June 26, 2020

Orlando Restaurant Pays $30,878 in Back Wages After U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Finds Violations

ORLANDO, FL After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Santos Burgos Corp. – operating as Guavate Restaurant in Orlando, Florida – has paid $30,878 in back wages to 42 employees for violating the minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

June 26, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Review Results in Federal Contractor Paying $858,492 in Back Wages to Settle Alleged Hiring Discrimination

PHOENIX, AZ – After a review by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Shamrock Foods Company – a food products and services company based in Phoenix, Arizona – has agreed to pay $858,492 in lost wages, benefits, and interest to resolve allegations of discrimination against female, African American and white applicants at its facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, and Eastvale, California.

June 26, 2020

Delivery Contractor Pays Back Wages After Wrongly Denying Paid Sick Leave to Employee Ordered to Quarantine

KATY, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Zoom X Inc. – a delivery service contractor based in Katy, Texas – has paid $1,700 in back wages to an employee for wrongly denying paid sick leave for a qualifying reason covered under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

June 26, 2020

Iowa McDonald’s Franchise Pays Employee Back Wages After Wrongly Denying Paid Leave Due to Coronavirus-Related School Closure

ONAWA, IA After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Kastim Corp. – operator of a McDonald’s franchise in Onawa, Iowa – has paid an employee $573 in back wages for wrongly denying the worker’s request for paid leave to care for children due to school closures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

June 26, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance on Child Labor; Paid Sick And Expanded Family and Medical Leave Amid School and Camp Closures

WASHINGTON, DC With school and summer activity schedules greatly altered as America continues to re-open in the wake of the coronavirus, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) today issued two Field Assistance Bulletins to clarify issues relevant to the pandemic’s effects on the workplace.

The bulletins issued today specifically address the following:

June 25, 2020

Florida Consulting Service Pays Back Wages After Denying Paid Sick Leave Connected to Coronavirus

OPA-LOCKA, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Raider Environmental Services of Florida Inc. – a consulting service based in Opa-locka, Florida – has paid an employee $1,600 in back wages after having failed to provide the employee paid sick leave for work time missed due to testing positive for the coronavirus.

June 25, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA and CDC Issue Interim Guidance To Protect Seafood Processing Industry Workers

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have released joint coronavirus-related interim guidance for employers and workers performing seafood processing operations in onshore facilities and aboard vessels offshore.

June 25, 2020

San Francisco Grocery Store to Pay Back Wages After Denying Paid Sick Leave to Worker Whose Children’s School Closed Due to Coronavirus

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA – After an investigation by  U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found a South San Francisco chain grocery store location failed to provide paid sick leave benefits to an employee forced to stay at home to care for children whose school closed due to the coronavirus, the employer agreed to pay the required benefits.

June 25, 2020

Subway Franchisee Pays Back Wages After Denying Paid Sick Leave To Worker with Children at Home When School Closed During Coronavirus

IRVINE, CA – A resolution by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has led a Subway franchisee in Irvine, California, to pay $595 in back wages to an employee who missed work to remain home to care for her children due to the lack of childcare during the coronavirus.

June 25, 2020

Auburn, Alabama, Pep Boys Pays Employee Back Wages After Violating Family and Medical Leave Act

AUBURN, AL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), a Pep Boys automotive service location in Auburn, Alabama, has paid an employee $10,094 in back wages after WHD found the employer violated the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

June 25, 2020

Bakersfield Non-Dairy Product Manufacturer Pays Back Wages After Denying Paid Sick Leave to Worker Caring for Children With Closed School

BAKERSFIELD, CA – An employee of a Bakersfield, California, farm has received $5,402 in back wages after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found the employer wrongfully denied paid sick leave benefits required under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The employee requested leave to stay at home caring for children whose school closed due to the coronavirus.

June 25, 2020

Border Warehouse Company to Pay $134,922 in Back Wages To Employees After U.S. Department of Labor Finds Minimum Wage, Overtime Violations

SAN DIEGO, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has reached a settlement with G-Global – a border warehousing company in Otay Mesa, California – in which the employer will pay 61 Mexican national employees $124,465 after investigators found the company paid the workers below minimum wage in pesos, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

June 25, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Five New Wage and Hour Opinion Letters

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor today announced five new opinion letters that address compliance issues related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by the person or entity that requested the letter.

The opinion letters issued today are:

June 25, 2020

Florida Stable Pays $65,807 in Wages, Penalties After Investigation By U.S. Department of Labor Finds H-2B Visa Program Violations

OCALA, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Eddie Woods Stables – a horse training center in Ocala, Florida – has paid $26,514 in wages to 42 employees for violating labor provisions of the H-2B visa program. The company also paid a $39,293 civil penalty that the department accessed.

June 25, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Napa, California Residential Care Facility Paying $225,000 for Overtime Violations

NAPA, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Stayman Estates LLC – a residential care home operator based in Napa, California – will pay $225,000 in back wages to 25 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirements.

June 25, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $73,452 in Overtime Back Wages For Northeast Texas Trucking Company Employees

LINDALE, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Barrington Trucking – a trucking company based in Lindale, Texas – has paid $73,452 in back wages to 15 employees for violating the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

June 25, 2020

Court Orders Hudson Valley, New York, Convenience Stores and Owners To Pay $400,301 After U.S. Department of Labor Investigation, Litigation

NEW YORK, NY After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and litigation by the Department’s Office of the Solicitor, the U.S.

June 25, 2020

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending June 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 1,480,000, a decrease of 60,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 32,000 from 1,508,000 to 1,540,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,620,750, a decrease of 160,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 8,000 from 1,773,500 to 1,781,500.

June 24, 2020

Delivery Contractor Pays Back Wages After Denying Paid Sick Leave To Employee Ordered to Self-Quarantine

AUSTIN, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Black Swan Inc. – a delivery service contractor based in Austin, Texas – has paid $800 in back wages to an employee for wrongly denying paid sick leave for a qualifying reason under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

June 24, 2020

Austin Clean-up Company Pays $44,400 in Back Wages to Employees After a U.S. Department of Labor Investigation

AUSTIN, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), The Steam Team Inc. – based in Austin, Texas – has paid $44,400 in back wages to 11 employees to resolve overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).