May 20, 2024

Department of Labor recovers more than $450K in back wages, damages for 62 workers at Half Moon Bay farms, sites of 2023 fatal shootings

SAN FRANCISCO – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has recovered more than $450,000 in back wages and damages for 62 people employed by two Half Moon Bay mushroom farms — where a disgruntled co-worker fatally shot seven migrant workers in January 2023 — and assessed penalties after investigators found the employers underpaid workers and provided unsafe housing conditions.

May 20, 2024

Federal court orders backpay, damages, prohibits Greenville cleaning service from violating wage laws after Department of Labor sues

GREENVILLE, MS The Department of Labor has obtained a federal consent judgment that requires a Greenville cleaning and janitorial service and its owner to pay more than $127,000 in back wages, liquidated damages and compensatory damages following a court’s finding that the two illegally terminated workers for asserting their rights to federally-mandated sick leave. 

May 20, 2024

Department of Labor announces final rule updating the Hazard Communication Standard to better protect workers, first responders

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor today announced a final rule from its Occupational Safety and Health Administration that will update the current Hazard Communication Standard to better protect workers by improving the amount and quality of information on labels and safety data sheets and allow workers and first responders to react more quickly in an emergency. The updates take effect on July 19, 2024. 

May 20, 2024

El Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. recupera $37K para 19 trabajadores negados horas extras en 2 restaurantes en el Valle del Río Grande

Nombre del empleador:        Blanca Rosa Amezcua, cuyo nombre comercial es Taqueria Tepeque #1

May 16, 2024

El Departamento de Trabajo anuncia la expansión del sitio web sobre los derechos de los trabajadores migrantes

WASHINGTON – El Departamento de Trabajo anunció hoy una expansión significativa de MigrantWorker.gov y su versión en español, TrabajadorMigrante.gov, sitios web que brindan información útil para ayudar a proteger los derechos de todos los trabajadores estadounidenses, independientemente de su estatus migratorio.

May 16, 2024

Department of Labor announces $12M in additional funding available to improve job quality, expand access to good jobs in critical industries

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $12 million in additional funds to improve job quality and increase the availability of good jobs in critical industries, including an emphasis on training provided for jobs in the care economy such as home, elder and childcare.

May 16, 2024

Department of Labor announces updates to improve retirement plan assets distribution to workers, retirees of bankrupt companies

WASHINGTON –The Department of Labor today announced its Employee Benefits Security Administration will publish interim final rules and an amendment to a prohibited transaction class exemption that better protect workers’ hard-earned retirement savings by making it easier for Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees to distribute assets from bankrupt companies’ retirement plans. 

May 16, 2024

Biden-Harris administration announces groundbreaking AI principles for worker well-being

WASHINGTON — The Department of Labor today announced the release of a far-reaching set of principles that provide employers and developers that create and deploy artificial intelligence with guidance for designing and implementing these emerging technologies in ways that enhance job quality and protect workers’ rights.

May 16, 2024

Department of Labor announces migrant worker rights’ website expansion

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor today announced a significant expansion of MigrantWorker.gov and its Spanish version, TrabajadorMigrante.gov, websites that provide useful information to help protect the rights of all U.S. workers, regardless of their immigration status.

May 16, 2024

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending May 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 222,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 231,000 to 232,000. The 4-week moving average was 217,750, an increase of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 215,000 to 215,250.

May 15, 2024

Zwanenberg Food Group agrees to pay $1.7M in federal penalties, invest $1.9M in safety improvements at Cincinnati facility

CINCINNATI – Zwanenberg Food Group USA Inc., one of the world’s leading suppliers of processed foods, agrees to pay $1.7 million in federal penalties and invest $1.9 million in safety improvements at its Cincinnati plant to resolve hazards found during several investigations by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

May 15, 2024

Department of Labor recovers more than $153K in back wages, damages from South Carolina convenience store that denied overtime to workers

Read this news release En Español

Employer:      Samer Express LLC

295 Glenn Road

West Columbia, SC 29172

May 15, 2024

Department of Labor announces approximately $35M in additional funding available for 2nd round of Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs grants

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor today announced the availability of approximately $35 million in funding through the second round of Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs grants to prepare workers for the good-paying infrastructure jobs being created by the Biden-Harris administration’s “Investing in America” agenda. 

May 15, 2024

Department of Labor alleges subcontractor knowingly exposed employees to asbestos hazards during former Waukegan hospital demolition

WAUKEGAN, IL – Alleging that K.L.F. Enterprises — a Chicago demolition subcontractor — knew it was exposing its employees and others to the serious dangers of asbestos at a Waukegan work site, the U.S. Department of Labor has cited the company for 36 safety and health violations after a federal investigation. 

May 15, 2024

Court affirms Department of Labor’s ability to sue Brooklyn staffing agency that demanded workers stay 3 years or repay wages

Date of action:                       May 8, 2024

Type of action:                      Denial of employer’s motion to dismiss

May 15, 2024

Department of Labor to hold 2nd annual ‘Stand Down to Save Lives’ to promote miner safety, health at nation’s mines on May 22

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration will hold its second annual ‘Stand Down to Save Lives’ on May 22, as part of a national campaign to encourage the nation’s mining community to take steps to prevent fatalities and injuries. 

May 14, 2024

Un juez confirma conclusiones de que subcontratista de Maryland negó a 55 trabajadores en un proyecto financiado con fondos federales, su salario completo y beneficios complementarios, debe US$186.000

WASHINGTON – Un juez de derecho administrativo confirmó las conclusiones de una investigación del Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. sobre las prácticas laborales de un subcontratista de concreto de Bowie, Maryland, y sus propietarios, que encontró que los empleadores clasificaron erróneamente a los trabajadores en un proyecto de viviendas asequibles financiado con fondos federales en el Distrito de Columbia, infringiendo las regulaciones federales.