WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the appointment of five members and leadership for the 2024 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council.

The 15-member council provides advice on policies and regulations affecting employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $90 million in grant funding to support workforce training for migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents to prepare them to obtain, retain and advance in agricultural jobs or start new careers. 

Employer:      H.K. Construction Corp. 

                        2046 South King St.

LAONA, WI ‒ A Wisconsin hardwood flooring manufacturer continues to ignore federal safety and health regulations and expose workers to multiple hazards at its Laona mill, federal inspectors found. 

SOUTH BEND, IN – The U.S. Department of Labor asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order and injunction against Vishav Inc. – operating as Mega Liquor & Smoke – and its owner, Bhola Singh, to stop the Granger, Indiana-based company from retaliating against and intimidating employees owed back wages and liquidated damages. Singh owns and operates 61 Mega Liquor & Smoke stores in Indiana and Michigan. 

MACON, GA – Federal safety investigators found a Macon plumbing contractor could have prevented a fatal trench collapse -- that claimed the life of a 20-year-old worker and hospitalized another worker -- by following required safety procedures. 

SIOUX FALLS, SD – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is surveying the building and heavy construction industry of South Dakota to set prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, for the payment of construction workers on federally funded and federally assisted construction projects.

VANCE, AL – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $438,625 in back wages, unpaid bonuses, equitable remedy and liquidated damages for two former Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama after the employer violated their rights to protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

In the week ending February 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 215,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 201,000 to 202,000. The 4-week moving average was 212,500, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 215,250 to 215,500.

Date of Action:          Feb. 28, 2024

Type of Action:         Employee Retirement Income Security Act default judgment

Company/Owners:    Elmhurst Academy of Early Learning Inc.

                                    Colleen Odegaard

                                    Elmhurst Academy of Early Learning Simple IRA Plan

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration joined Restaurant Opportunities Centers United for a listening session with restaurant workers on the importance of protecting workers from extreme indoor heat in the workplace on Feb. 21, 2024.

AUBURN, AL – A Camp Hill electrical contractor could have prevented a 22-year-old electrician from incurring life-threatening arc flash burns by following safety procedures they knew were standard in the industry, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an allocation of $6.95 million to support a research project by the International Labor Organization to better inform policymakers in their efforts to end child and forced labor.

Empleador:  Taquería Los Inmortales 

                        3131 Fruitridge Road

Employer:                  Mackenzie River Pizza

                                    1490 Milligan Road

Employer:      Taqueria Los Inmortales 

                        3131 Fruitridge Road

WASHINGTON – As part of the most pro-worker, pro-union administration in history, Acting Secretary Su is traveling the country to engage with workers, visiting Oregon and Mississippi over the past two weeks. During the visits, she spoke with a diverse group of workers and community leaders about the Biden-Harris administration’s ongoing commitment to creating opportunities for all workers and building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and Spain’s Second Vice President and Minister of Labor and Social Economy Yolanda Díaz Pérez met in Washington on Feb. 26, 2024. They signed a joint statement highlighting their shared concerns about algorithmic bias in automated systems and artificial intelligence that can lead to workplace discrimination of historically underserved and vulnerable groups. 

Employer name:        Gaston Group LLC operating as 7-Eleven

Investigation site:      1401 West 7th St.

                                              Fort Worth, TX 76102

Date of action:           Feb. 7, 2024

Type of action:          Motion for default judgment granted  by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The action follows a complaint and motion filed by the U.S. Department of Labor on June 15, 2023.

Defendants:               Marlton Pike Precision LLC 401(k) and profit-sharing plan