WASHINGTON — Mexico's Federal Labor Law Reform of 2012 protects workers from various forms of discrimination: female workers fired or never hired for being pregnant; LGBT workers retaliated against for their sexual orientation; and men and women sexually harassed in the workplace.

These and other forms of employment discrimination can cripple economies, denying working men and women economic security and equal opportunity. Freedom from workplace discrimination is also a fundamental human right and a matter of basic human dignity.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Chester Fike was just in his 30s when he was diagnosed with black lung. As the disease progressed, the West Virginia coal miner was eventually so incapacitated that a simple walk with his family was impossible. In the summer of 2012, four months after a double lung transplant raised hopes for a second chance, Fike lost his fight for life at 60.

WASHINGTON — From August 2-14, 2013, a series of storms and floods destroyed homes, businesses and infrastructure throughout the state of Missouri, resulting in the Federal Emergency Management Agency declaring 18 counties in the state eligible for its Public Assistance Program on September 6, 2013. The renewal effort that followed was bolstered with a U.S. Department of Labor National Emergency Grant of $2,044,035 on Oct. 2, 2013, with an initial release of $1,000,000.

WASHINGTON — Officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Florida Department of Revenue today signed a memorandum of understanding with the goal of protecting the rights of employees by preventing their misclassification as independent contractors or other nonemployee statuses. Under the agreement, both agencies will share information and coordinate law enforcement.

WASHINGTON — Officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Florida Department of Revenue today signed a memorandum of understanding with the goal of protecting the rights of employees by preventing their misclassification as independent contractors or other nonemployee statuses. Under the agreement, both agencies will share information and coordinate law enforcement.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Wielding a large rotating steel drum equipped with sharp tungsten carbide teeth, a continuous mining machine scrapes coal from the mine's seams and drops it onto conveyor belts or into shuttle cars for transport to the surface. As it moves from one tight space to another underground, the massive machine leaves little room — and margin for error — for miners in its path. This high-powered scraper is one of the most efficient methods for extracting coal, yet not without its risks.

WASHINGTON — The residents of Atlantic City, N.J., and the surrounding area struggled in 2014 as several major casinos and dozens of businesses closed. The losses including as many as 4,000 jobs at the Revel Casino Hotel, the Trump Plaza, the Showboat Hotel and Casino and 40 other businesses.

Date of Action: Jan. 12, 2015

Type of Action: Complaint

Name of Defendant: Kenneth W. Wright, E. Paul Willingham, and SchoolStart Company 401(k) P/S Plan

Allegations: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, Kansas City Regional Office, resulted in the department filing a suit in federal court alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Workers doing renovation at the former Dye Works at 15 Cottage St. in Easthampton faced potentially fatal falls of up to 40 feet because their employers failed to provide proper protection, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found. OSHA inspectors visited the work site on July 11, 2014, in response to a complaint about fall hazards there.

Date of Action: Jan.7, 2015

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendant(s): Nathan Williams, NW Systems Inc., and NW Systems Inc. 401(k) Profit-Sharing Plan and Trust

Allegations: Based on an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Secretary of Labor filed a complaint alleging the following:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the December 2014 Employment Situation report released today:

"The U.S. economy closed out the year on a continued hot streak — 252,000 new jobs, with the unemployment rate falling to 5.6 percent. December was the 58th consecutive month of private sector job growth, to the tune of 11.2 million jobs. Average unemployment for 2014 was down 1.2 percentage points from 2013, the largest decrease since 1984.

Date of Action: Jan. 8, 2015

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendant: John Bonner, Bonner & Borhart LLP, Bonner & Borhart LLP SIMPLE IRA Plan

Allegations: From Jan. 15, 2009, to present, John Bonner was the managing partner and sole owner of Bonner & Borhart in Melrose, Minnesota. Bonner & Borhart was the plan administrator for the Bonner & Borhart LLP SIMPLE IRA Plan.

LUCASVILLE, Ohio — Faced one night with a trip over mountainous terrain in a medical transport helicopter with a faulty emergency locator transmitter, a pilot refused to fly the unsafe aircraft and was later terminated in retaliation for doing so. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration followed. As a result, Air Methods Corp. was ordered to reinstate the pilot, pay $158,000 in back wages and $8,500 in damages, and remove disciplinary information from the employee's personnel record.

OSHA cites Transition of Superior Systems for 25 serious violations; fines total $51,600

LUBBOCK, Texas — Working at an industrial facility is dangerous. An employer who ignores serious hazards and puts workers in harm's way threatens everyone's well-being, a point not lost on U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators who identified 25 serious safety and health violations after a July 2014 inspection at Transition of Superior Systems in Merkel. Fines totaled $51,600.

LUCASVILLE, Ohio — Faced one night with a trip over mountainous terrain in a medical transport helicopter with a faulty emergency locator transmitter, a pilot refused to fly the unsafe aircraft and was later terminated in retaliation for doing so. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration followed. As a result, Air Methods Corp. was ordered to reinstate the pilot, pay $158,000 in back wages and $8,500 in damages, and remove disciplinary information from the employee's personnel record.

Date of Action: Jan. 6, 2015

Type of Action: Consent judgment

Name of Defendant: David E. Doll

Allegations: Based on an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefit Security Administration, the Secretary of Labor filed a complaint on Dec. 30, 2013 alleging:

Date of Action: Dec. 31, 2014

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: The Children’s Place Inc., The Children’s Place Inc. Welfare Benefit Plan and Hendrik Johannes Lamprecht based in Bradenton, Florida.

Date of Action: Dec. 17, 2014

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendant(s): Bryan M. Johns and Rainwire Partners Inc. 401(k) Plan

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit with the Office of Administrative Law Judges against LRE Royal Electrical Contractors Inc. and its owner, George E. Smith, to recover $345,077 in back wages for 61 electrical workers. The action also seeks to prevent the company and Smith from obtaining federal contracts for three years.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. —— Dollar General store employees in Wolcott could not exit the store swiftly during a fire or emergency because of a locked emergency door in the store's back room, an Oct. 24, 2014, inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found. In 2010, OSHA cited the retail chain for the same hazard at a store in Buffalo.