WASHINGTON – The U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the November 2023 Employment Situation report: 

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 199,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.7 percent, continuing 22 straight months of an unemployment rate under 4 percent. Not since 1970 has unemployment been this low for this length of time, demonstrating once again that Bidenomics is working.

WASHINGTON – The U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a Regional Emphasis Program to promote workplace safety and protect people employed in the landscaping and horticultural industries in four western states and three Pacific territories.

Employers:    Network Connect Healthcare Staffing

                        7930 Castleway Drive

                        Indianapolis, IN 46250

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – The owner of a Lynbrook grocery store believed they could ignore requests from the U.S. Department of Labor and a federal court in New York to cooperate with an investigation of their company’s pay practices. 

Employer name:                               Chief’s Place Pizza Restaurant Inc. doing business as Chief’s Place

MINOT, ND – Despite signing a 2021 settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor that included a promise to protect its employees from potentially deadly trenching and excavation hazards, a Minnesota construction contractor was again found endangering employees in June 2023 as they replaced a residential water main and 20 separate curb stop valves for house connections in Minot. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of up to $4 million to support a project to build the capacity of local communities in Nepal to address child labor and forced labor, with a specific focus on confronting new challenges arising from climate change.

WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and Office of the Solicitor continue to find serious illegal employment practices in the meat and poultry processing industries, a California poultry processor and supplier to supermarkets and food distributors — including Ralphs, ALDI, Grocery Outlet and SYSCO Corp.

ATLANTA – A federal investigation has determined a Cartersville chemical manufacturer could have prevented a 52-year-old leach tank operator from suffering fatal chemical and thermal burns over most of his body in June 2023 by following required safety regulations.

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI – A federal investigation has recovered $98,316 in back wages and liquidated damages for 32 security guards who the Muskegon Heights Housing Commission failed to pay overtime wages because the Michigan employer misclassified them as independent contractors.

BRAINTREE, MA – A federal investigation has found that an East Freetown concrete contractor could have prevented an employee maintaining a soil screener from suffering fatal injuries on Sept. 6, 2023, by following required safety regulations.

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su welcomed business and finance leaders, workers and worker advocates to the department’s Washington headquarters on Nov. 28, 2023, to discuss the case for businesses, investors and related entities to expand their practical understanding of the benefits of worker voice.

SOUTH BAY, FL – A federal workplace safety investigation found a South Bay correctional and rehabilitation facility failed to follow recognized safety practices, leaving employees vulnerable to violent attacks and injuries, including one worker who a patient reportedly struck in the face with a rock.

BOSTON – A federal administrative law judge has determined that New Hampshire general contractor Barry Billcliff, doing business as Merrimack Valley Roofing and under other alleged business names, willfully exposed his employees to fall safety hazards and held him personally liable for more than $160,000 in penalties and attorneys’ fees. 

CHICAGO – To make sure the holiday season is truly joyful, the U.S. Department of Labor reminds employers and workers not to overlook workplace safety and health. 

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, OH – A federal investigation into how a 35-year-old worker suffered severe leg burns, degloving of their foot and other injuries after falling into corrosive chemicals in May 2023 has found that an Ohio meat processing plant’s safety failures exposed employees to hazardous conditions.

Participants:  

U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

MEJA Construction Inc.

Georgia Institute of Technology On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program

What:  Strategic safety partnership