SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ordered Mr. Good Vape LLC of Chino, California, to reinstate a former manager and pay him $110,000 in compensation after he was fired for claiming the company’s production of flavored liquids for e-cigarette vapor inhalers violated federal environmental law.

BELLEVUE, OH ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Bellevue-based plastics company Wilbert Inc. for multiple safety violations after an inspection found employees exposed to fall, machine, and electrical hazards. OSHA proposed penalties of $261,454. 

In the week ending April 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 232,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 233,000. The 4-week moving average was 231,250, an increase of 1,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 230,000.

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) urges heavy construction employers in 10 metropolitan Utah counties to participate in a wage survey to help establish prevailing wage rates as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. 

WHD is collecting data on wages paid to workers on all heavy construction projects active from Aug. 1, 2016, through Sept. 30, 2017. The survey is not limited to federally funded projects.

KANSAS CITY, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) opened registration for a comprehensive compliance seminar for federal contractors, unions, and workers on the rules governing federal prevailing wage requirements. Attendance is free, but pre-registration is required.

WHD will hold the training on June 12-14 at the Holiday Inn-Country Club Plaza, One E 45th St., in Kansas City.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced approximately $62 million in grants to provide employment assistance and workforce development services to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) has adopted new regulations that clarify how maximum and minimum compensation rates apply to claims payable under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) and its extensions. The rule will be published in the Federal Register on April 19.

KIDDER COUNTY, ND – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited excavation contractor Kamphuis Pipeline Company for exposing employees to trench cave-ins and other serious hazards while installing water metering pits and lines. The company faces proposed penalties of $454,750.

GRETNA, NE – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Nebraska contractor Premier Underground LLC for failing to protect its workers from excavation collapse hazards. The company faces proposed penalties of $46,930.

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI – Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Metropolitan Concrete Corp. will pay $73,647 in back wages to 15 employees working under the H-2B non-immigrant visa program, which provides for the admission of non-immigrants to the U.S. to perform temporary non-agricultural labor or services.

LOS ANGELES, CA – The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has ordered Gary Tetone, owner of Southern California-based company GT Drywall, to comply with U.S. Department of Labor investigators in a long-running Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation with which he has refused to cooperate since 2016.

BLUEFIELD, WV - The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia has entered a consent judgment requiring Lambert Construction of Bluefield Inc. to pay $116,818 in back wages and liquidated damages to 45 employees. Additionally, the Bluefield, West Virginia, construction company will pay $16,000 in civil penalties to resolve overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found in a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that found overtime and minimum wage violations, prompting the Department to invoke a “hot goods” legal action, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent a Los Angeles garment manufacturer from shipping clothes to retailer Charlotte Russe.

CINCINNATI, OH ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has again cited Ohio roofing contractor Benny’s Roofing LLC for exposing employees to falls, and other safety hazards. Benny’s Roofing LLC faces proposed penalties totaling $138,394.

WESTBURY, NY – After an investigation and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Farmingdale Auto Collision Inc. and its owner and officers have paid $306,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 21 employees to resolve violations of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

PATERSON, NJ - After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), New Jersey plastics manufacturer Douglas Stephen Plastics Inc. has been cited for exposing employees to safety and health hazards at its Paterson, New Jersey, facility. OSHA proposed penalties of $435,679.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor has established a hotline for 1,471 current and former Houlihan’s employees of 17 of the restaurant chain’s New Jersey and New York locations to assist them in recovering back wages and liquidated damages.

WASHINGTON, DC – As part of U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta’s efforts to assist federal employees in filing 9/11 Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) claims, the U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new webpage that provides information on how to file a claim, the key evidence needed to establish a claim, and a section of frequently asked questions and answers. Additional information and links to potential benefits offered by other programs created under the Zadroga Act are also provided.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced today that it has issued three new opinion letters.

GREEN BAY, WI – In an effort to inform employers and employees about federal wage laws, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is engaged in an education and enforcement initiative at Green Bay-area restaurants. WHD is focused on providing compliance assistance information to employers and industry stakeholders through educational outreach events, as well as conducting investigations at individual restaurants.