In the week ending March 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claimswas 214,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 227,000 to 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,000, a decrease of 8,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 231,250 to 231,750.

PROVIDENCE, RI – A federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that a Smithfield company could have prevented a worker from suffering fatal head injuries while the worker repaired a cement truck on Oct. 21, 2021.

WASHINGTON – Today, as the nation observes Equal Pay Day – the day through which U.S. women typically must work to be paid the same wages men received in 2021 – the U.S.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will offer online compliance seminars for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders to provide information on the requirements governing payment of prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.

Employer:

PHILADELPHIA – A federal court has ordered a Philadelphia home healthcare staffing agency and its owner to pay nearly $410,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 43 employees after U.S. Department of Labor investigators found that the employer misclassified workers as independent contractors.

WASHINGTON – Women in the U.S. must work until March 15 to be paid the same amount men were in the prior year. This unequal burden on women – especially on women of color – reflects the distance that remains before we achieve an inclusive economy with good jobs for everyone.

Employer:                              Chong’s Restaurant

Investigation site:                  5136 Hinkleville Road, Paducah, Kentucky 42001

Employer name: PGA Inc.

Inspection site: 185 South Street, Freeland, Pennsylvania 18224

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered a Scottsdale, Arizona-based ammunition manufacturer to pay compensatory damages, back wages and associated costs to an employee forced from its board of directors after reporting potentially illegal stock transactions.

DALLAS – As minor-aged workers seek to make extra cash by working more hours during spring recess, their employers should take the opportunity to review federal child labor laws to avoid violations and costly penalties.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a supplemental award of $800,000 in funds to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ Department of Labor – Workforce Investment Agency Division to support continued pandemic-related, disaster-relief employment.

WASHINGTON – Known as the “Air Capital of the World,” the Wichita, Kansas, area is home to some of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, so there was a significant ripple effect in the region after the grounding of the Boeing 737 in 2020. Two years later, industry layoffs continue to affect more than 9,000 workers, prompting the U.S. Department of Labor to provide funding to help workers in six counties prepare for new employment opportunities.

HARTFORD, CT – A federal court entered a consent order that requires two Fairfield County restaurants and their owners – who used threats of retaliation to coerce nine workers to kick back thousands of dollars of back wages and liquidated damages recovered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division – to pay $150,000 to those employees.

WASHINGTON – Just months after one of the largest structure fires in North Carolina’s history, at QVC Rocky Mount Inc.’s Distribution Center in December 2021, thousands of workers found themselves facing unemployment. In February 2022, 1,953 fell victim as layoffs began, prompting the U.S. Department of Labor to respond to help affected workers in 10 counties find new employment opportunities.  

WINCHESTER, IN – A Winchester non-profit provider of social services shortchanged caregivers by failing to pay them the federal minimum wage, as the law requires for all government contractors, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found.

GREENSBORO, NC – An employee working as a mechanic at the U.S. Postal Service’s distribution center in Greensboro suffered a life-changing injury on Sept. 27, 2021. The worker’s arm was amputated after contacting a machine that had a safety guard removed.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking as it considers updating the regulations that implement the Davis-Bacon Act and Davis-Bacon and Related Acts to reflect better the needs of workers in the construction industry and planned federal construction investments.

FROSTPROOF, FL – Un juez federal aprobó un acuerdo con un contratista agrícola de Frostproof (José M. Gracia Harvesting Inc.), quien, según descubrió el Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU., defraudo a los trabajadores y no les proporcionó condiciones de vida higiénicas y seguras, una práctica que requerirá que pague los salarios atrasados y una sanción pecuniaria civil.

APPLETON, WI – Despite the serious consequences of its actions, an Appleton-based contractor was again cited for exposing  workers to deadly fall hazards after a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspector observed six roofers atop a two-story Algoma duplex on Nov. 2, 2021 – about six months after the contractor’s last citations in June 2021.