LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The owner of six southern New Jersey gas stations has paid $1,471,024 in back wages and damages to 24 gas station attendants to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

PITTSBURGH, PA – A federal contractor that serves as the prime contractor for repair and renovation projects at federal buildings in West Virginia and Kentucky, has paid $213,282 in back wages to seven employees to resolve violations of federal law found by the U.S. Department of Labor.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding the release of the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions:

In the week ending December 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 225,000, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 236,000. The 4-week moving average was 234,750, a decrease of 6,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 241,500.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement today regarding President Trump’s remarks on tax reform:

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and New Mexico’s Office of the Attorney General have signed a collaboration agreement to combat human trafficking in New Mexico. The anti-human trafficking agreement is the first of its kind in the Department.

BIRMINGHAM, AL – The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division, has sentenced a former fund manager in Birmingham to make restitution in the amount of $45,896 and serve five years of probation, including six months of home confinement, for violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. In addition, she has been barred from acting as a fiduciary for five years.

WASHINGTON, DC – As retailers and other businesses temporarily increase staffing levels to accommodate heightened seasonal consumer demand, the U.S. Department of Labor reminds employers of the necessity of complying with federal labor laws related to safety, pay, and benefits.

SAVANNAH, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Dustcom Limited Inc. for failing to protect its employees from trench collapse hazards. The Garden City construction company faces proposed penalties of $130,552.

JASPER, AL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Carl Cannon Inc., an automobile dealership, for serious safety violations after three employees died and two were injured at its Jasper facility.

BOWMAN, ND – The U.S. Department of Labor has debarred Lambourn Farm, a North Dakota grain and cattle farming operation, from participation in the H-2A temporary visa program after the farm violated program provisions and failed to cooperate with Department investigators.

The H-2a program allows employers to bring non-immigrant, foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor.

SYRACUSE, NY – A jury and judge ordered Albany-based asbestos abatement and demolition company Champagne Demolition, LLC and its owner, Joseph A. Champagne, to pay $173,793.84 to a former employee who was fired in June 2010 after reporting improper asbestos removal practices at a school worksite in Gloversville, New York.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement on the November 2017 Employment Situation report:

“November’s jobs report shows steady growth fueled by optimism about the pro-growth, pro-jobs policies being advanced by President Trump’s Administration. Last month, the American economy added 228,000 jobs. Since January, the economy has added 1.7 million jobs.

In the week ending December 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 236,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 238,000. The 4-week moving average was 241,500, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 242,250.

CHICAGO, IL – Fabulous Freddies Italian Eatery, a restaurant in Chicago’s South Loop, and one of its named owners, Stephanie Fitzpatrick, have paid 58 employees a total of $339,418 in unpaid wages and damages in a consent judgment following a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement on National Miners Day:

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) today announced its annual Winter Alert campaign, reminding miners and mine operators of the increased hazards that colder weather creates at both surface and underground coal mines.

PRINCETON, WV – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Benco Builders of the Virginias Inc. for multiple safety hazards, including lack of fall protection, after an employee suffered serious injuries from a 19-foot fall off a roof. The Princeton-based contractor faces proposed penalties totaling $86,916.

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – A gas station group and two check-cashing businesses have paid $88,712 in back wages to 39 employees after U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigations found violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the tip regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  Under the proposed rule, workplaces would have the freedom to allow sharing of tips among more employees.  The proposal would help decrease wage disparities between tipped and non-tipped workers – an option that is currently restricted by a rule promulgated in 2011 that has been challenged in a number of courts.