HUGO, OK – A U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety investigation has found a Hugo rail car products and services provider did not follow federal safety standards for working in confined spaces after two workers died from inhaling toxic fumes.

WASHINGTON, DC – Detecting child labor and forced labor in complex supply chains can be a daunting challenge. Fragmented and dispersed global-sourcing operations sometimes makes supply chains opaque, and research shows the risk of exploitative labor practices increases greatly in activities such as extraction of raw material and agricultural work, as they support other industries.

WASHINGTON, DC – Under a hot sun, a child wields a machete at work in the fields, forced to inhale pesticides sprayed by adults eager to maintain their cocoa crop. Sadly, it is a reality for too many children, particularly those at work in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana’s cocoa industries.

WASHINGTON, DC – A boy toils long hours lugging mica from deep underground mines to the surface above and then sorts and processes the mineral. With no protection from razor sharp tools, the child’s work exposes him fully to the mica and sand dust kicked up in the mining and sorting processes. At the end of the supply chain, the mined and processed mica finds its way into the manufacture of many consumer products such as automobiles, cosmetics and electronics.

WASHINGTON, DC – Acting Secretary of Labor Al Stewart issued the following statement regarding the death of former U.S. Secretary of Labor George P. Shultz:

AZLE, TX – The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas has sentenced a former secretary-treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Division 620 in Azle for embezzlement after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.

On Jan. 29, 2021, the court sentenced Edward C. Davis, Jr. to 6 months incarceration and 3 years supervised release. Davis must also pay $61,386 in restitution.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new monthly series of career workshops to provide employment assistance to transitioning military spouses. Participation is free and classes are open to all transitioning military spouses. The launch follows a successful pilot program in October 2020.

DETROIT – A Detroit grocery store employed several minors in violation of federal child labor laws by allowing them to operate trash compactors and tend to bottle recycling machines.

MAUMEE, OH – While records at Journey Through Life Care Services LLC showed the Maumee health care service provider paid employees legally required state minimum wage plus time-and-a-half for overtime, federal investigators found the employer regularly failed to pay its employees overtime wages – sometimes paying a mere 50 cents per hour more for hours over 40 in a workweek.

MODESTO, CA – The owner of eight residential care facilities in Modesto will pay $135,092 in back wages to 56 employees and $27,872 in civil penalties after the U.S.

LAS VEGAS – A federal contractor working at Nevada’s Tonopah Test Range – including Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs – has paid $293,051 in back wages and fringe benefits to 69 employees after the U.S. Department of Labor found the employer failed to pay workers required prevailing wages.

In the week ending January 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 779,000, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 35,000 from 847,000 to 812,000. The 4-week moving average was 848,250, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 18,500 from 868,000 to 849,500.

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement with Google LLC to resolve allegations of systemic compensation and hiring discrimination at the company’s California and Washington State facilities and will pay over $3.8 million to more than 5,500 current employees and job applicants.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the immediate end of its Payroll Audit Independent Determination program launched by the department’s Wage and Hour Division in 2018.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Veterans' Employment and Training Service is accepting applications for the 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Award, presented annually to employers that meet standards for excellence in the recruitment, hiring and retention of America’s military veterans.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued stronger worker safety guidance to help employers and workers implement a coronavirus prevention program and better identify risks which could lead to exposure and contraction. Last week, President Biden directed OSHA to release clear guidance for employers to help keep workers safe from COVID-19 exposure.

In the week ending January 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 847,000, a decrease of 67,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 14,000 from 900,000 to 914,000. The 4-week moving average was 868,000, an increase of 16,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 3,750 from 848,000 to 851,750.

In the week ending January 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 900,000, a decrease of 26,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 39,000 from 965,000 to 926,000. The 4-week moving average was 848,000, an increase of 23,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 9,750 from 834,250 to 824,500.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the award of $145 million in the H-1B One Workforce Grant Program to invest in training for key sectors of the U.S. economy. Grant recipients, listed below, will focus on upskilling the current workforce and training the workforce of the future for critical industries such as IT, advanced manufacturing and transportation.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced four 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 person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are: