March 26, 2015

WHD News Release: More than 1,100 New Jersey gas station attendants receive $5.5 million in back wages and damages in US Labor Department enforcement initiative [03/26/2015]

MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J. — In the past five years, more than 1,100 attendants at Shell, Exxon, BP and other leading brand gas stations in New Jersey have been denied the minimum wage and, in some cases, overtime pay. These workers have received $5.5 million in back wages and damages recovered thanks to a multiyear enforcement initiative conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.

March 26, 2015

WHD News Release: U.S. Labor Department lawsuit seeks back wages, damages for 34 Chicago limo drivers employed by Town & Country Limousine [03/26/2015]

Date of Action: March 6, 2015

Type of Action: FLSA lawsuit

Names of Defendants: DT & C Global Management LLC d/b/a/ Town & Country Limousine, John Jansen, William Lynch

March 26, 2015

OSHA News Brief: New Hampshire electrical contractor exposes employee to fall and electric shock hazards at Concord jobsite [03/26/2015]

Employer name: Daniels Electric Corp., an electrical contractor based in Gilford, New Hampshire.

Inspection site: 8 Loudon Rd., Concord, New Hampshire 03301.

Date inspection initiated: The inspection began Dec. 8, 2014. An OSHA inspector driving by the worksite observed a Daniels Electric Corp. employee without fall protection replacing a light fixture on the roof atop the Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurant. An inspection was immediately opened.

March 26, 2015

WHD News Release: More than 1,100 New Jersey gas station attendants receive $5.5 million in back wages and damages in US Labor Department enforcement initiative [03/26/2015]

MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J. — In the past five years, more than 1,100 attendants at Shell, Exxon, BP and other leading brand gas stations in New Jersey have been denied the minimum wage and, in some cases, overtime pay. These workers have received $5.5 million in back wages and damages recovered thanks to a multiyear enforcement initiative conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.

March 26, 2015

MSHA News Release: MSHA announces results of February impact inspections [03/26/2015]

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 195 citations and 15 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal mines and five metal and nonmetal mines in February.

Begun in force in April 2010, the monthly inspections involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns. The following are the details of one mine's inspection:

March 25, 2015

WHD News Release: Security firm fails to protect fair wages and benefits of 650 guards in Puerto Rico, owes them nearly $350K in back wages and damages [03/25/2015]

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico — Alpha Guards Management Inc. provides security guards to ensure the safety of employees of businesses and government agencies in Puerto Rico. Yet, the San Juan-based employer failed to protect its own employees by violating their right to a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.

March 24, 2015

US Labor Department secures payment to, appointment of independent fiduciary for abandoned Holden, Mass., Simple IRA Plan

Date of Action: March 24, 2015

Type of Action: Consent Judgment and Order

Name of Defendants:  Holden Sand & Gravel, Joseph Montalto, fiduciary for the Holden Sand and Gravel SIMPLE IRA Plan.

March 24, 2015

WHD News Brief: Caregivers at 6 Houston group homes receive $60,923 in overtime back pay following US Labor Department investigations [03/24/2015]

Employer name: Viacell LLC doing business as A Devoted Care Provider

Site: Corporate office in Stafford, Texas, and six group homes investigated in the Houston area

March 24, 2015

OSHA News Release: US Steel Corp.'s safety shortcuts lead to fatal explosion [03/24/2015]

FAIRFIELD, Ala. — Like most of us, Leo Bridges and Edward Bryant left for work one day in September 2014, probably thinking about some rest and relaxation when the shift ended. Like many, they figured their managers and employer would ensure they were safe at work. Bridges and Bryant were wrong; they were caught in a fiery explosion in the Flux Building, which U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors said occurred because U.S. Steel Corp. put workers at risk, so as not to slow production at its Fairfield facility.

March 24, 2015

ETA News Release: $27M in grants to help incarcerated individuals in prison work-release find stable jobs, strengthen underserved communities [03/24/2015]

WASHINGTON — Returning home from prison can be hard, particularly without the benefits of a stable job. Without employment, the likelihood of recidivism rises. To provide the support, training and assistance needed to find and keep a good job, the U.S. Labor Department today announced a $27 million Training to Work — Adult Reentry grant program — to help thousands of soon-to-be-released inmates become productive citizens.

March 23, 2015

OSHA News Release: Edsal Manufacturing repeatedly allows safety hazards, faces more than $294K in fines [03/23/2015]

CHICAGO — Left unguarded, dangerous machines with moving parts cause hundreds of thousands of workers to suffer finger, hand or foot amputations and other serious injuries each year in the United States. Despite these dangers, one Chicago-based manufacturer has repeatedly ignored the risks and has been found in violation of safety and health standards four times in the last five years.

March 23, 2015

OSHA News Release: Dollar General store allows blocked and locked exits, fire and other hazards, faces more than $83K in fines for repeated safety violations [03/23/2015]

BOWDON, Ga. — Dollar General Corp. has been cited again by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, this time for four repeated safety violations found in a December 2014 inspection of the Bowdon store at 203 Wedowee St. OSHA initiated the inspection after receiving a complaint and has proposed penalties of $83,050.

March 19, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA cites Georgia wood products manufacturer for exposing workers to fire, amputation and unprotected equipment hazards [03/19/2015]

Employer name: K.W. McAvoy & Son Inc.

Inspection site: 3500 Greensboro Road, Washington, Georgia 30673

Date investigation initiated: OSHA initiated the investigation on Nov. 5, 2014, after the agency received a complaint related to safety and health hazards at the facility.

March 19, 2015

OSHA News Release: Fired for reporting hazards, whistleblower wins $33K settlement [03/19/2015]

DU QUOIN, Ill. — A truck driver, who was fired the morning after he filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleging unsafe working conditions, will receive $33,000 under terms of a settlement agreement. The agreement resolves a lawsuit brought against employers Perry Ridge Landfill Inc., Panther City Hauling and their corporate officer, Joseph Mazza, for violating the whistleblower provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

March 19, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Queensbury, New York, packaging materials manufacturer exposes employees to fire, explosion and electrical hazards [03/19/2015]

Employer name: Pregis Corp., a manufacturer of foam, paper and plastic packaging materials

Inspection site: 300 Lower Warren St., Queensbury, New York 12804

March 19, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Workers at a Houston construction site exposed to excavation hazards [03/19/2015]

Employer name: SER Construction Partners Ltd.

Site: Houston, Texas

Date initiated: OSHA's Houston North Area Office began the investigation in January under the National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavations.

March 19, 2015

EBSA News Brief: Fiduciaries to restore $485K to Bridgeport, Connecticut, retirement plan [04/02/2014]

Date of Action: March 19, 2015

Type of Action: Amended Consent Judgment and Order

Names of Defendant: Fletcher-Thompson, Inc. Savings Plan and Michael S. Marcinek, in their capacities as fiduciaries of the Fletcher-Thompson Inc. Savings Plan

March 19, 2015

ETA News Brief: Massachusetts workers affected by layoffs will continue to receive reemployment assistance with award of additional grant funding [03/19/2015]

State: Massachusetts

Type of Award: National Emergency Grant incremental funding

Incremental Award Released: $854,851

Total Award Amount Approved: $1,576,221

Funding Awarded to: Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development

Number of Workers to Be Served: About 300