January 19, 2022

US Department of Labor cites Florida company after worker clearing brush dies as temperatures neared 100 degrees in national forest

NORTH PORT, FL – Working in the recesses of Apalachicola National Forest on a July day as temperatures neared 100 degrees, the supervisor of two crews hired to clear invasive plants saw one 42-year-old worker was sweating heavily, his hands were trembling, and he seemed confused, unable to respond to commands.

January 18, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers nearly $25K in back wages, damages for 26 workers at Pittsburgh home health service company

Employer Name:              Three Rivers Home Care LLC

Employer Address:          3629 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh 15227

January 18, 2022

Idaho painting contractor pays $81K in back wages, liquidated damages to 35 workers shortchanged by illegal pay practices

CALDWELL, ID – A U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division investigation found a painting contractor in Idaho failed to pay workers overtime wages, and failed to keep accurate records of employees’ earnings, both violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

January 18, 2022

US Department of Labor finds Charleston Walgreens store employed 12-year-old worker in violation of child labor laws

CHARLESTON, SC A Charleston Walgreens failed to comply with federal labor laws setting minimum age standards and limiting the number of hours and times a minor-aged employee can work. This led the U.S. Department of Labor to assess a civil money penalty to the Walgreens location, part of the nation’s second largest pharmacy store chain.

January 14, 2022

Departments of Labor and Education, Federal Communications Commission, National Telecommunications and Information Administration announce members of Telecommunications Workforce Working Group

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor, Department of Education, Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration today announced the members of a cross-agency working group that will collaborate to identify the current and future needs of the telecommunications industry workforce, including the safety of that workforce.

January 14, 2022

West Virginia nursing care facility pays $270K in back wages, damages to 166 workers following US Department of Labor investigation

PRINCETON, WV – A federal investigation recovered $270,984 in back wages and liquidated damages for 166 workers of a Princeton skilled nursing care facility. The employer failed to pay proper overtime as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

January 14, 2022

US Department of Labor cites Ohio auto-parts supplier after employee dies, several hospitalized following coronavirus exposure at Sanoh America

MOUNT VERNON, OH – Responding to a complaint that a Mount Vernon auto-parts supplier was ignoring guidelines to limit employee exposure to the coronavirus and that several employees were sick, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found the company did not enforce its own policy or federal guidelines on social distancing and mask wearing.

January 14, 2022

US Department of Labor cites Montefiore Medical Center for inadequate workplace violence safeguards for employees

NEW YORK – Registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, patient care technicians and security officers provide essential services in healthcare settings. Their work also exposes them to various on-the-job hazards, including assault and other forms of workplace violence. When such hazards exist, employers must develop and maintain an effective workplace violence prevention program.

January 14, 2022

US Department of Labor cites Watertown, Connecticut, manufacturer for 48 safety, health violations following employee’s death

HARTFORD, CT– An employee of a Watertown metal fabrication company was electrocuted on July 14, 2021, while repairing a portable water heater. An inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that his employer, PM Engineered Solutions Inc., lacked safeguards to protect employees against electrocution, as well as mechanical, chemical, fall and other electrical hazards.

January 13, 2022

Un tribunal ordena a un entrenador de caballos de Long Island y a el establo que paguen $132,000 a 52 empleados después de que el Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. descubriera el robo de salarios y la falsificación de registros.

NUEVA YORK - Un tribunal federal ha ordenado a un importante establo de caballos pura sangre de Long Island y a su propietario que paguen un total de $132,631 por concepto de salarios atrasados y por daños y perjuicios a 52 mozos de cuadra y mozos de pista en varios lugares, incluyendo los hipódromos de Belmont y Aqueduct. El propietario del establo no pagó a los trabajadores los salarios por horas extras que ganaban.

January 13, 2022

Statement from Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh on Supreme Court ruling on OSHA emergency temporary standard on vaccination, testing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the Supreme Court ruling on the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s emergency temporary standard on vaccination and testing:

January 13, 2022

US Department of Labor investigation leads former owner to repay unpaid health plan claims of uninsured employees of Somerset healthcare agency

SOMERSET, KY – For months, 11 employees at a Somerset home healthcare agency faced costly medical bills, unaware their employer had failed to remit contributions withheld from their wages to their healthcare plans, leading to a lapse in their medical insurance.

January 13, 2022

US Department of Labor finds federal helium enrichment unit failed to follow safe chemical handling procedures in Amarillo, Texas

AMARILLO, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found that the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management violated procedures for safe handling of chemical materials at its Cliffside Helium Enrichment Unit in Amarillo, a federal chemical producing plant that refines and sells helium products to private entities.

January 12, 2022

Tres contratistas de trabajo agrícola de cítricos pagan $76,000 en salarios atrasados y sanciones después de que el Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. descubriera violaciones del programa de trabajadores invitados H-2A

TAMPA, FL - Cuando tres contratistas de trabajo agrícola de cítricos de Arcadia no cumplieron con los requisitos del programa federal de visados para trabajadores agrícolas H-2A, defraudaron a 123 empleados, a los que debían $72,609 dólares en salarios totales.

January 12, 2022

Honolulu company to pay $1.4M to 171 security officers after US Department of Labor finds employer illegally schemed to deny payment of overtime wages

HONOLULU – A Hawaii company that provides security officers to the state’s National Guard, the Hawaii State Arts Museum, Foster Botanical Gardens and other public and private facilities, will pay $1,539,773 in back wages and liquidated damages to 171 guards – and civil penalties – after a federal investigation determined the company denied workers overtime pay illegally.

January 12, 2022

US Department of Labor announces funding opportunity to help veterans at risk of, or experiencing homelessness to return to workforce

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a funding opportunity for organizations to provide training and employing services to veterans combating homelessness.

January 12, 2022

US Department of Labor recovers $126K for employees after federal court holds Connecticut home healthcare provider in contempt

HARTFORD, CT – The U.S. Marshals Service facilitated the seizure of $126,250 in back wages and liquidated damages and $22,413 in attorney’s fees from the corporate bank account of a New London home healthcare provider after the employers reneged on a payment agreement and defied orders from the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

January 12, 2022

Three citrus farm labor contractors pay $76K in back wages, penalties after US Department of Labor finds violations of guest worker program

TAMPA, FL – When three Arcadia citrus farm labor contractors failed to comply with the requirements of the federal H-2A agricultural worker visa program, they shortchanged 123 employees – owing them $72,609 in total wages.

January 11, 2022

US Department of Labor finds North Charleston employer kept workers tips, failed to pay overtime; investigation recovers $154K in back wages, damages

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – Laws protecting the wages of tipped workers apply whether they work in restaurants or in grocery stores where food is served. A South Carolina employer learned this expensive lesson after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.