LANSING, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Polar Service Centers to reinstate and pay $190,547 in back wages and damages to a safety manager at its Lansing facility. The action comes after a federal investigation found the commercial tank trailer company violated the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act.

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act consent judgment

Name of Defendants: H&H Lawn Service and Snowplowing LLC, Muskegon, Michigan
Darrell Hinken

Investigation Findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the company and its owner Darrell Hinken violated the FLSA’s overtime and record keeping provisions. 

PHILADELPHIA – Acting on a United States district court judge’s order, federal marshals took John J. Koresko V, a disbarred attorney and former employee benefit plan administrator, into custody on May 6, 2016, after Koresko failed to transfer $1.68 million in assets in contempt of an earlier court order in a case involving violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Employer name: Street’s Seafood Restaurant

Investigation site: 251 Highway 31, Bay Minette, Alabama 36507

WASHINGTON – For youth who left high school early and lack a state equivalency diploma, a continuing education and career success can be a goal beyond reach. Throughout the nation, YouthBuild programs seek to help these young people in learning critical job skills in construction as a path to economic independence. 

“Access to a job in the summer and beyond can make all the difference to a young person – especially those who don’t have access to many resources and opportunities.”

- President Barack Obama

ARLINGTON, Va. – A suburban Washington, D.C.-area restaurant and its owners have entered into an agreement ensuring that they would not intimidate or retaliate against employees who cooperate with a U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour investigation and subsequent ongoing litigation. The owners also agreed to stop soliciting “waivers” from employees to relinquish their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Employer name: Oaxaca Mexican Products, 100 8^th St., Passaic, New Jersey

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one willful, 20 serious and three other-than-serious violations on May 3, 2016.

State: Texas

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Initial Amount Approved: $2,155,068

Incremental Amount Awarded: $1,436,712

Funding Awarded to: Texas Workforce Commission

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 120

Employer name: Southeast Forest Products Inc., doing business as Southeast Pallet & Box Co.

Inspection site: 4596 Washington Ferry Road, Montgomery, Alabama 36108

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement on the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers.

“A few days ago, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez reached out to the parties in the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers and invited them to meet with him in Washington in an effort to help the parties resolve a dispute that is affecting thousands of workers, their families, and the company.

Date of Action: April 29, 2016

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendants: Tarry Bratton, B.C. Inc., B.C. Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan

Employer name: Atlantic Coffee Industrial Solutions LLC

Inspection site: 3900 Harrisburg Blvd., Houston

Citations issued: May 11, 2016

Employer name: Cinch Connectors Inc.

Inspection Site: 6900 South Bentsen Rd., McAllen, TX 

Citations issued: May 6, 2016

ARLINGTON, Va. – In a meeting with mining industry stakeholders today, the U.S.

MADISON, Wis. – In a town where images of the state university’s mascot “Bucky Badger” are common in restaurants and hotels alike, U.S. Department of Labor investigators are actively engaged in an education and enforcement effort to make sure employers do not deny hospitality workers the “bucks” they have earned legally.

Employers: Muir Orthopedics Specialists

Sites: 2625 Shadeland Drive, Walnut Creek, California

WASHINGTON – The European Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor compared practices and policies used to fight against long-term unemployment at a roundtable discussion in Washington on May 11, 2016.

Employer name: Ozburn-Hessey Logistics LLC
Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin

Citations issued: May 5, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration