WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta discussed the award of $12 million in information technology apprenticeship grant funding to Purdue University during a visit to Purdue Polytechnic Institute, in West Lafayette, Indiana.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta discussed the award of $4 million in apprenticeship grant funding to the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education during a visit to BridgeValley Community and Technical College in Montgomery, West Virginia. Secretary Acosta toured the college and participated in a roundtable with U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that it has issued three new opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the individual person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

RIVERSIDE, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has reached a settlement with Universal Protection Service LP – a federal contractor – to resolve allegations of pay discrimination at the company's Riverside, California, facility formerly owned and operated by Allied Barton Security Services.

SEATTLE, WA – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a conciliation agreement with Universal Protection Service LP – a federal contractor – to resolve allegations of systemic hiring discrimination at the company's Seattle, Washington, facility formerly owned and operated by Northwest Protective Services Inc.

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today announced the awarding of 149 Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) grants totaling $48.1 million. This funding will provide workforce reintegration services for more than 18,000 homeless veterans.

GLENDALE HEIGHTS, IL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Hudapack Metal Treating of Illinois Inc. – based in Glendale Heights, Illinois – for 21 serious health and safety violations. The company faces penalties of $181,662.

JERSEY CITY, NJ - An administrative law judge with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) has issued a decision affirming all safety and health citations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) against Jersey City Medical Center. OSHA cited the medical center – based in Jersey City, New Jersey – for electrical hazards after a maintenance employee's fatal fall after receiving an electric shock. The judge also affirmed OSHA's proposed penalties totaling $174,593.

FLORENCE, KY – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ordered Freight Rite Inc. – based in Florence, Kentucky – to reinstate a truck driver terminated after he refused to operate a commercial motor vehicle in hazardous road conditions caused by inclement winter weather. OSHA ordered the company to pay the driver $31,569 in back wages and interest, $100,000 in punitive damages, $50,000 in compensatory damages, and reasonable attorney fees, and to refrain from retaliating against the employee.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of additional plain-language, user-friendly compliance assistance materials to help employers, workers, and other stakeholders understand their responsibilities and their rights under federal labor law.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today approved Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) funding up to $2,000,000, with $800,000 released initially, for the Nebraska Department of Labor. The funding assists with the assessment of workforce needs in response to storms and flooding that affected more than three quarters of the state in March 2019. 

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor will hold a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) on July 17-18, 2019, in Washington, D.C.

The tentative agenda includes updates from OSHA directorates and a discussion of proposals to add a reference to the definition of "confined space" that applies to welding activities in construction and clarify the requirements for the fit of personal protective equipment in construction.

In the week ending June 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 227,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 216,000 to 217,000. The 4-week moving average was 221,250, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 218,750 to 219,000.

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor has announced "The Right Talent, Right Now" as the theme for the 2019 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).

The 2019 theme emphasizes the essential role that people with disabilities play in America's economic success, especially in an era when historically low unemployment and global competition are creating a high demand for skilled talent. The Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) administers NDEAM.

DALLAS, TX – As temperatures rise in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reminds employers to protect their employees from the dangers of working in hot weather.

OSHA's message is simple: Water. Rest. Shade. Employers should encourage workers to drink water every 15 minutes, and take frequent rest breaks in shaded areas. Employers should:

DALLAS, TX - The U.S. Department of Labor, in partnership with Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, will host an informational outreach forum on June 27, 2019, for employers, employees, and members of the public  interested in a wide range of services provided by the Department and other agencies.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – LaserShip Inc. – a delivery company based in Vienna, Virginia – has entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor requiring payment of $597,000 in back wages to 224 employees in Connecticut and New Jersey. 

Investigations conducted by the Department's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) exposed minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at LaserShip's facilities in Meriden, Connecticut, and East Brunswick, New Jersey.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Dr. Dhaval Shah – of Las Vegas, Nevada – will pay $43,247 in back wages and liquidated damages to 51 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found violations of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited the Jacksonville Zoological Society Inc. for exposing employees to workplace safety hazards at the Jacksonville, Florida, zoo. The animal park faces $14,661 in proposed penalties.

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Woodgrain Millwork Co. – operating as Woodgrain Distribution Inc. – for exposing employees to chemical and struck-by hazards at the company's distribution facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The company faces $125,466 in penalties.