YORK, Neb. – Responding to a report of unsafe working conditions, federal investigators found employees at a Nebraska animal feed company exposed to the risk of grain dust explosion, electrical shock and confined space hazards, and multiple other violations of grain handling safety standards.

Date of Action: Oct. 25, 2016

Type of Action: Employee Retirement Income Security Act Lawsuit

Names of Defendants: Todd Olson, Dell Inc., Dell Inc. Simple IRA Plan

MONEE, Ill. – The absence of safety pins in two hydraulic leg stands and the failure to use stationary jacks allowed a mobile medical trailer to fall and fatally crush a 58-year-old electrician on his first day working on the job for an Illinois manufacturer of custom trailers and specialty vehicles.

In the week ending October 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 258,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 260,000 to 261,000. The 4-week moving average was 253,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 251,750 to 252,000.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced awards totaling approximately $30.4 million to 39 workforce agencies nationwide for initiatives to improve the delivery and management of state unemployment programs.

The funds will support efforts to improve UI program operations, better assist those eligible for the program, prevent and detect improper UI benefit payments, and modernize outdated information technology systems to ensure program efficiency.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s blog today features a post by U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez on the importance of affordable child care for America’s working families.

Please find the post’s text below, or read it here:

Employer Name: CACO Manufacturing Corp.
5816 Heister St.
Houston, Texas

Citations Issued: Oct. 25, 2016

Employer name: Dedicated Logistics Inc.
2720 Enloe Ave.
Hudson, Wisconsin         

Citations issued: Oct. 20, 2016

Employer name: The J.M. Smucker Company
1 Strawberry Lane
Orrville, Ohio

Citations issued: Oct. 21, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued one repeated and one serious safety violation to The J.M. Smucker Company, after the agency’s investigated an incident in which a 39-year-old maintenance employee suffered the amputation of the tip of his right index finger on July 29, 2016 at its Orrville facility.

MANSFIELD, Ohio – The absence of adequate machine safe guards led to an amputation and other machine-related injuries at a Mansfield manufacturer of parts used by automobile, motorcycle and appliance brands. One of these injuries involved a 22-year-old temporary employee who suffered the partial amputation of two fingers on his left hand on his first day of work.

Employer name: Universal Fire Systems Inc.  

Investigation site: 374 Hobbs Road
Tampa, Florida 33619

Investigation findings: Investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the employer violated overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Employers: Cumulus Inc.
ThunderCloud Inc.

Site: Several locations in Austin, Texas

GRENADA, Miss. – An employer that fails to follow safety standards leaves workers like Charlie Cummins, Jr. to suffer the consequences.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $140 million in grants to 19 non-profit organizations nationwide to provide critical job training and employment services through the Senior Community Service Employment Program.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a hotline available for nearly 700 U.S. Senate cafeteria food service workers owed back wages by their employers. The hotline will provide workers who prepare and serve meals to Capitol Hill lawmakers and their staffs with updates on the status of back wage payments owed to them.

In the week ending October 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 260,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 246,000 to 247,000. The 4-week moving average was 251,750, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 249,250 to 249,500.

Employer name: AJM Packaging Corp.

Inspection site: 569 Bowery Lane
Folkston, Georgia 31537

Citation issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a citation to AJM Packaging Corp. on Oct. 18, 2016, for one repeated safety violation.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The U.S. Department of Labor requested that a federal judge approve a consent judgment requiring the Puerto Rico Police Department to pay $8,732,386 in back wages and interest to 2,642 current and former police officers who did not receive all their overtime wages required under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

NEW GLARUS, Wis. – After five employees became ill from carbon monoxide exposure as they renovated a New Glarus nursing home, federal safety inspectors responding to the scene found their employer also exposed the workers to asbestos hazards.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against the fiduciaries of a Virginia-based employee stock ownership plan, alleging the defendants failed to protect the assets of the plan as it purchased nearly $21 million in company shares from the president of Sentry Equipment Erectors Inc. who was also a trustee of the ESOP.