September 10, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA cites food processing plant after worker exposed to refrigerant ammonia [09/10/2015]

Employer name: Reser's Fine Foods, Topeka, Kansas

Citations issued: Sept. 2, 2015

September 10, 2015

OSHA News Release: Recurring hazards at Wegmans Food Markets Inc. bakery in Rochester, New York, injure 2 workers [09/10/2015]

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Wegmans Food Markets Inc. bills itself as an industry leader and innovator. However, recurring hazards at its 1500 Brooks Ave. bakery in Rochester — and injuries to two workers — suggest a need for the supermarket chain to address workplace safety for its employees.

In March 2015, a sanitation crew member lost his fingertip when it caught in the pinch point of an operating conveyor that he was cleaning. A month later, a mechanic sustained a first degree burn on his wrist when steam released while he attempted to repair a valve.

September 10, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA renews alliance with T&T Staff Management Inc. to promote worker safety and health[09/10/2015]

Participants: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's El Paso Area Office and T&T Staff Management, a professional employer organization with 5,497 employees in El Paso

September 10, 2015

OFCCP News Release: US Labor Department promotes pay transparency among federal contractors [09/10/2015]

WASHINGTON — Ensuring that women earn equal pay for equal work is essential to improving the economic security of our families and the strength of our middle class. In too many workplaces around the country, however, a culture of secrecy keeps women from knowing that they are underpaid, and makes it difficult to enforce equal pay laws.

September 10, 2015

ETA News Brief: Funds awarded to help more than 260 paper industry workers affected by industry layoffs in Maine [09/10/2015]

State: Maine

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Supplemental Amount Released: $336,233

Initial Award Amount Released: $284,879

Funding Awarded to: Maine Department of Labor

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 262

September 9, 2015

US Labor Department secures judgment ordering fiduciaries of Connecticut, SIMPLE IRA plan to restore nearly $21k in withheld contributions

Date of Action: Sept. 9, 2015

Type of Action: Consent Judgment and Order

Defendants: American Materials Corp. and Donald J. Bercowetz

September 9, 2015

WHD News Brief: ResCare Inc. subsidiary in West Virginia ordered to pay nearly $280K in back wages and damages after US Labor Department investigation [09/09/2015]

Employer Name: RSCR West Virginia Inc., doing business as Community Alternatives WV, is a subsidiary of ResCare Inc. that provides home health care for individuals with disabilities throughout West Virginia.

Investigation Site: 305 Water Street, Stonewood, West Virginia, 26301 and locations in Clarksburg, Keyser, Parkersburg, Buckhannon, Huntington, and Charleston, West Virginia.

September 9, 2015

WHD News Release: US Labor Department sues FLDS Church, others for oppressive child labor and other violations; seeks to enforce $1.9M in penalties [09/09/2015]

SALT LAKE CITY — For most children, fall begins a new school year full of possibilities to learn and prepare for their lives ahead and future jobs. Unfortunately, for hundreds of children in southern Utah and northern Arizona, the season is a time for hard work harvesting pecans by hand for commercial sale.

September 9, 2015

WHD News Release: Produce wholesaler to pay workers more than $130K in back wages, damages, penalties after US Labor Department investigation [09/09/2015]

BOSTON — Fruit and vegetable wholesaler Snipped Fresh Produce Inc. had employees cut, weigh and package vegetables for $8 per hour, and many worked more than 40 hours per week for no overtime pay.

September 9, 2015

ETA News Release: FACT SHEET: Providing more Americans with affordable access to education and job training opportunities to help grow the middle class [09/09/2015]

WASHINGTON — Education and job training are among the surest pathways to the middle class. To mark the beginning of the school year, the President, the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, and Secretary Arne Duncan will travel across the country in the coming days to highlight the need for affordable, quality career and education choices for students and to discuss some of the many ways the Administration is working to provide all Americans with the skills and knowledge they need to acquire good-paying jobs and grow the economy.

September 8, 2015

OSHA News Release: 45-year-old worker loses parts of 3 fingers on table saw [09/08/2015]

CORDOVA, Ill. — A 45-year-old lost part of three fingers when his left hand caught in a table saw at a Cordova company that fabricates reusable shipping containers. Doctors reattached the fingers, but had to amputate the tip of his left middle finger. The employee has been unable to return to work.

September 8, 2015

OSHA News Release: 3 oil well service workers killed in west Texas rig fire due to ignition hazard and lack of flame-retardant clothing, OSHA finds [09/08/2015]

Agency cites Mason Well Service in Odessa, Texas, for 6 workplace violations

LUBBOCK, Texas — An Upton County oil rig inferno killed family members Arturo Martinez Sr., Arturo Martinez Jr. and Rogelio Salgado in March 2015 as they worked to install a blowout preventer, which seals, controls and monitors a rig.

September 4, 2015

WHD News Brief: US Department of Labor signs agreement with Hawaii's Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to protect workers from misclassification [09/04/2015]

Participants: U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and the State of Hawaii's Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

September 4, 2015

OPA News Release: Statement of US Labor Secretary Perez on August employment numbers [09/04/2015]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the August 2015 Employment Situation report released today:

"The strong and steady recovery of the U.S. economy continued last month, with the addition of 173,000 new jobs. August was the 66th consecutive month of private sector job growth with private employers having now created 13.1 million jobs since the beginning of 2010.

September 3, 2015

WHD News Brief: Judge orders RV dealership to pay more than $11K in back wages, damages to 2 recreational vehicle technicians in Coloma, Michigan [09/03/2015]

Date of Action: Aug. 19, 2015

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act Consent Judgment

Names of Defendants: Krenek Motors Inc., d/b/a Krenek RV and Scott Krenek

Resolution: A judge has ordered Krenek RV and its owner, Scott Krenek, to pay two recreational vehicle technicians a total of $11,478 in unpaid overtime compensation and damages.

September 3, 2015

WHD News Brief: US Labor Department sues private investigative agency for unpaid wages plus additional damages [09/03/2015]

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act Lawsuit

Name of Defendant: Confidential Services Inc., Beverlee Sokol, and Katrina Levy Zidel

September 3, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Construction contractors cited for exposing workers on a multi-employer worksite to excavation hazards[09/03/2015]

Employers' names: Hensel Phelps Construction Co. and CVI Development LLC

Citations issued: Sept. 3, 2015

September 3, 2015

OSHA News Release: Legal Life Plans Inc. ordered to pay $119K in wages, damages to whistle-blowing worker fired after reporting securities fraud [09/03/2015]

DENVER — When an employee of a Utah based company discovered possible evidence of securities fraud, he spoke up about his internal investigations and concerns the company was making false representations to potential clients. The company responded by discharging him.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the employee's wrongful termination complaint filed in May 2013 and found that reporting the results of the securities fraud investigation and voicing concerns were factors in his dismissal.