LOS ANGELES, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently concluded an agricultural employment focused educational and enforcement initiative that recovered $422,152 in back wages for 443 low-wage workers across California and assessed $85,168 in civil penalties primarily against growers in Central California.

WASHINGTON DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would allow job creators to offer bonuses or other incentive-based pay to employees whose hours vary from week to week.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement on the October 2019 Employment Situation report:

"Significantly exceeding expectations, the U.S. economy added 128,000 new jobs in October. An additional 95,000 jobs in upward revisions for August and September show a stronger labor market than previously reported.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of up to $20 million in funding as part of a new pilot grant program that addresses the health and economic impacts of widespread substance and opioid misuse, addiction and overdose by providing retraining and other services to workers in significantly impacted communities.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Sysco Corp. has entered into conciliation agreements with the Department of Labor to resolve alleged gender discrimination at its Sysco Baltimore LLC, Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, Sysco Central Pennsylvania LLC and Sysco Virginia LLC locations.

In the week ending October 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 218,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 212,000 to 213,000. The 4-week moving average was 214,750, a decrease of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 215,000 to 215,250. 

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia and Deputy Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella joined mental health advocates today at an event marking National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) at the U.S. Department of Labor’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs Director Julia Hearthway issued the following statement on the National Day of Remembrance for Nuclear Weapons Program Workers:

"Seventy-seven years ago, the United States launched the Manhattan Project to harness the power of the atom and create the first atomic bomb.

SYRACUSE, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Proctor Enterprises Inc. – based in Stanley, New York, and doing business as Proctor Roofing and Contracting – for exposing employees to falls at a Stanley, New York, worksite. The roofing contractor faces a total of $116,686 in penalties for two willful violations of OSHA standards.

BOSTON, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to hold The Roof Kings LLC and its owner, Craig Galligan, in civil contempt for not fulfilling the terms of an order issued by the First Circuit in 2018. The order enforces a settlement agreement between the company and the Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

MONTGOMERY, AL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Diaz Professional Construction LLC for exposing employees to falls at a Montgomery, Alabama, residential worksite. The framing contractor faces $31,879 in penalties.

BRAINTREE, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Dollar Tree Stores Inc. for unsafe storage of material, obstructed exit routes and blocked electrical panels at the retailer's Falmouth, Massachusetts, store. The company faces $458,436 in penalties.

INMAN, NE – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Smith Mountain Investments LLC after a heat-related fatality at a jobsite in Inman, Nebraska.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith is now the Director of the Department's Women Bureau.

"Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith has dedicated her life to delivering crucial workforce education in her community," said U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia. "As we approach the 100-year celebration of the Women's Bureau, Dr. Todd-Smith will play a leading role in shaping our continued efforts to help women enter and succeed in the American workforce."

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) recovered a record $322 million in wages owed to workers in Fiscal Year 2019. WHD also set a new record for compliance assistance events in FY 2019, holding more than 3,700 educational outreach events – including on-the-ground presentations and trainings – to help job creators understand their responsibilities under the law.

AMARILLO, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor's Joint Outreach Task Group will host a town hall in Amarillo, Texas, on December 5, 2019, to discuss the benefits available to current and former nuclear weapons workers from covered facilities, and their families, under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. The task group includes representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Department's Office of the Ombudsman.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Ombudsman will provide information about the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act at events in Cullman, Alabama, on November 5-6, 2019. Federal representatives will inform current and former nuclear weapons and beryllium vendor workers about the benefits available under the program. Survivors of qualified workers also may be entitled to benefits.

The covered facilities in Alabama are:

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) had a record-setting Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. OFCCP is dedicated to its important mission of ensuring equal employment opportunity (EEO) and non-discrimination in employment for the approximately 25% of America's workforce employed by federal contractors.

LOUISVILLE, KY – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Michael Osbourn – the owner of Mike Osbourn Lawn Care Inc. – will pay $76,067 in back wages and liquidated damages to 69 employees. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky issued a consent judgment against the Shepherdsville, Kentucky-based employer for violating the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ALBANY, GA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), XOtech LLC – a federal contractor based in Tyrone, Georgia – has paid $43,224 in back wages to five employees for violating requirements of the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia.