March 22, 2022

US Department of Labor reopens rulemaking record, schedules public hearing on proposed final rule to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19 exposure

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reopened the rulemaking record partially and scheduled an informal public hearing to seek comments on specific topics that relate to the development of a final standard to protect healthcare and healthcare support service workers from workplace exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

March 21, 2022

El Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. recupera $108,000 en salarios atrasados junto con daños y perjuicios para 21 trabajadores de un restaurante de Goose Creek después de descubrir violaciones en relación con el trabajo infantil y violaciones salariales

GOOSE CREEK, SC - Un restaurante de Goose Creek no pagó a 21 trabajadores y permitió que empleados menores de edad trabajaran más horas de las permitidas por ley, según ha revelado una investigación del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU.

March 21, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers $108K in back wages, damages for 21 Goose Creek restaurant workers after finding child labor, pay violations

GOOSE CREEK, SC – A Goose Creek restaurant shortchanged 21 workers and allowed minor-aged employees to work more hours than the law permits, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has revealed.

March 21, 2022

US Department of Labor cites Massachusetts manufacturer for safety violations after hot liquid plastic burns worker

STERLING, MA – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found that a plastic packaging manufacturer – with a history of workplace safety and health inspections – could have prevented a worker at its Sterling facility from suffering severe burns if they had complied with OSHA’s requirements for lockout/tagout and provided personal protective equipment.

March 21, 2022

US Department of Labor awards $2.8M in funding to provide employment, training services to combat Ohio’s opioid crisis

WASHINGTON – With opioid-related overdoses linked to 3,237 deaths in Ohio in 2018, and the state’s neonatal units reporting higher rates of newborns suffering opioid withdrawal, opioid abuse remains a serious health emergency.

March 18, 2022

Virginia farm pays more than $55K in back wages, civil penalties after federal investigation, administrative law judge decision, order

INDEPENDENCE, VA Following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, and an administrative law judge’s order, 20 temporary agricultural workers who traveled from Mexico to help provide pumpkins, Christmas trees and produce for Mid-Atlantic consumers will be paid $19,988 in back wages by an Independence farm. The farm will also pay $36,000 in civil money penalties.

March 17, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers $140K in back wages, liquidated damages after investigators find Washington contractor underpaid workers

SEATTLE – An ongoing federal initiative to investigate pay practices of residential builders in Washington State found that a Lacey contractor recklessly failed to pay workers overtime for hours they worked over 40 in a workweek in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

March 17, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers $62K for workers at five Hawaii restaurants, employers denied overtime, kept tips illegally

HONOLULU –The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $62,908 in back wages and liquidated damages for 42 workers after an investigation found the operators of five Hawaii restaurants denied them overtime pay and allowed a manager and other employees to take a portion of the workers’ tips illegally.

March 17, 2022

La campaña de formación y cumplimiento del Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. busca aumentar el cumplimiento de la industria agrícola del sureste

ATLANTA - La División de Horas y Salarios del Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos continúa con su iniciativa plurianual de formación y cumplimiento de la ley para aumentar el cumplimiento de las leyes laborales federales en la industria agrícola del sureste. Además de la actividad de cumplimiento de la ley, la iniciativa proporciona asistencia para el cumplimiento a los empleadores y forma a los trabajadores y otras partes interesadas.

March 17, 2022

US Department of Labor sues New York ophthalmologist, practice for firing employee who reported COVID-19 hazards

ALBANY, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor filed suit against a New York ophthalmologist and his practice in Amsterdam for allegedly firing an employee who raised concerns about the practice’s failure to implement state-mandated protocols to protect employees from COVID-19, and later filed complaints with state health officials.

March 17, 2022

US Department of Labor education, enforcement campaign seeks to increase Southeast agricultural industry’s compliance

ATLANTA The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is continuing its multi-year education and enforcement initiative to increase compliance with federal labor laws in the Southeast’s agricultural industry. In addition to enforcement activity, the initiative provides compliance assistance to employers and educates workers and other stakeholders.

March 17, 2022

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending March 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claimswas 214,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 227,000 to 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,000, a decrease of 8,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 231,250 to 231,750.

March 16, 2022

US Department of Labor cites Rhode Island concrete supplier for serious safety, health violations following worker fatality

PROVIDENCE, RI – A federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that a Smithfield company could have prevented a worker from suffering fatal head injuries while the worker repaired a cement truck on Oct. 21, 2021.

March 15, 2022

US Department of Labor announces pay equity audit directive for federal contractors to identify barriers to equal pay

WASHINGTON Today, as the nation observes Equal Pay Day – the day through which U.S. women typically must work to be paid the same wages men received in 2021 – the U.S.

March 15, 2022

US Department of Labor will offer prevailing wage compliance seminars for federal contractors, contracting agencies, unions, workers

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor will offer online compliance seminars for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders to provide information on the requirements governing payment of prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.

March 15, 2022

Federal court orders Philadelphia home healthcare agency to pay more than $430K in back wages, damages, penalties after federal investigation

PHILADELPHIA – A federal court has ordered a Philadelphia home healthcare staffing agency and its owner to pay nearly $410,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 43 employees after U.S. Department of Labor investigators found that the employer misclassified workers as independent contractors.