WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the implementation of a final rule that modernizes Davis-Bacon Act and Davis-Bacon and Related Acts regulations to reflect the needs of construction workers on federally funded projects better.

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OXFORD, MS – Olin Corp., one of the world’s leading small arms and ammunition makers has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor in which the employer will pay $630,000 in back wages and interest to resolve alleged hiring discrimination against 286 Black and women applicants who applied for positions over two years at its Oxford facility.

SEATTLE – A federal investigation into employees working off-the-clock during meal breaks by one of the world’s largest security and facility services providers led to the recovery of nearly $1.1 million in back wages and liquidated damages for 778 employees and a nationwide enhanced agreement to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime and recordkeeping provisions.

HOUSTON, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a conciliation agreement with Allied Universal, one of the world’s largest security and facility services providers, to resolve alleged systemic race-based hiring discrimination at a Houston facility operated by one of its subsidiaries. 

WASHINGTON – Today, in the White House H-2B Worker Protection Taskforce report, the U.S. Department of Labor joined the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development to announce new efforts to strengthen protections for workers in the H-2B program, who are vulnerable to exploitation by their employers. 

Date of action:                      Sept. 28, 2023

Type of action:                     Consent Judgment and Order

WILLIAMSBURG, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment in a Virginia federal court to recover $205,180 in back wages and liquidated damages from a Williamsburg restaurant that shortchanged 62 employees of their overtime wages intentionally.

In the week ending October 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 198,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 209,000 to 211,000. The 4-week moving average was 205,750, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 206,250 to 206,750.

Employer:      BBQ Ookook Inc., operating as Oo-Kook Korean BBQ

                        3385 W. Eighth St.

ORLANDO, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $224,113 in lost wages and benefits for 37 Florida workers after finding two employers failed to pay fringe benefits and prevailing and overtime wages to employees working on a new Veterans Affairs multi-specialty outpatient clinic in Daytona Beach.

Employers:      Duckels Construction Inc., Fred Duckels, owner 

Actions:           U.S. Mine Safety and Health Act consent order and judgment 

Court:               U.S. District Court of Colorado 

PHOENIX – A federal court has ordered a Phoenix industrial laundry and dry-cleaning company to pay a total of $281,870 after the U.S. Department of Labor found the employer engaged in a kickback scheme after the department recovered more than $94,135 in overtime wages for 70 workers in 2020. 

MIAMI – One of the country’s largest public universities has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor in which the employer will pay $575,000 in back wages and interest to resolve alleged pay discrimination identified in a routine compliance review.

DECATUR, IL ‒ A lack of preventative maintenance on the explosion suppression system of a bucket elevator was a major factor in an April 20, 2023, explosion at Archer-Daniels-Midland Company’s West Plant that resulted in the hospitalization of three employees with burns and other injuries and extensive damage to the grain elevator, federal investigators found. 

Empleador:    Macarios Inc., Los Primos Inc., Dos Oros Inc., operando como Mayan Mexican Restaurant

                        4520 Pacific Ave. SE

Employer:      Macarios Inc., Los Primos Inc., Dos Oros Inc., operating as Mayan Mexican Restaurant

                        4520 Pacific Ave. SE

BOSTON – A federal court in Boston has entered a consent judgment ordering a New Jersey-based framing contractor to pay 61 construction employees $283,492 in back wages and liquidated damages and $46,507 in punitive damages to two former employees, allegedly fired for cooperating with U.S. Department of Labor investigators. 

Employers:    Great Lakes Care Companions Inc., Juan G. Salazar, owner

Actions:          Fair Labor Standards Act consent order and judgment

Courts:           U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan 

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a conciliation agreement with Pfizer Inc.