Labor News
Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor announced today a final rule updating eligibility requirements for current and former nuclear weapons workers seeking to file benefits claims related to beryllium sensitivity. The new rule, which will be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, July 16, makes benefits available to individuals once deemed ineligible.
Labor
Illinois contractor faces penalties for repeated worker safety violations
Federal workplace safety inspectors have cited an Illinois construction contractor for exposing employees to falls from elevation, the leading cause of injury and death in the industry. The violations occurred during residential framing work at four subdivisions under construction in Mahomet and Savoy in January, March, and May 2024.
Labor
Sonoma County restaurant owner fined over $71K for improper overtime exemptions
A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found that one of four restaurants owned by popular Sonoma County chef Octavio Diaz willfully denied three workers at its Healdsburg establishment more than $35,000 in overtime wages.
Labor
US Department of Labor recovers $48K for cooks at Davenport restaurants
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has led to the recovery of $48,914 in back wages and damages for 18 cooks at two Davenport, Iowa locations of El Compita Mexican Bar and Grill. The investigation revealed that the restaurant failed to pay overtime at time and one-half the hourly rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
Labor
US Department of Labor recovers $45K for Walnut Creek restaurant workers denied overtime pay
The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $45,732 in back wages and damages for 14 workers who were denied overtime pay by El Molino Taqueria in Walnut Creek, California. An investigation by the Department's Wage and Hour Division revealed that the restaurant owner did not compensate employees for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, which is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The employer was found to have willfully paid overtime hours at straight-time rates and in cash.
Labor
Connecticut contractor cited by OSHA following fatal New Canaan trench collapse
BRIDGEPORT, CT – An Easton concrete and earthwork contractor could have prevented an employee from suffering fatal injuries in a December 2023 trench collapse at a New Canaan work site but failed to follow federal safety standards for excavations.
Labor
Department of Labor and Dollar General reach agreement on workplace safety improvements
WASHINGTON – El Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. ha anunciado que su Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional ha llegado a un acuerdo corporativo con Dollar General y sus filiales minoristas para realizar mejoras significativas en la seguridad del lugar de trabajo en las tiendas de todo el país.
Labor
Department of Labor announces settlement with Dollar General on workplace safety
The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has reached a corporate-wide settlement with Dollar General and its retail subsidiaries to implement significant workplace safety improvements across stores nationwide.
Labor
Biden-Harris Administration awards over $244M for registered apprenticeships
WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris administration has announced the largest combined federal investment in Registered Apprenticeships to date, with the Department of Labor awarding over $244 million through two grant programs. These funds aim to modernize, diversify, and expand the Registered Apprenticeship system in growing U.S. industries.
Labor
Department of Labor cites steel plant for repeated serious safety violations
Two years after the U.S. Department of Labor included Kyoei Steel LTD in its program for severe violators of federal safety and health regulations, inspectors have returned to the Vinton steel fabrication and recycling facility and found ongoing safety violations.
Labor
Labor Department seeks contempt order against Indianapolis home healthcare company owner
INDIANAPOLIS – Despite a 2022 federal court judgment requiring him to pay his employees overtime, Tim Paul, owner of eight Indianapolis-area healthcare services companies, continues to use improper pay practices, the U.S. Department of Labor alleges in its request that a federal court hold the employer in contempt for ignoring the 2022 decision.
Labor
Labor Department announces $1M in grants for mine safety education
The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the availability of up to $1 million in Brookwood-Sago grants aimed at enhancing mine safety and health education. These grants are intended to support training programs for the mining community, helping workers identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe and unhealthy working conditions.
Labor
Department seeks court order against IT staffing agency's alleged exploitation
NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has asked a federal court to halt improper employment practices by a Virginia-based IT staffing agency that allegedly bind employees to their jobs, extract large sums if they leave the firm, and forbid them from engaging in protected activities under federal law.
Labor
Contractor cited for exposing workers to dangerous trench conditions
BOSTON – Federal workplace safety investigators found that a Boston waterproofing contractor exposed employees to life-threatening cave-ins and excavation hazards at residential worksites in Arlington, Massachusetts, and Warwick, Rhode Island, twice in less than three months in late 2023.
Labor
US Labor awards over $39M in grants for apprenticeship program expansion
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the allocation of over $39 million in grants to 46 states and territories. These funds aim to enhance the capacity of Registered Apprenticeship programs across various key industries, providing workers with access to new, well-paying jobs under the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda.
Labor
Department of Labor recovers $172K for Richmond restaurant workers denied overtime wages
The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $172,392 for 21 workers following an investigation into wage practices at Chicanos Cocina Bar and Grill in Richmond, Virginia. The department's Wage and Hour Division found that the restaurant, operated by Chicanos Inc., failed to pay non-exempt kitchen salaried employees an overtime premium for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Additionally, tipped employees were not compensated at the correct overtime premium rate.
Labor
Alabama contractor cited by OSHA after fatal accident involving heavy container
A U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety investigation has found that an industrial concrete construction contractor failed to follow required safety procedures, which could have prevented a 65-year-old worker from suffering fatal injuries when a shipping container weighing more than four tons fell and struck the employee at a job site near Tuscaloosa.
Labor
Labor Department recovers $110K in back wages from New Orleans employer
The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $110,076 in back wages and damages for 46 workers employed by Southern Care Connection LLC, operating as #1 in Homecare, based in New Orleans. The investigation revealed that the company paid non-exempt employees straight time for overtime hours worked beyond 40 hours per week, violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Labor
US Department of Labor recovers $912K for New Hampshire taproom employees
A federal investigation has recovered $912,594 for 44 employees of a Londonderry brewery and restaurant that illegally kept workers’ credit card tips and incorrectly exempted several salaried employees, such as brewers, bartenders, cooks, and administrative staff from overtime pay requirements.
Labor
US Department of Labor offers webinars on workplace rights for new mothers in August
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, in collaboration with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will host a series of online webinars in August to coincide with Breastfeeding Awareness Month. These webinars aim to educate expectant and new mothers about their workplace rights.
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