PORTLAND, Ore. – The owner of an Oregon concrete company that contracted with the federal government recently started a two-month prison sentence for lying to federal investigators. The crime occurred when he told U.S. Department of Labor officials that he had paid employees more than $93,000 in back wages that the Department’s Wage and Hour Division found the company owed its workers following a 2014 investigation.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and Sonic Industries Services Inc. – franchisor of the SONIC Drive-In restaurant chain – have signed a voluntary agreement to help SONIC’s independently owned and operated franchise locations comply with federal labor laws.

In the week ending July 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 244,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 233,000 to 234,000. The 4-week moving average was 244,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 243,750 to 244,000.

Read the full release.

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor and a third-party administrator that provides employee health benefit plans with access to a network of doctors, hospitals and other medical providers have reached an agreement in which the administrator has committed to improve its communications with health plans and to return certain fees the plans paid for claims administration that the department alleged were not fully disclosed to the plans.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will publish a Request for Information for the overtime rule on Wednesday, July 26, 2017. The RFI is an opportunity for the public to provide information that will aid the department in formulating a proposal to revise these regulations which define and delimit exemptions from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime requirements for certain employees.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta is inviting interested persons to submit nominations for individuals to serve on the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. The creation of the task force is a key step in implementing President Donald J. Trump’s executive order to expand apprenticeships.

DENVER –Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta encouraged state legislators to engage in principled reforms to help American workers. In his remarks at the 44^th Annual Meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council, he discussed how occupational licensing has created excessive barriers for the American workforce.

Excerpts from his remarks are below:

DELAIR, N.J. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has again cited a Camden County aluminum manufacturing company with a long history of noncompliance with OSHA standards – this time for 51 safety and health violations and proposed penalties of $1,922,895.

State: Arkansas

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Amount Approved/Awarded: $2,060,000

Funding Awarded to: Arkansas Department of Workforce Services

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 103

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Wells Fargo to reinstate and pay $577,500 in back wages, damages and other fees to a former branch manager in Pomona who was terminated after she reported conduct by at least three “private bankers” working under her that she reasonably believed to be bank, wire and mail fraud.

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed an injunction against the owners of two medical offices in Brooklyn to prevent further retaliation against employees who refused to provide false information to obstruct the department’s investigation into alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Who: U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division
U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration
National Labor Relations Board
Louisiana Workforce Commission/Office of UI Administration

Type of Action: Consent order and judgement

Names of Defendants: Ditch Witch Equipment of Tennessee Inc.
Aubrey Needham

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor and a third-party administrator that provides employee health benefit plans with access to a network of doctors, hospitals and other medical providers have reached an agreement in which the administrator has committed to improve its communications with health plans and to return certain fees the plans paid for claims administration that the department alleged were not fully disclosed to the plans.

In the week ending July 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 233,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 247,000 to 248,000. The 4-week moving average was 243,750, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 245,750 to 246,000.

Read the full release.

EAST ORANGE, N.J. – Three East Orange construction companies have entered into a consent judgment  with the U.S. Department of Labor and will pay $850,000 in back wages and damages to 153 workers to resolve violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta released the following statement on his meeting with Swiss government officials to discuss apprenticeships and workforce development models:

KEY LARGO, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a South Florida utility company and related contracting company after the agency’s investigation into the deaths of three workers who succumbed to toxic gases in a manhole on Jan. 16, 2017.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced the availability of $10.5 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to fund training and education for workers and employers to help them identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards.

In the week ending July 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 247,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 248,000 to 250,000. The 4-week moving average was 245,750, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 243,000 to 243,500.