WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement today regarding President Trump’s trip to St. Charles, Missouri, in support of tax reform:

DOWNINGTOWN, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited US Environmental Inc. for 12 safety violations, including willfully exposing workers to confined space and fall hazards at its Downingtown location. The company faces proposed penalties of $333,756.

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has opened an area office in Queens to connect employers, community and trade organizations, employees, and other stakeholders with resources and assistance to ensure compliance with federal labor laws. The new office is located at 68-60 Austin St., Room 601, Forest Hills, New York, 11375.

NASHVILLE, TN – The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, issued a consent order and permanent injunction against Casa Vieja Mexican Grille, Inc., and its owners, after a U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division investigation determined that Casa Vieja violated the minimum wage, overtime wage, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ALPHARETTA, GA – A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation into an Alpharetta-based furniture installer, determined the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and owed employees $194,069.

MARSHALL, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Marshall Pottery, Inc., have reached a settlement agreement including a penalty of $545,160, after the death of an assistant plant manager.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Two Philadelphia restaurants have agreed to pay 156 employees a total of $414,765 in back wages, and an equal amount in liquidated damages, to resolve alleged federal wage violations. A proposed consent judgment filed on Nov. 27 – which must still be reviewed and approved by a federal judge – details the terms of the agreement.

In addition to paying back wages and damages, the employers will pay a $10,000 civil money penalty.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced an 18-month extension from Jan. 1, 2018, to July 1, 2019, of the special Transition Period for the Fiduciary Rule’s Best Interest Contract Exemption and the Principal Transactions Exemption, and of the applicability of certain amendments to Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-24 (PTEs). This follows public comment on a proposed extension that was published in August.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a ninety (90) day delay – through April 1, 2018 – of the applicability date for ERISA plans to comply with a final rule amending the claims procedure requirements applicable to disability benefits.

HARTFORD, CT – A Manchester-based chain of pizza restaurants and its owner will pay $26,575 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to employees to rectify violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found by the U.S. Department of Labor. The restaurant chain and owner will also pay $14,000 in damages to a former employee who refused to provide false information to investigators.

AKRON, OH– The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and an Akron restaurant have reached an agreement to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), including payment of $59,177 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages – totaling $118,354 – owed to 21 workers.

BOSTON, MA – A Dudley contract packager of aerosol containers and the U.S. Department of Labor have reached a settlement agreement resolving alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Shield Packaging Co. Inc. has paid $210,227 and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 205 employees and pledged future compliance with the FLSA.

WASHINGTON, DC – To allow affected employers additional time to become familiar with a new electronic reporting system launched on August 1, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)  has extended the  date by which employers must electronically report injury and illness data through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) to December 15, 2017.

In the week ending November 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 239,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 3,000 from 249,000 to 252,000. The 4-week moving average was 239,750, an increase of 1,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 750 from 237,750 to 238,500.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced employee benefit plan compliance guidance and relief for victims of Hurricane Maria and the October 2017 California Wildfires.

The Department understands that plan fiduciaries, employers, labor organizations, service providers, and participants and beneficiaries may encounter issues complying with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) over the next few months as the implications of Hurricane Maria and the California Wildfires unfold.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the IRS, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) today released advance informational copies of the 2017 Form 5500 annual return/report and related instructions.

GIBSONTON, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Tampa Electric Co. and Critical Intervention Services, a security services provider, for $43,458 in total proposed penalties, following a release of anhydrous ammonia – a chemical refrigerant – at its Gibsonton facility.

CAMBRIA, WI – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $1,837,861 in fines against Didion Milling Inc. following a May 31, 2017, explosion that killed five workers and injured 12 others, including a 21-year-old employee who suffered a double leg amputation after being crushed by a railcar. 

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached agreements to resolve three lawsuits with First Bankers Trust Services Inc. (FBTS). The lawsuits alleged that FBTS violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) when it approved stock purchases by three Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). As part of the agreements, FBTS will pay $15.75 million to the plans and reform its procedures for handling ESOP transactions.

In the week ending November 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 249,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 239,000. The 4-week moving average was 237,750, an increase of 6,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 231,250.