NORFOLK, VA - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has certified BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair facility as a Star worksite, the highest level of recognition in the Agency’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) for workplace safety and health excellence.

BOSTON, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ordered JetBlue Corporation to reinstate and compensate a flight attendant who was fired for raising safety concerns about a flight. The order requires JetBlue Corporation to clear the affected personnel file and pay $143,783.66 in back pay, compensatory damages, and attorneys’ fees, and post a notice informing all employees of their whistleblower protections.

In the week ending March 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 226,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 231,000 to 230,000. The 4-week moving average was 221,500, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 250 from 222,500 to 222,250.

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ENGLEWOOD, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Langston Concrete Inc. for failing to protect its workers from trench collapse hazards. The Colorado Springs company faces proposed penalties of $90,535.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor will host outreach events in Bridgeton, Missouri, on March 20 and 21, 2018, for former and current nuclear weapons workers and their survivors. Federal representatives will present about the mission of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) and the medical benefits available to approved claimants under the program.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the McCarthy Building Companies are partnering to help protect employees working on the Christus Spohn Hospital construction project in Corpus Christi.

ASHLAND, OH ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Liqui-Box Corp., an Ashland plastic bag manufacturer, for serious and repeated violations of machine safety procedures. The company faces proposed penalties totaling $155,208.

HUNTSVILLE, AL – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, a Huntsville, Alabama, security company and two subcontractors will pay $1,184,722 in back wages to 236 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found the companies violated provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Service Contract Act (SCA), and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA).

GUAYNABO, PR – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will be on St. Croix and St. Thomas through March 21 to investigate wage issues and provide compliance assistance related to work done in connection with recovery efforts following Hurricanes Maria and Irma.

ATLANTA, GA – After a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation, two Marietta-based hotels have paid $73,732 in back wages and liquidated damages to 14 employees for violating minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ALLENTOWN, PA – The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Lamm’s Machine Inc., an Allentown machine manufacturing company, for exposing employees to dangerous chemical hazards. The company faces proposed penalties totaling $14,782.

BILLINGS, MT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a citation to Resource, Support & Development Inc., a Billings, Montana, nonprofit that provides support to adults with special needs, after investigators found the company failed to provide a safe workplace for its employees. Resource, Support & Development Inc. faces $11,641 in proposed penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding the February 2018 Employment Situation report:

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is conducting a survey of wages paid to workers in 74 metropolitan Georgia counties on all active building and heavy construction projects to establish prevailing wage rates required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA).

In the week ending March 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 231,000, an increase of 21,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 210,000. The 4-week moving average was 222,500, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 220,500.

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BENSALEM, PA – The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Strong Contractors Inc., a Bensalem carpentry framing company, for safety and health hazards at a worksite in Lansdale. The company has been fined $213,318.

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Jax Utilities Management Inc., a Jacksonville utilities contractor, for exposing employees to trenching hazards. The company faces proposed penalties of $271,606.

HOUSTON, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, a Houston-based pool construction company, South Bay Gunite Inc., will pay $115,786 in back wages to 68 employees to resolve violations of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – After a U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) investigation, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Oakland Division, has ordered a former pension benefit plan trustee to pay $234,271 in restitution and to serve one year of probation for violating federal criminal statutes pertaining to plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor is announcing a new pilot program, the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, which expedites resolution of inadvertent overtime and minimum wage violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.