BATESVILLE, MS – Prime Inns Inc. – operator of a Hampton Inn hotel in Batesville, Mississippi – has paid $15,917 in back wages and liquidated damages to 25 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation determined the employer violated minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ATLANTA, GA – RREMC Restaurant LLC – parent company of Denny's restaurants in Byron, Columbus, and Norcross, Georgia – has paid $122,523 in back wages and liquidated damages to 245 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation determined the employer violated minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

MCDAVID, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited L.A. Disaster Relief and Property Maintenance LLC after an employee suffered burn injuries at a McDavid, Florida, worksite. The property maintenance and land clearing company faces $94,415 in penalties.

In the week ending November 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 234,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 224,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,250, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 218,500.

ATLANTA, GA – Working in trenches and excavations can be hazardous, and trench collapses pose great risk to workers. To raise awareness of preventable incidents, compliance assistance specialists with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Southeast are conducting outreach to educate employers and employees on the hazards associated with trenching and excavation work.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Three restaurants in Minnesota and one in northern Iowa will pay $831,232 in back wages to 113 current and former employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Investigators found violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at the four restaurants.

NEW IBERIA, LA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Ernest P. Breaux Electrical LLC – an electrical contractor based in New Iberia, Louisiana – has paid $249,278 in back wages to 117 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime and recordkeeping requirements.

PORTLAND, OR – The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon has entered a consent judgment against Gerald (“Jerry”) Brazie, Jr. and three Portland, Oregon-based companies he controls, requiring that their drivers be paid $3,087,100 in wages and liquidated damages for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The judgment also requires the delivery service to pay $112,900 in civil money penalties.

SACRAMENTO, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued notices of safety violations to the U.S. Army Reserve 63 Regional Support Command at a Sacramento, California, maintenance facility.

NASHVILLE, TN – The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee has sentenced Bart Posey – of Springfield, Tennessee – to 168 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered the defendant to pay $6,524,888 restitution after a U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) investigation discovered a multi-million dollar insurance fraud that affected more than 17,000 individuals nationwide.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has begun an education and enforcement initiative to ensure New Jersey's childcare industry complies with federal wage laws, as the Division addresses consistent violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The initiative includes outreach efforts to provide WHD compliance assistance to educate childcare employers. WHD is working with stakeholders in the industry to provide the tools and information they need to understand their responsibilities and to comply with the law.

LOUISVILLE, KY – As a result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky has sentenced David Perez - co-founder of a Louisville, Kentucky, medical clinic - to 27 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and to pay $941,337 restitution for defrauding healthcare benefit programs.

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Derek Williams (operating as Elo Restoration Inc.) and Travis Slaughter (operating as Florida Roofing Experts Inc.) for exposing employees to fall hazards at a St. Augustine, Florida, worksite. Each company faces the maximum allowable penalty of $129,336.

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Derek Williams – operating as Elo Restoration Inc. – for exposing employees to fall hazards at two separate worksites in St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, Florida. The roofing contractor faces $116,551 in penalties.

BRUNDIDGE, AL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Southern Classic Food Group LLC for amputation and other hazards after two employees were hospitalized in separate incidents. The Brundidge, Alabama, food processor faces $164,997 in penalties.

MIAMI, FL – The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has sentenced the chief executive officer and the chief operating officer of Smart Lab LLC to prison and ordered them and the company to pay more than $9.6 million in restitution after a federal investigation found that they had defrauded healthcare benefit programs.

In the week ending November 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 224,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 5,000 from 216,000 to 221,000. The 4-week moving average was 218,500, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 1,250 from 215,250 to 216,500.

CLEVELAND, OH – As a result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio has sentenced business executive C. David Snyder of Cleveland, Ohio, to serve 24 months of imprisonment, followed by an additional three years of supervised release, and to make more than $781,000 in restitution, following a federal investigation and prosecution leading to conviction on charges of embezzlement and tax fraud.

DENVER, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a conciliation agreement with Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope Inc. - a federal government contractor that supplies building materials - to resolve allegations of hiring discrimination at the company’s Denver, Colorado, facility.

WASHINGTON, DC – As the holiday season approaches, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Wage and Hour Division (WHD) are reminding employers to protect worker safety and pay.