January 5, 2016

Tampa manufacturer paying nearly $60K in back wages and damages after US Labor Department investigation

Employer name: Vartek LLC

Investigation site: 6715 North 53rd St., Tampa, Florida 33610

January 5, 2016

Restaurant enforcement initiative finds more than $2.27M in back wages, damages owed to more than 3,000 Georgia workers

ATLANTA — U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigations have identified widespread violations of the minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act in Georgia's restaurant industry. As a result, restaurants are paying a total of $2,277,480 in back wages and damages to more than 3,000 employees.

January 5, 2016

Department files suit to force defunct Missouri engineering firm to restore $15K owed to employees' retirement and health care plans

Date of Action: Dec. 30, 2015

Type of Action: Complaint

Name of Defendant: James M. Claxton Jr.

Allegations: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, Kansas City Regional Office, resulted in the department filing a suit in federal court alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

January 5, 2016

Serial violator exposes employees to potentially fatal fall and other hazards at New Hampshire worksite

CONCORD, N.H. — Litchfield contractor Michael Cahoon, who does business as High & Dry Roofing, knows he must protect his employees against falls and other hazards at his jobsites. Yet, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited him repeatedly for putting workers in danger of deadly and disabling falls, most recently in Manchester.

January 5, 2016

US mining deaths dropped to new lows in 2015

ARLINGTON, Va. — Preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration indicate that 28 miners died in 2015 in work-related accidents at the nation's mines, down from 45 in 2014. The figure represents the lowest number of mining deaths ever recorded and the first year that mining deaths dropped below 30.

January 4, 2016

Las Vegas limousine company will pay drivers $240K in back wages

Employers: VLS, LLC doing business as Vegas Limousine Service

Sites: 1400 Commerce Street Las Vegas Nevada 89102

January 4, 2016

Dollar General Corp. exposes employees to workplace safety and health hazards at store in Sherman, Texas

Employer name: Dollar General Corp. is headquartered at 100 Mission Ridge in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The inspected store is located at 2222 Texoma Parkway, Sherman, Texas.

Citations issued: Dec. 31, 2015

January 4, 2016

Williamsport, Pennsylvania, bridge repair company named a 'severe violator' after fatal trench collapse at Eyers Grove work site

Employer name: Susquehanna Supply Company Inc., is headquartered at 2 Rose Street in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The inspected location was a work site just outside Little Fishing Creek on State Route 4021 Eyers Grove Road in Millville, Pennsylvania. The bridge repair and construction company was contracted by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to rehabilitate a small steel-frame bridge over the creek.

January 4, 2016

US Department of Labor files suit requiring a fiduciary to restore employee contributions to AMI Associates Group Inc. 401(k) Plan in Lyons, Illinois

Date of Action: Dec. 30, 2015

Type of Action: Filing of a Complaint

Names of Defendant: Earl Kaminski, AMI Associates Group Inc. 401(k) Plan

Allegations: From Oct. 1, 2008, to the present, Earl Kaminski was president and sole owner of AMI Associates Group Inc., and exercised authority and control over the management or disposition of the assets of the company's 401(k) plan.

January 4, 2016

US Department of Labor files suit to remove fiduciary, terminate defunct Carr Freight Systems Inc. 401(k) Plan in Eagan, Minnesota

Date of Action: Nov. 13, 2015

Type of Action: Filing of a Complaint

Names of Defendant: Carr Freight Systems Inc., Carr Freight Systems Inc. 401(k) Plan

January 4, 2016

Pennsylvania marketing company owes at least $1.75M in back wages and damages for docking employee pay for compensable break time

MALVERN, Pa. — For telemarketing workers of a Malvern publishing company, deciding when to take water, bathroom and rest breaks was a matter of dollars and cents. The workers had their pay docked for virtually all time not spent making sales calls, sometimes bringing their wages below the federal minimum wage.

December 31, 2015

MSHA commemorates 10-year anniversary of Sago Mine disaster

ARLINGTON, Va. – Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joseph A. Main today issued the following statement on the 10-year anniversary of the Sago Mine disaster:

"On Jan. 2, 2006, at approximately 6:30 a.m., the Sago coal mine in Tallmansville, West Virginia, exploded with 29 miners underground. Although 16 successfully escaped, 12 miners lost their lives and one was seriously injured.

December 31, 2015

MSHA commemorates 10-year anniversary of Sago Mine disaster

ARLINGTON, Va. — Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joseph A. Main today issued the following statement on the 10-year anniversary of the Sago Mine disaster:

"On Jan. 2, 2006, at approximately 6:30 a.m., the Sago coal mine in Tallmansville, West Virginia, exploded with 29 miners underground. Although 16 successfully escaped, 12 miners lost their lives and one was seriously injured.

December 30, 2015

US Labor Department obtains consent judgment restoring more than $50K to money purchase plan of Swedesboro, New Jersey, contractor

Date of Action: Dec. 30, 2015

Type of Action: Consent judgment

Names of Defendants: Arthur Azzari, Alex Azzari, John Azzari, Alessio Azzari Inc., and the Alessio Azzari Inc. Prevailing Wage Plan

Allegations: Based on an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Secretary of Labor filed a complaint on Dec. 28, 2015, alleging the following:

December 29, 2015

MSHA announces results of November impact inspections

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 189 citations and six orders during special impact inspections at 17 coal mines and six metal and nonmetal mines in November. Most of the coal mine inspections focused on compliance with respirable dust standards.

December 29, 2015

MSHA announces results of November impact inspections

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 189 citations and six orders during special impact inspections at 17 coal mines and six metal and nonmetal mines in November. Most of the coal mine inspections focused on compliance with respirable dust standards.

December 29, 2015

OSHA cites roofing contractor for exposing workers to fall hazards

Employer name: Dealer Installations Services Inc.

Citations issued: Dec. 21, 2015

December 28, 2015

OSHA cites business for exposing immigrant workers with limited English skills to many hazards; company faces more than $366K in proposed penalties

ST. LOUIS — Two years after a worker died by electrocution at a steel plant owned by St. Louis Cold Drawn, inspectors from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found the company continues to expose its workforce, predominantly consisting of Asian immigrants with limited English speaking skills, to amputation, electrical and other hazards daily.

December 28, 2015

US Labor Department urges storm recovery workers and public to be vigilant and aware of hazards during storm cleanup

ATLANTA — Georgia residents — emergency workers, employers and the public — recovering from the impact of severe weather should be aware of the hazards they may encounter and take necessary steps to stay safe, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges.