees at locations in 26 states

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota-based company has agreed to pay 15,909 employees nationwide a total of $976,765 – $488,229 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages – after a federal investigation found the employer violated federal minimum wage requirements at its health clubs and fitness center locations in 26 states.