May 19, 2016

Sacramento electrical contractor to pay workers on federal projects in California, Washington $385K after failing to pay prevailing wages

Employers: Harold E. Nutter & Son Inc., an electrical federal contractor

Sites: Napa Valley Wine Train Relocation Project, Napa, California
Beale Air Force Base, Child Development Center, Beale AFB, California
Folsom Dam Project, Folsom, California
Beale Air Force Dock 4 Repair, Beale AFB, California
Beale Air Force Base Dock 1, Beale AFB, California
Ft. Irwin Barracks Complex, Ft. Irwin, California
U.S. Armed Forces Reserve Center, Vancouver, Washington

May 19, 2016

Federal agencies host Arizona public meetings on benefits for former, retired and current nuclear weapons workers, survivors on compensation programs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies will host three town hall meetings in Arizona to provide former, retired and current nuclear weapons workers and their survivors with information about benefits available through the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act and other federal programs.

May 19, 2016

Pier 1 Imports endangers workers again with blocked exits, stacked boxes

GLENDALE, Wis. – Pier 1 Imports’ workers in Glendale are the latest group of employees to be put at risk by  the national home décor retailer’s failure to prevent boxes from blocking aisles and being piled at dangerous heights. Federal workplace safety inspectors have found similar safety hazards at several other U.S. store locations.

May 19, 2016

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending May 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 278,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 294,000. The 4-week moving average was 275,750, an increase of 7,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 268,250.

May 18, 2016

Orange County recycler to pay 7 workers $113K in back wages, penalties

Employers: Sanchez Recycling, Inc.

Sites: 2018 East Orangeview, Placentia, California (Main office/yard)
1459 South Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, California
1130 West 6th St., Corona, California
2560 North Perris Blvd., Perris, California

May 18, 2016

US Department of Labor signs alliance agreement to increase inclusion of workers with disabilities

WASHINGTON – To promote inclusive workplaces that embrace the skills and talents of workers with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy signed an alliance agreement today with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.

May 18, 2016

OSHA finds safety failures allowed machine to sever 30-year-old worker’s three fingertips at Nature’s Path subsidiary in Wisconsin

SUSSEX, Wis. ‒ A rotating airlock blade severed a 30-year-old worker’s three fingertips as he cleaned the machine at a Sussex subsidiary of organic food manufacturer Nature’s Path Foods Inc., an incident federal safety investigators found could have been prevented if the machine had been powered down fully.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the subsidiary, Nature’s Path USA II LLC, for the same violation in 2012.

May 17, 2016

Statement of US Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez on the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement on the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers.

May 17, 2016

OSHA orders Polar Service Centers to pay $190K in back wages, damages to safety manager demoted for reporting potential DOT violation

LANSING, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Polar Service Centers to reinstate and pay $190,547 in back wages and damages to a safety manager at its Lansing facility. The action comes after a federal investigation found the commercial tank trailer company violated the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act.

May 17, 2016

H&H Lawn Service and Snowplowing to pay $38K in back wages, damages to 11 employees for overtime violations

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act consent judgment

Name of Defendants: H&H Lawn Service and Snowplowing LLC, Muskegon, Michigan
Darrell Hinken

Investigation Findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the company and its owner Darrell Hinken violated the FLSA’s overtime and record keeping provisions. 

May 17, 2016

Former Bridgeport attorney incarcerated for failing to comply with federal judge’s orders in employee benefit plan diversion scheme case

PHILADELPHIA – Acting on a United States district court judge’s order, federal marshals took John J. Koresko V, a disbarred attorney and former employee benefit plan administrator, into custody on May 6, 2016, after Koresko failed to transfer $1.68 million in assets in contempt of an earlier court order in a case involving violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

May 17, 2016

US Labor Department initiative finds 14 Lawrence restaurants owe more than $112K in back wages to 130 workers

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Hospitality industry jobs are often filled by students, temporary, or foreign workers – many of whom are new to the workforce. Among the nation’s lowest-paid workers, they are often unfamiliar with wage laws and their rights. Language barriers, fear of retaliation, and fears about immigration status can also cause them to be among those least likely to exercise their rights, leaving them vulnerable to labor violations.

May 17, 2016

US Labor Department investigation finds child labor, minimum wage and other violations at Street’s Seafood Restaurant

Employer name: Street’s Seafood Restaurant

Investigation site: 251 Highway 31, Bay Minette, Alabama 36507

May 17, 2016

US Labor Department announces availability of $80M in grants to provide job, leadership skills among disadvantaged youth

WASHINGTON – For youth who left high school early and lack a state equivalency diploma, a continuing education and career success can be a goal beyond reach. Throughout the nation, YouthBuild programs seek to help these young people in learning critical job skills in construction as a path to economic independence. 

May 16, 2016

FACT SHEET: White House and Department Of Labor Announce $21 Million for Summer and Year-Round Jobs For Young Americans And Launch Of 16 Summer Impact Hubs

“Access to a job in the summer and beyond can make all the difference to a young person – especially those who don’t have access to many resources and opportunities.”

- President Barack Obama

May 16, 2016

US Labor Department obtains order to stop Arlington restaurant owners from intimidating workers who cooperate with federal investigators

ARLINGTON, Va. – A suburban Washington, D.C.-area restaurant and its owners have entered into an agreement ensuring that they would not intimidate or retaliate against employees who cooperate with a U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour investigation and subsequent ongoing litigation. The owners also agreed to stop soliciting “waivers” from employees to relinquish their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

May 16, 2016

Passaic distribution warehouse fined $112K for two dozen safety violations

Employer name: Oaxaca Mexican Products, 100 8th St., Passaic, New Jersey

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one willful, 20 serious and three other-than-serious violations on May 3, 2016.

May 16, 2016

US Labor Department awards $1.4M in incremental funding for clean-up, recovery efforts in Texas after severe summer 2015 storms

State: Texas

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Initial Amount Approved: $2,155,068

Incremental Amount Awarded: $1,436,712

Funding Awarded to: Texas Workforce Commission

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 120

May 16, 2016

OSHA cites Alabama pallet manufacturer putting workers at risk of machinery, electrical and other hazards

Employer name: Southeast Forest Products Inc., doing business as Southeast Pallet & Box Co.

Inspection site: 4596 Washington Ferry Road, Montgomery, Alabama 36108

May 15, 2016

Statement of US Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez on the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement on the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers.

“A few days ago, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez reached out to the parties in the ongoing labor dispute involving Verizon workers and invited them to meet with him in Washington in an effort to help the parties resolve a dispute that is affecting thousands of workers, their families, and the company.