BLOOMINGTON, IL ‒ To raise awareness about the hazards in the grain handling industry, including potentially deadly engulfment and dust explosions, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is joining with industry leaders and safety professionals on March 25, 2019, to initiate the 2019 National Safety Stand-Up and Grain Safety Week, March 25-29 in Bloomington, Illinois.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that the Office of the Federal Register has published the Department's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would make more than a million more American workers eligible for overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The official publication in the Federal Register marks the start of the proposal's public comment period, which will remain open for 60 days and close on May 21, 2019.

BOWLING GREEN, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed penalties of $1,326,367 to Dowa THT America Inc. – a metal heat treatment company based in Bowling Green, Ohio – after the company exposed employees to atmospheric, thermal, electrical, and mechanical hazards as they performed maintenance inside heat-treating furnaces. In addition to the penalties, OSHA placed the company in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

CITY OF OREM, UT – The City of Orem, Utah, has paid $16,350 in civil money penalties to resolve child labor violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) after the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found the city employed 25 children under the age of 16 at its Scera Park Pools after 9 p.m. in the summers of 2017 and 2018.

KANSAS CITY, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will hold a Data Users’ Conference at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Missouri, on April 1, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.

In the week ending March 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 221,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 229,000 to 230,000. The 4-week moving average was 225,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 223,750 to 224,000. 

KANSAS CITY, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has reached a settlement with Pacific Architects and Engineers – based in Arlington, Virginia – requiring the company to pay $21,507 in back pay and interest after an investigation found the company discriminated against a hearing impaired employee at its Lee's Summit, Missouri facility.

ATHENS, AL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the Limestone County Sheriff's Department – based in Athens, Alabama – will pay $49,968 in back wages to 126 employees for violations of the overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

GREENVILLE, SC – After investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Whiteford's Inc. – operator of 30 Kentucky Fried Chicken and Arby's fast food locations in South Carolina and Georgia, and based in Greenville, South Carolina – has paid $32,797 in back wages to 298 employees for violating the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

PERRY, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited ammunition manufacturer AMTEC Less Lethal Systems Inc. for exposing employees to explosive hazards after an explosion fatally injured two workers at the company's Perry, Florida, facility. The company faces $188,290 in penalties for multiple serious violations, and a willful violation that carries the maximum penalty allowed.

BRIDGEPORT, WV – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), a federal appeals court affirmed a district court judgment requiring Fire & Safety Investigation Consulting Services LLC – based in Bridgeport, West Virginia – to pay $817,902 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 70 employees.

GREEN BAY, WI – Following a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation, a Green Bay, Wisconsin, restaurant and its owner have paid $106,856 in back wages to 109 current and former employees, and an additional $6,591 in civil money penalties for child labor violations and willful overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Alliance Fire Protection Inc. – based in Albuquerque, New Mexico – has paid $157,923 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 14 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime and recordkeeping requirements.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an opioid-crisis Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) of $886,860 to the Washington State Department of Employment Security to provide disaster relief jobs and employment services to eligible individuals in five Washington counties impacted by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose. 

BISMARCK, ND – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, State of North Dakota, and Bakken Basin Safety Consortium have signed an alliance to protect employees, and promote safety and health in the oil and gas industry.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today issued a Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) reiterating employers' responsibilities under the H-1B visa program.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and Mr. Yousuf Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo, Minister of Administrative Development, Labor, and Social Affairs of Qatar, signed a memorandum of understanding today recognizing the value of cooperation and knowledge-sharing for strengthening protection for workers.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that it has issued new opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Department's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the individual person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

In the week ending March 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 229,000, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,750, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 226,250.

DORAL, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Brinker Florida Inc. – operator of a Chili's Grill and Bar restaurant in Doral, Florida – for exposing employees to burns, falls, and other hazards. OSHA inspected the restaurant after an employee suffered burns when falling from an unguarded platform into a hot water bath. The company faces proposed penalties totaling $62,513.