April 13, 2015

VETS News Brief: $4M in job-driven training grants available to help more than 2,000 veterans overcome homelessness and secure employment [04/13/2015]

WHAT: Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program funding of $4 million is available to provide an estimated 2,000 veterans with job-driven training for in-demand jobs to help them successfully transition from homelessness to sustainable housing and good civilian jobs. Homeless veterans may receive occupational, classroom and on-the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance, including follow-up services.

April 13, 2015

ETA News Release: $15M in Disability Employment Initiative grants to better serve the needs of youth and adults with disabilities seeking employment [04/13/2015]

WASHINGTON — Americans with disabilities face many obstacles in life, including those that make their search for employment difficult. To help remove some of these impediments, the U.S. Department of Labor is working to increase the ability of federal job training programs to serve youth and adults with disabilities through better collaboration and new partnerships at state and local levels.

April 10, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Southbury, Connecticut residential home builder exposes workers to potentially fatal fall hazards [04/10/2015]

Employer name: Rock Hard Homes, Inc., residential home builder, Southbury, CT

Inspection site: 13 Pembroke Road, Danbury, CT 06811

Date inspection initiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Bridgeport Area Office began an inspection on Nov. 7, 2014, after OSHA inspectors driving by the worksite observed fall protection hazards and immediately opened an inspection.

April 10, 2015

ILAB News Release: El Salvadoran and Honduran youth to receive job-driven skills training in secure environments with $13 million in funding [04/10/2015]

WASHINGTON — In the next decade, six million youth will enter the Central American labor force. They will need job opportunities and the skills to succeed in them. All too often, high poverty and violence rates in El Salvador and Honduras prevent young people from learning the marketable, job-driven skills that can help them forge clear paths to decent jobs and greater economic opportunities. Without access to quality education and good jobs, these youth are vulnerable to exploitation.

April 9, 2015

WHD News Brief: US Dept of Labor secures injunctions ordering Jan Charles Gray, affiliated businesses to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act [04/09/2015]

Employers: Jan Charles Gray, individually and Mount Rushmore Broadcasting, Inc., All American Inn - Glenrock, and American President Resorts.

Sites: Mount Rushmore Broadcasting, Inc., in Casper, Wyoming; All American Inn - Glenrock in Glenrock, Wyoming; and American President Resorts in Custer, South Dakota.

April 9, 2015

WHD News Release: New Jersey employer violates guest worker program, to pay more than $322,000 in back wages and penalties [04/09/2015]

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The owner of two East Rutherford, New Jersey, companies will pay $322,094 in back wages and penalties after U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators found the companies willfully violated a provision of the H-1B visa program, which allows guest workers to be temporarily employed in the United States.

April 9, 2015

WHD News Brief: High violation rate on FLSA, H-2A, MSPA prompt multi-year enforcement initiative by US Labor Department in Oklahoma agriculture industry [04/09/2015]

Location: Oklahoma

Type of Action: Launch of a multi-year agriculture education and enforcement initiative.

April 9, 2015

WHD News Release: Over 1200 grocery workers receive more than $1.3M in back wages and damages [04/09/2015]

HOUSTON — Imagine living on less than $300 a week in an area where a month's rent averages $1,000 or more. That's a reality for many workers in specialty grocery stores in Houston, reports the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. The finding results from a multiyear enforcement initiative by the division that found widespread minimum wage and overtime violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

April 9, 2015

OSHA News Release: Wood crate manufacturer fails to protect workers properly from excessive noise, hand injuries, dust hazards and other risks [04/09/2015]

ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. — An inspection of a wood crate manufacturer found that permanent and temporary employees faced excessive noise, improper hand protection and respiratory irritation due to wood dust exposure at the North American Container Corp. in Adairsville.

April 9, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Beacon Industries Inc. exposes employees to mechanical, electrical and other hazards at Newington, Conn., manufacturing plant [04/09/2015]

Employer name: Beacon Industries Inc., an aircraft engine and parts manufacturer, headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

Inspection site: 549 Cedar St., Newington, Connecticut 06111

Date inspection initiated: The inspection began Oct. 21, 2014, in response to a complaint.

April 9, 2015

OSHA News Release: $3.5M in Susan Harwood safety and health training grants now available from US Labor Department [04/09/2015]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is accepting 2015 applications for targeted-topic training grants and capacity-building training grants under the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. A total of $3.5 million is available for nonprofit organizations, including community and faith-based organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, tribal organizations, and colleges and universities.

April 8, 2015

WHD News Brief: Saipan hotel to pay more than $117K in back wages to 84 employees [04/08/2015]

Employer: Saipan Hotel Corporation, doing business as Hafadai Beach Hotel

Site: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

April 8, 2015

OSHA News Release: OSHA says proper tank cleaning could have prevented worker's death [04/08/2015]

WILLISTON, N.D. — Dustin Payne traveled to North Dakota looking for a good job, the opportunity to use his skills and the chance to secure a future for him and his fiancée back in Alabama. Instead, the 28-year-old Marine veteran with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan to his credit is dead, the victim of a massive explosion that his Williston employer could have prevented.

April 8, 2015

OSHA News Release: Court orders dentist to pay $85K to employee fired for safety complaint [04/08/2015]

Assistant raised dangers of used needles as Dr. N. Terry Fayad allegedly sought cost savings

BOSTON, Mass. — It began when Massachusetts dentist Dr. N. Terry Fayad changed his practice's procedure for disposing of contaminated needles. He told those in his Beverly-based office to first remove the protective caps before dropping them into sharps disposal containers, allegedly to fill the containers with more used needles and reduce the frequency and cost of their disposal.

April 7, 2015

WHD News Brief: Labor Department sues Magic Touch Cleaning, Inc. for back wages and damages due to underpaid janitorial workers [04/07/2015]

Date of Action: March 11, 2015

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: MAGIC TOUCH CLEANING, INC. and GARY WALKER, individually.

Allegations: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found Magic Touch Cleaning Inc., a janitorial services company in Lee's Summit, Missouri, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

April 7, 2015

WHD News Release: Jury awards more than $1.3M in back wages and damages to 101 former employees at defunct Bellingham businesses [04/07/2015]

SEATTLE — Although a Bellingham restaurant and a spa have closed, 101 workers once employed by the businesses will receive more than $1.3 million in back wages and damages, thanks to a Washington State jury. The decision is the result of a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that revealed numerous violations of federal labor law.

April 7, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Foundry workers exposed to numerous safety and health hazards [04/07/2015]

Employer name: American Spincast Inc.

Inspection site: Belton, Texas

April 7, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA cites Global Construction & Engineering Inc. for exposing workers to safety hazards at Center Point, Alabama work site [04/07/2015]

Employer name: Global Construction & Engineering Inc.

Inspection site: At the time of the inspection, workers were installing sewer lines at 3025 Wood Drive Center Point, Alabama 35215.

Date inspection initiated: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the Oct. 8, 2014 inspection as part of the agency's National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation.

April 7, 2015

WHD News Release: Jury awards more than $1.3M in back wages and damages to 101 former employees at defunct Bellingham businesses [04/07/2015]

SEATTLE — Although a Bellingham restaurant and a spa have closed, 101 workers once employed by the businesses will receive more than $1.3 million in back wages and damages, thanks to a Washington State jury. The decision is the result of a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that revealed numerous violations of federal labor law.

April 7, 2015

ETA News Release: $10M in grants available to improve workforce and education data collection [04/07/2015]

WASHINGTON — Building a better workforce system starts with having reliable data. With the passage of last year's Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to encourage greater coordination between workforce and education programs, states have made important strides to integrate their programs. To further the progress, the U.S.