CHICAGO, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor obtained a consent order and judgment requiring the appointment of an independent fiduciary to the Sacred Heart Hospital Profit Sharing 401(k) Plan. The independent fiduciary will manage and distribute assets of the Chicago-based retirement plan to its nine participants.

WESTERVILLE, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corporation for failing to secure an elevator platform at a Grove City, Ohio, construction site where a mechanic suffered fatal injuries. OSHA proposed penalties totaling $142,270, the maximum allowed for the alleged violations.

LAVERGNE, TN – Smart Circle Construction Services – based in La Vergne, Tennessee – will pay $246,813 in back wages and liquidated damages to 17 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer violated overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

MAITLAND, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Kasper Roofing & Construction Inc. for exposing employees to fall and other hazards after an employee suffered fatal injuries at a Maitland, Florida, worksite. The Orlando, Florida-based roofing contractor faces $134,510 in penalties, the maximum allowed by law.

BOSTON, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ordered Springfield Terminal Railway Inc. to compensate an employee who faced an investigative hearing with possible disciplinary action or termination for reporting an on-the-job injury at its facility in Andover, Massachusetts. OSHA ordered the company to pay the employee $10,000 in compensatory damages, $75,000 in punitive damages, and attorney’s fees.

SAN DIEGO, CA – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation, Sam Woo – a restaurant based in San Diego, California – will pay 18 employees $192,622 in back wages and liquidated damages for violating provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

CHICAGO, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into an agreement with the fiduciaries of the Neuroscience Center LLC Defined Benefit Pension Plan to restore $419,758 to the Deerfield, Illinois-based retirement plan. The agreed-upon restoration is part of a consent judgment approved by the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois.

HERMITAGE, TN – Vazquez Drywall has paid $103,300 in back wages and liquidated damages to eight employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the company violated overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). WHD also assessed the Hermitage, Tennessee, company a $2,424 civil penalty.

DENVER, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the North American Excavation Shoring Association (NAXSA) hosted a Colorado Trench Safety Summit.

ATLANTA, GA - The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will present an educational forum about developments in its policies and regulations, and its Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) Program, in Alpharetta, Georgia, on October 24, 2018.

In the week ending October 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 210,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 214,000 to 215,000. The 4-week moving average was 211,750, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 209,500 to 209,750.

WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina has appointed AMI Benefit Plan Administrators Inc. as the successor fiduciary for the James D. Blankenbeckler, DDS Profit Sharing Plan after the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) found violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of the New and Small Business Assistance and the Compliance Assistance Toolkits webpages. These new online tools assist American small businesses and workers with simple, straightforward resources that provide critical Wage and Hour Division (WHD) information, as well as links to other resources.

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) urges response crews and residents in the areas affected by Hurricane Michael to be aware of hazards created by flooding, power loss, structural damage, fallen trees, and storm debris.

HARMONY, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Insight Pipe Contracting LLC for workplace safety and health violations following an employee electrocution at a worksite in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Harmony-based contractor faces $331,101 in proposed penalties.

MILWAUKEE, WI – To ensure compliance with federal wage laws, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is conducting an education and enforcement initiative focusing on restaurants in Wisconsin's Fox Cities region and Milwaukee's East Side neighborhoods. The initiative includes providing compliance assistance tools and information to employers and industry stakeholders through educational outreach events.

DES PLAINES, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement with Omnicare of Northern Illinois that requires the company to pay $300,000 in back pay and interest to 132 pharmacy technicians of Asian heritage to remedy pay discrimination violations identified at its Des Plaines, Illinois, facility.

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) today announced the award of a $1.9 million contract to develop pilot projects focused on apprenticeship opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities in high-growth industries.

WASHINGTON, DC – As part of its commitment to state and local partners facing a serious impact by Hurricane Michael, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced it is ready to make available National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) funding to help Georgia assess its workforce needs.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Jordan Foster Construction recently signed a partnership to help protect construction workers during construction of the Plaza Hotel and Parking Garage in El Paso, Texas.