News and reports from the Department of Labor.

Twice in six days in June 2022, federal safety inspectors observed a Middlefield roofing contractor exposing workers to deadly fall hazards at two separate job sites in Tallmadge and Columbia Station, continuing a pattern of disregard for workplace safety dating back to 2019.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is seeking nominations for membership on the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health.

On Nov. 28, 2022, OSHA's El Paso Area office signed an Ambassador Alliance Agreement with the El Paso Community College's Risk Management Institute that recognizes the center as an OSHA Alliance Program Ambassador.

Following a workplace safety inspection, federal investigators determined a Pooler location of a national discount retailer stacked and stored merchandise unsafely, exposing workers to struck-by hazards from falling boxes and preventing them from exiting the store quickly in an emergency.

Deputy Undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs Thea Lee visited Colombia from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 to promote workers’ rights and protections, and to meet with Colombia’s labor and trade officials in the new Gustavo Petro administration and discuss progress on labor commitments under the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.

An Appleton contractor with a long history of exposing employees to dangerous fall hazards now faces $349,371 in additional penalties after U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors observed roofing workers at heights greater than 6 feet at risk of serious or fatal injuries at two Appleton-area jobsites in May and June 2022.

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $12 million cooperative agreement to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity to strengthen democratic, independent workers’ organizations in Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

There were eight notices published by the Labor Department in week ending Nov. 26, according to the Federal Register.

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), led a mark-up to advance nominees to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Labor (DOL), and Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC).

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), issued the following statement on the 80-15 vote in the Senate to pass a resolution adopting the tentative agreements reached earlier this year between unions and railroads, and avert a national rail shutdown.

Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), joined colleagues, advocates, and pregnant workers in pushing for Senate passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) this Congress to protect pregnant workers and ensure they have the basic workplace accommodations they need to have healthy pregnancies.

Yesterday, at a meeting of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Commission on Strengthening America's Health Security, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), spoke about her continued efforts to get her PREVENT Pandemics Act, as well as additional COVID and public health funding, into the end-of-the-year funding bill.

Taxpayers just can’t catch a break under the Biden administration. Last Week, President Biden extended the student loan repayment pause—again.

America’s ongoing worker shortage is forcing employers to reimagine how they identify qualified workers. Fewer employers are requiring a baccalaureate degree because arbitrary degree requirements restrict qualified applicants.

Today, Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement in response to the United States Supreme Court’s announcement that President Biden’s illegal student loan bailout will remain suspended, and that the Court will take up its challenge next year: