BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor is suing two Gloucester fish processing companies and their owner for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The department’s Wage and Hour Division found that Zeus Packing Inc., Cape Ann  Seafood Exchange and owner Kristian Kristensen owed $203,998 in unpaid wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages totaling $407,996  to 132 workers for the period October 2011 through September 2014.

In the week ending April 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 267,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 276,000. The 4-week moving average was 266,750, an increase of 3,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 263,250.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor reports that Short-Time Compensation programs saved more than 570,000 jobs and provided $266 million in federal benefit reimbursements to 22 participating states from 2012 to 2015. The findings are part of a progress report by the department’s Employment and Training Administration.

“For Americans who are doing the hard work of saving for retirement, let’s make sure that they get a fair deal.” – President Barack Obama, White House Conference on Aging, July 13, 2015

Employers: Elite Energy Efficiency

Sites: 669 Quinn Road #1, Pocatello, Idaho

Investigation findings: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Elite Energy Efficiency violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by misclassifying employees as independent contractors even though:

VICKERY, Ohio – A 31-year-old worker found unresponsive on a Vickery farm was overcome by exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas from the pig manure he loaded into trailers for use as fertilizer. Federal investigators determined his death was caused by inhalation of the gas which is rapidly absorbed by the lungs.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about today’s sentencing of former Massey Energy Chief Executive Officer Donald Blankenship:

“This sentence proves that no mine operator is above the law, and should send a strong signal to unscrupulous employers that skirt safety rules. No prison sentence and no amount of money can bring back the 29 men who lost their lives at Upper Big Branch, but my sincere hope is that this sentence can offer some measure of closure for the families of those miners.

Employer name: Jasper Contractors Inc.

Inspection site: 3524 Waverly Dock Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32223

Employer name: U.S. Minerals

Inspection site: 800 Main St., Anaconda, Montana

Citations issued: 16 serious violations

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued 16 serious violations to U.S. Minerals for failing to do the following:

NEW ORLEANS – An air quality test and harnesses properly tethered to a lifeline for rescue might have prevented tragedy for three workers overcome by a lack of oxygen inside a rail tanker on Oct. 8, 2015 in New Orleans, federal workplace safety and health investigators have determined.

Employer name: ABC Equipment Inc., doing business as C. B. Masonry Inc.

Inspection Site: 4129 Central Ave., Hot Springs, Arkansas

Citations issued: April 5, 2016

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. ‒ A Bolingbrook metal stamping company exposed workers to amputations and other serious injuries repeatedly by allowing numerous machines to operate without safety guards.

WINTERVILLE, Ga. – Every day, workers depend on their employers to keep them safe on the job. When an employer fails to address safety hazards, workers can suffer the consequences. On Sept. 23, 2015, a 33-year-old maintenance technician was the victim of a Georgia auto parts manufacturer’s indifference toward safety.

Date of action: March 28, 2016

Type of action: Complaint

Names of defendants: Astro Communications 401(k) Plan

Date of action:  March 24, 2016

Type of action: Complaint

Names of defendants: Lily Pond Nursing Home Savings Plan

Employer name: MTD Consumer Group

Inspection site: 979 South Conwell Ave., Willard, Ohio

Citations issued: March 23, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Toledo Area Office cited MTD Consumer Group for one willful, one serious and one other-than-serious violation.

Employer: Joined, Inc., an academic recruitment, technology and curriculum services provider

Sites: 2010 Main St., Suite 550 Irvine, California

Investigation findings: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Joined, Inc. missed paying wages to staff in several pay periods. The company blamed clients who failed to pay for services rendered and a slowdown in company business.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1.9 million grant competition to recruit, train and retain women in high-skill occupations, such as advanced manufacturing, transportation, energy, construction and information technology. The Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations program will fund the grants.

Employer name: Plank Construction Co. Inc., a construction general contractor in Schenectady, NewYork

Inspection site: Wards Lane, Dutch Village, Menands, New York

Investigation findings: Plank Construction Co. Inc. employees were installing a storm sewer system as part of the construction of new buildings at Dutch Village. On Oct. 3, 2015, the 8-foot deep trench in which they were working collapsed onto one of the employees. He was extricated and hospitalized.

Participants: U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division
Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries