WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission today announced a joint initiative to raise awareness about retaliation issues when workers exercise their protected labor rights.

In the week ending November 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 267,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 269,000 to 271,000. The 4-week moving average was 278,000, a decrease of 7,250 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 225,500. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 284,750 to 285,250.

HOUSTON - Los operadores de tres restaurantes de barbacoa de Texas del área de Houston, que rebajaron los salarios de sus trabajadores en repetidas ocasiones al no pagarles las horas extras cuando era necesario, han pagado $40,043 en salarios atrasados a 179 trabajadores, tras una reciente investigación federal.

HOUSTON – The operators of three Houston-area Texas buffet BBQ restaurants that shortchanged its workers’ wages repeatedly by failing to pay them overtime when required has paid $40,043 in back wages to 179 workers, following a recent federal investigation.

TULSA, OK – A Tulsa oilfield construction company denied overtime wages to nine electricians and electrician helpers when it paid them a flat salary for all the hours they worked in an attempt to avoid overtime pay, a federal investigation has found.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the newly redesigned Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion web site.

KANSAS CITY, MO ‒ Electrical hazards killed four workers in Missouri and Kansas in five months in 2021. In Missouri, on Oct. 4, a 40-year-old electrical contractor replacing light fixtures in Sedalia. On Sept. 23, a 22-year-old worker cleaning a Higbee pig barn with a pressure washer. In Wichita, Kansas, a 41-year-old doing heating and air conditioning work on July 13, and a month earlier, a 35-year-old electrical contractor climbing a pole in Lawrence, Kansas, on June 8.

HARTFORD, CT – A Connecticut aircraft parts manufacturer did not take required steps to identify potential exposures and protect employees from hexavalent chromium and cadmium – both known carcinogens – at its Bloomfield facility, a U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety inspection has found.

HOUSTON – All Seasons Hospitality and Investments LLC and owner Tanvir Shahmohd, operator of a Houston-area hotel, has agreed to pay an employee back wages and damages following a U.S. Department of Labor whistleblower investigation.

MARINETTE, WI – Recent federal safety inspections of a northern Wisconsin foundry determined workplace safety failures caused two workers to suffer severe injuries. In May, a worker lost two fingers to amputation and in July, an overhead hot metal carrier struck and injured another worker.  

GAINESVILLE, FL - Un contratista de techos de Gainesville aprendió que debe pagar a sus empleados por todo el tiempo que trabajan, incluyendo el trabajo de preparación antes del turno y el trabajo después del turno al final del día, tras una investigación del Departamento de Trabajo de Estados Unidos.

GAINESVILLE, FL – A Gainesville roofing contractor learned it must pay its employees for all of the time they work, including pre-shift prep work and post-shift work at day’s end, following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

MONACA, PA – A federal court has ordered a Beaver County gas station and convenience store to cease violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and pay back wages and liquidated damages to two underpaid employees. The judgment follows a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that determined the owners of Monaca Sunoco, located at 1479 Old Brodhead Road, intentionally underpaid a married couple who lived and worked there.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a proposal to rescind the final rule “Implementing Legal Requirements Regarding the Equal Opportunity Clause’s Religious Exemption.” The final rule has been in effect since Jan. 8, 2021. The Federal Register will publish the proposal on Nov. 9, 2021.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the October 2021 Employment Situation Report:

CHICAGO – A federal court in Chicago has ruled a Lincolnshire provider of employee benefit services must comply immediately with a U.S. Department of Labor administrative subpoena seeking documents for an Employee Benefits Security Administration investigation of unauthorized distributions from employee benefit accounts.

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WI – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Gilbane Building Co. are partnering with safety advocates and labor unions to protect the safety and health of workers during construction of a new Pleasant Prairie manufacturing facility.

WASHINGTON – La Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. anunció hoy una nueva normativa temporal de emergencia para proteger a más de 84 millones de trabajadores contra la propagación del coronavirus en el trabajo.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a new emergency temporary standard to protect more than 84 million workers from the spread of the coronavirus on the job. The nation’s unvaccinated workers face grave danger from workplace exposure to coronavirus, and immediate action is necessary to protect them.

In the week ending October 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 269,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 281,000 to 283,000. The 4-week moving average was 284,750, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 225,500. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 299,250 to 299,750.