August 30, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers $44K in back wages for 25 workers after Panama City vacation rental provider denied them overtime pay

Employer:                                   Holiday Beach Rentals Inc.

Investigation site:                  17614 Ashley Drive

August 29, 2022

US Department of Labor alleges Killeen newspaper retaliated illegally against worker who complained of insect infestation, files suit against company

KILLEEN, TX While media organizations depend on their reporters’ abilities to expose issues of public concern, a journalist at the Killeen Daily Herald found themselves out of a job when they complained to the newspaper’s management that they believed fleas had infested their workplace, leaving them with bug bites.

August 29, 2022

US Department of Labor announces availability of $4M in funding to tackle child labor in West African agriculture

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of up to $4 million in funding to support the Economic Community of West African States and the Government of Nigeria in their efforts to address child labor in agricultural communities. 

August 29, 2022

US Department of Labor to make $5M in funding available to increase protection of workers in Brazil, Paraguay’s cattle-raising areas

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced availability of up to $5 million in grant funding to support efforts to address abusive labor practices, particularly in cattle-raising areas of Brazil and Paraguay.

August 29, 2022

US Department of Labor awards $12M to support improved enforcement of Mexico’s labor laws, landmark 2019 reform efforts

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of grant funding of $12 million to the American Institutes for Research to empower federal and state labor inspectors in Mexico to improve enforcement of Mexico’s landmark 2019 labor law reform in five of its states.

August 29, 2022

US Department of Labor finds Colorado Springs employer willfully exposed worker to serious injury when cement mixer turned on with worker inside

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – A worker performing maintenance inside a cement mixer at a Colorado Springs concrete manufacturing company narrowly escaped fatal injuries when a co-worker turned the machine on. A U.S. Department of Labor investigation determined the company’s failure to comply with federal workplace safety standards nearly cost the worker their life.

August 29, 2022

Missouri steakhouse’s wage violations lead US Department of Labor to recover $171K for 75 workers denied tips, overtime, minimum wages

POPLAR BLUFF, MO – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has recovered $171,834 for 75 servers, sushi and hibachi chefs employed at a Poplar Bluff restaurant where numerous violations of federal wage and hour laws denied some workers their full tips, and all of them, their legally earned wages.

August 26, 2022

US Department of Labor awards $8M to support policy development center for equal, inclusive employment of people with disabilities

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced the award of $8 million to support a four-year cooperative agreement with the National Disability Institute to operate a policy development center focused on employment for people with disabilities.

Administered by the department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, the cooperative agreement awards about $2 million each year, with a total availability of approximately $8 million during its 48-month term.

August 25, 2022

Appeals court rules Minnesota mine operator ‘flagrantly’ violated Mine Act after elevated walkway collapsed in 2016

WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court ruled unanimously on Aug. 22, 2022, that the operator of a Lake County, Minnesota, iron ore mine flagrantly violated the federal Mine Safety and Health Act when it directed miners to work on an elevated walkway known to be unsafe for more than a year.

August 25, 2022

US Department of Labor, Balfour Beatty Construction to promote workplace safety, health at Atlanta’s West Peachtree project

ATLANTAThe U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration signed a strategic partnership with Balfour Beatty Construction to promote worker safety and health during construction of the 1018 West Peachtree Project in Atlanta.

August 25, 2022

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending August 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 243,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 5,000 from 250,000 to 245,000. The 4-week moving average was 247,000, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 1,250 from 246,750 to 245,500.

August 24, 2022

US Department of Labor cites Wauchula labor contractor after 35-year-old farmworker suffers fatal heat illness

DUETTE, FL – A federal workplace safety investigation has found a 35-year-old farmworker died from heat illness on a Duette farm in the early evening of April 5, 2022. It was only his second day on the job.

August 24, 2022

US Department of Labor awards $50M in additional grants to fund Registered Apprenticeship hubs to expand apprenticeships

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $50 million in Apprenticeship Building America grant funding for Registered Apprenticeship hubs – organizations that help employers design, develop and deliver programs – and support the establishment, scaling and expansion of Registered Apprenticeship programs in new and fast-growing industries and occupations.

August 24, 2022

US Department of Labor enforcement initiative seeks to reduce violations of guest worker program by Southeast employers

ATLANTA - An ongoing federal initiative to ensure that Southeast employers comply with federal laws regarding the employment of temporary nonimmigrant workers with H-2B guest visas has made significant progress in holding violators accountable for infringing on workers’ rights.

August 24, 2022

US Department of Labor twice finds Suamico general contractor exposing workers to potentially deadly fall hazards; proposes $37K in fine

SUAMICO, WI – On a chilly March morning, a federal workplace safety inspector observed five roofers atop a Wrightstown residence, working at heights up to 23 feet without required fall protection. The inspector later found the fall protection equipment piled in a bucket on the ground next to a work truck.   

August 24, 2022

Ohio contractor again found defying federal safety requirements, continues 11-year history of exposing roofers to deadly fall hazards

AKRON, OH – A Dundee contractor with a long history of federal workplace safety violations has added an additional $228,126 in fines to $108,318 in unpaid penalties with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for again exposing workers to potential deadly fall hazards, this time at an Akron job site.

August 23, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers more than $106K in back wages for 105 Louisiana waste workers denied overtime

Employer name:                   IV Waste LLC