Employer name: Kempf Construction Inc.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Citations issued: Jan. 9, 2017

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the award of $1.97 million for nine Labor Research and Evaluation Grants to support university-based research of workforce policies and programs.

WASHINGTON – Over one-fifth of the current U.S. workforce is made up of workers in licensed occupations – jobs that require a government license. Current licensing systems, however, can become inefficient, resulting in barriers for workers trying to enter a profession, restricted worker mobility and ultimately impaired economic growth.

In the week ending January 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 247,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 235,000 to 237,000. The 4-week moving average was 256,500, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 1,500 from 256,750 to 258,250.

State: Kentucky

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Supplemental Amount Approved: $11,000,000, with $5,000,000 released initially       

Total Funds Awarded: $22,486,426

Funding Awarded to: Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Programs, Inc.

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 1,450

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Department of Labor investigated two popular Solvang tourist restaurants and determined that they denied wait staff break time to express breast milk in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Employer: Star Finishes LLC
9705 Burnet Rd., # 317
Austin, TX 78758

Site: Austin, Texas

WASHINGTON – A report released today under the labor chapter of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Trade and Labor Affairs identifies significant concerns regarding Colombian labor law enforcement, as well as concerns with the prosecution of cases of anti-union violence.

Date of Action: Jan. 6, 2017

Type of Action: Lawsuit to recover missing retirement and health plan funds

Name of Defendant(s): Central Security Communications Inc.
Chief Executive Officer Robert Millikin
Fiduciary Howard Klinger

Employer name: Gulf Coast L&P Inc., doing business as Rent-n-Roll

Investigation site: 1059 North Eastern Blvd.
Montgomery, Alabama 36117

ARLINGTON, Va. – Preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration indicate that in 2016, 26 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation’s mines – down from 29 in 2015. The figure represents the lowest number of mining deaths ever recorded and only the second year that mining deaths dropped below 30. Currently, approximately 330,000 miners work in more than 13,000 U.S. mines.

TAMPA, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Jasper Roofing Contractors Inc. and its owner/chief executive officer, Brian Wedding, for terminating their safety manager after he cooperated with a safety and health inspection by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The suit results from an investigation by OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program.

Employer name: Redhawk Roofing Inc.
Libertyville, Illinois 60048

Inspection site: 865 Gordon Terrace
Winnetka, Illinois 60093

Citations issued: Dec. 16, 2016

SAINT ROSE, La. – A routine investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits of Louisiana, LLC, systemically discriminated against black applicants in its hiring practices at its St. Rose warehouse facility. The company has entered into a consent decree to resolve the department’s claims.

Employer name: Tifton Peanut Co. Inc. #2

Investigation site: 225 Windy Hill Road
Tifton, Georgia 31794

VERONA, N.J. – Acting on a complaint in June 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found employees of one of the area’s largest general contractors working in an unprotected 10-foot deep excavation at a suburban New Jersey high school, in violation of federal safety and health laws.

WASHINGTON – A new rule issued today by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration dramatically lowers workplace exposure to beryllium, a strategically important material that can cause devastating lung diseases. The new beryllium standards for general industry, construction and shipyards will require employers to take additional, practical measures to protect an estimated 62,000 workers from these serious risks.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the December 2016 Employment Situation report released today:

Employer name: Nemo Plastics Inc.

Inspection site: 1425 Candler Road
Gainesville, Georgia 30507

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Nemo Plastics for 21 serious and three other-than-serious safety and health violations. The inspection was initiated after the agency received a complaint.

State: Louisiana

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Supplemental Amount Approved: $3,252,150

Total Funds Awarded: $4,252,150

Funding Awarded to:Louisiana Workforce Commission

Number of Workers Served:Approximately 275