News and reports from the Department of Labor.

The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a federal consent order and judgment requiring three service providers of the United Employee Benefit Fund, a Chicago-based multiple employer welfare arrangement, to restore $883,333 to the fund and pay $176,666 in penalties for violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Rail Modal Group LLC after a truck struck and severely injured a yard manager directing traffic at a Fremont grain yard on Jan. 2, 2024. This incident came shortly after OSHA received reports of unsafe working conditions regarding struck-by vehicle hazards at the facility in November 2023.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is encouraging construction industry employers and workers across the nation to take part in its 11th annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction from May 6-10. The event focuses attention on preventing the industry’s leading cause of worker deaths.

St. Louis contractor faces $258K in fines after exposing roofing workers to potentially deadly fall hazards 5 times in 7 weeks at Wentzville worksites

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division discovered that Mi Casita Mexican Restaurant Inc., operating as El Lorito, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, unlawfully dismissed an employee for utilizing federally protected medical leave. The investigation concluded that the employer failed to reinstate the worker to a comparable position upon their return from leave and subsequently fired them for refusing to relocate to a different restaurant location in another town. As a result, the employer was required to compensate the former employee for lost hourly wages and tips...

On May 3, 2024, U.S. District judge Jane M. Beckering ordered Roseline Rowan, owner of Medhealth Suppliers & Providers Inc., to pay $190,648 in back wages and liquidated damages to four employees after the Wage and Hour Division found violations of the Fair Labor Standard Act’s minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions. The employees, who worked as live-in caregivers at group homes in Lansing, were not paid appropriately for their services.Wage and Hour District Director Mary O’Rourke in Grand Rapids emphasized the importance of fair compensation, stating, “The...

SIOUX CITY, IA – The Department of Labor has reached an agreement with Fayette Janitorial Service LLC, a Tennessee cleaning contractor, to address violations related to child labor employment in sanitation contracts. The company has agreed to pay $649,304 in civil money penalties and take proactive steps to prevent the employment of children in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.The investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division revealed that at least 24 children, some as young as 13 years old, were employed by Fayette Janitorial Service at two separate...

The U.S. Department of Labor has cited the Pan-O-Gold Baking Company, operating as Village Hearth, following an investigation into a disabling injury suffered by an employee at their Sun Prairie commercial baking facility. According to OSHA Area Director Chad Greenwood, the employee could have been spared from life-altering injuries if proper safety procedures had been in place.Greenwood stated, “Pan-O-Gold Baking Company could have prevented this employee from suffering life-altering injuries by implementing required safety procedures to stop the machine from...

The US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has found that Gerresheimer Glass Inc., a medical glass manufacturer in Chicago Heights, continues to neglect machine safety procedures, putting its workers at risk. Following a recent workplace safety inspection, OSHA issued repeat violations to the company for failing to adequately train employees in machine safety procedures.According to OSHA, Gerresheimer Glass Inc. was cited for several violations, including the failure to train authorized employees in performing service and maintenance...

The US Department of Labor has awarded $696,085 to Coastal Counties Workforce Inc. to continue employment and training services for dislocated workers in six counties in Maine. The funding is part of the National Dislocated Worker Grant program aimed at assisting individuals affected by layoffs in Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, and York counties.According to the Department of Labor, the grant will support job search assistance and follow-up services for participants impacted by communitywide layoffs in Maine's coastal communities. This funding comes as a...

The Department of Labor will celebrate the benefits of Registered Apprenticeships during the first Youth Apprenticeship Week from May 5-11, with a series of events and proclamations scheduled across the U.S."Youth Apprenticeship Week recognizes the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to create employment opportunities for young adults and the critical role they play in our nation’s workforce infrastructure," said Acting Secretary Julie Su. "Youth apprenticeships are not just pathways to careers, they are bridges to futures filled with promise, opportunity and endless...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued a statement on the April 2024 Employment Situation report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics."Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 175,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate was 3.9 percent. This continues the longest stretch of such low unemployment in more than a half century," said Acting Secretary Su.Su also highlighted the positive trend in the labor force, stating, “Notably, the share of working age women in the labor force rose to a historic...

The Department of Labor has announced the award of $98 million in grants to 72 organizations in 30 states and Guam to provide training and employment services to young people, with a focus on increasing apprenticeships in high-demand careers. The grants aim to prepare young workers for quality jobs and strengthen the nation's workforce to meet industry demands.According to Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez, the YouthBuild grants will help young people acquire the skills and training needed to access the job opportunities created by...

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Departments of Labor and Treasury have unveiled a new partnership aimed at bolstering fraud prevention measures in state unemployment insurance agencies. The initiative, announced on May 2, 2024, marks a significant step towards enhancing controls and tools to combat unemployment insurance fraud.As part of the collaboration, state unemployment agencies will now have access to the Do Not Pay Working System data sources and services through the UI Integrity Data Hub. The hub, managed by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, serves as a...

BRAINTREE, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor's investigation into the 29-story fall of a window cleaner in downtown Boston's financial district in October 2023 has revealed alarming negligence on the part of the employer, Sky Safety Inc.According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Sky Safety Inc. failed to inspect and replace damaged or defective equipment, leading to the tragic incident. OSHA found that the company exposed employees to fall hazards by not ensuring that personal fall protection systems and rope descent systems were in proper...