WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has entered into a corporate-wide settlement agreement with the operators of one of the nation’s largest discount retail chains to improve workplace safety significantly in stores nationwide. A key pillar of President Biden’s plan — Bidenomics — is empowering to grow the middle class.

The settlement agreement requires Dollar Tree and Family Dollar to conduct a comprehensive, nationwide assessment of the root causes of the violations OSHA has repeatedly cited at multiple stores, with a plan to identify causes and make operational changes to correct them within a two-year period. In the meantime, to ensure prompt abatement of any future violations related to blocked exits, access to fire extinguishers and electrical panels, and improper material storage at stores nationwide, the companies must correct hazards — within 48 hours of OSHA notifying them — and later submit proof the hazards were corrected. Failure to do so subjects the companies to monetary assessments of $100,000 per day of violation, up to $500,000, as well as OSHA inspection and enforcement actions.

“By securing this agreement with Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, the department is making good on President Biden’s commitment to be the most pro-worker administration in history,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “At the Department of Labor, we know that every worker deserves to come home safe at the end of the workday. Through our robust enforcement of workplace protections and use of innovative legal methods that resulted in this agreement, thousands of workers will have a healthier, safer and more certain future.”

“By creating incentives for companies to implement systemic solutions nationwide, the Department of Labor has created a pathway to ensuring more workers are safe and protected when they're at work,” said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. “The Solicitor’s office and OSHA support innovative agreements under which companies commit to solve the underlying problems that create hazards. We were willing to use this approach because these companies had already taken substantial steps to address the systemic issues, which gave us confidence that this innovative approach would work.”

“This agreement focuses on improving working conditions at thousands of stores nationwide,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have agreed to significant investments to more effectively identify and correct the root causes of the hazards most commonly found during OSHA inspections, including blocked exits and unstable stacking of materials.”

The companies have also agreed to pay $1.35 million in penalties to settle existing contested as well as open inspections of similar alleged violations.

Entered on Aug. 17, 2023, the corporate-wide settlement agreement covers all Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores within federal OSHA jurisdiction. As part of the agreement, which may last up to two years, the company will form safety advisory groups with extensive employee representation, enhance hazard identification and control programs, develop an audit program, create a new employee training program and hire additional safety professionals.

Dollar Tree has also agreed to maintain a 24-hour hotline to receive safety complaints and establish a tracking system to ensure complaints are addressed. The company will also hold quarterly meetings between OSHA and its Dollar Tree and Family Dollar operations to discuss progress towards systemic improvements.

The company first signed a corporate-wide settlement agreement with OSHA in 2015, which expired in 2018.

Based in Chesapeake, Virginia, Dollar Tree operates more than 16,000 Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores in 48 states and Canada, and is one of the nation’s largest chains of discount retail locations as Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores. The company also maintains a nationwide logistics network and employs more than 193,000 people.

WASHINGTON – Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su issued the following statement on the July 2023 Employment Situation report: 

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 187,000 jobs in the month of July — and added an average of 218,000 jobs per month over the past three months — continuing the steady and stable growth that is bringing economic security to workers and families across the country. The unemployment rate ticked down to 3.5 percent, continuing the longest period of under 4-percent unemployment in over 50 years. Healthcare, social assistance, construction, and financial activities all gained jobs in July. 

“This jobs report is the latest evidence that the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda is expanding pathways to the middle class and leaving no one behind. The solid job market continues to deliver employment and earnings opportunities for our growing workforce, with average hourly earnings increasing 4.4 percent over the year and with the share of working-age Americans who have jobs at a 20-year high. For the fifth straight month, the labor force participation rate sits at 62.6 percent — a sign of the labor market staying on course and navigating changes to the makeup of our working population. 

“Bidenomics is growing our economy from the middle out and the bottom up — not the top down. With 13.4 million jobs added since President Biden took office, this progress continues the sustained economic growth that benefits working families and moves our economy toward the next phase of recovery. The American people are feeling the results of this stable and strong economy in their everyday lives — whether it be at the grocery store or the gas pump, or at places like hair and nail salons — where they feel more confident spending money again. This administration will continue to work to ensure that equitable growth powers economic gains for all working families.” 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and its partners from the Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labor Exploitation today announced its recent actions to hold companies accountable for violating federal child labor laws.

The update follows the department’s February 2023 announcement of the task force’s formation, which applies a whole-of-government approach to enhance federal efforts to protect children from exploitative situations following a 69 percent increase in findings of illegal child labor between 2018 and 2022.

“The Biden-Harris administration, Department of Labor and members of the Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labor Exploitation are leaving no stone unturned to root out exploitative child labor,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “Child labor is an issue that gets to the heart of who we are as a country and who we want to be. Like the President, we believe that any child working in a dangerous or hazardous environment is one child too many. The Department of Labor is using the tools and resources at our disposal to ensure companies take responsibility for compliance with federal labor law, and that includes up and down their supply chains. We must all work together to make sure that children are safe, healthy and protected from exploitation.”

The Department of Labor-led Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labor Exploitation furthers collaboration and improves information-sharing among agencies. The task force participants include the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, and State, all of which are taking concrete steps to improve cross-training, outreach, education and health outcomes of children that could be subject to child labor.

Since the launch of these enhanced efforts, the department and task force have engaged with agencies across federal, state and local governments, resulting in new collaborative initiatives to prevent and address illegal child labor, that include the following:

Increasing focus on vigorously enforcing federal law and holding employers accountable:

• The department’s Wage and Hour Division has significantly enhanced child labor enforcement efforts. Between Oct. 1, 2022 and July 20, 2023, as a result of this stepped-up enforcement, the agency concluded 765 child labor cases finding 4,474 children employed in violation of federal child labor laws and assessed employers with more than $6.6 million in penalties. These cases reflect a 44 percent increase in children found employed in violation of federal law and an 87 percent increase in penalties assessed from the same time period in the previous fiscal year. In addition, the agency is currently pursuing more than 700 open child labor cases. This enforcement data demonstrates the department’s commitment to identifying and addressing the child labor violations more aggressively than in the department’s history.
• On May 2, 2023, the department announced findings that three businesses operating 62 McDonald’s locations across Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio had employed 305 children to work more than the legally permitted hours and perform tasks prohibited by law for young workers. In all, the investigations led to assessments of $212,544 in civil money penalties against the employers. Earlier this week, the department announced that 16 McDonald’s franchise locations in Louisiana and Texas have found child labor violations affecting 83 minors. The division determined one franchisee allowed three children to operate manual deep fryers, a task prohibited for employees under age 16. The department assessed more than $77,500 in civil money penalties to two McDonald’s franchisees for its violations.
• On July 7, 2023, the department announced that it had invoked the Fair Labor Standards Act “hot goods” provision to prevent shipment of goods produced using illegal child labor after finding two teenagers employed in violation of child labor laws at a Minnesota meat snack manufacturer.
• The department found that the operator of six Nevada Sonic Drive-In locations illegally employed 14- and 15-year-old teenagers to work more hours and at times not permitted by federal child labor regulations, assigned them to operate manual deep fryers, and had committed more than 170 violations of the child labor provisions of the FLSA.

Emphasizing cross-training to ensure that every agency has the necessary skills to identify and report possible incidences of child labor exploitation:

• Partner agencies have intensified information-sharing and cross-training to ensure agencies across the federal government understand child labor exploitation and the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to address it.
• The departments of Labor and Health and Human Services successfully collaborated on cross-training initiatives for over 780 Office of Refugee Resettlement staff and over 250 Wage and Hour Division managers related to the eradication of illegal child labor in a four-month period. Building on the success of these trainings, the departments are broadening their scope to provide trainings in July and August for other programs and HHS’ national network where there may be overlapping interest between labor exploitation and the populations that HHS serves daily, including homeless and runaway youth programs and state child welfare agencies.
• On June 12, 2023, HHS’ Administration for Children and Families marked World Day Against Child Labor with a training for nearly 400 ACF staff to help them identify possible instances of child labor exploitation in their day-to-day work with grantees and external partners throughout the country.
• In addition to collaborating closely with the agencies participating in the task force, the Department of Labor has engaged with the departments of Defense, Energy, Interior, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation and Treasury, and with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Corporation for National and Community Service, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the U.S. Agency for International Development on how to identify, prevent and report child labor exploitation.

Updating and creating new materials to ensure partners, employers, and the general public are armed with the information needed to prevent child labor violations:

• The Wage and Hour Division has updated its child labor website and additional resources to clarify and streamline information for children, parents, employers and educators about federal child labor laws, including providing clear information about dangerous and prohibited jobs and, additionally, explaining ways to provide positive and safe work experiences for teens.
• Given the importance of promoting understanding of labor law for youth-specific audiences, the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services are developing shareable, easily accessible “Know Your Rights” videos in multiple languages.
• The Department of Homeland Security is identifying opportunities to share resources and to have the Department of Labor engage key state and local partners and public stakeholders on federal labor law and efforts to combat child labor exploitation.
• The Department of Education is sharing information through newsletters, websites, and social media, ensuring that education stakeholders have greater understanding about the issue and can further inform young people and families about their rights.

Pursuing innovative partnerships and avenues to engage every facet of the federal government:

• The departments of Labor and State have briefed ambassadors and embassy leadership from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico on efforts to combat exploitative child labor in the U.S., including of migrant children. The agencies continue to share resources and tools with consulates to further educate migrant communities.
• The Department of Health and Human Services’ National Human Trafficking Prevention Summit expanded specific sessions and workshops to include child labor exploitation and the impact on youth and their communities for this year’s program.
• In April 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent a letter to the 18 largest meat and poultry processors, representing approximately 70 percent of meat and poultry production by volume, requesting that all actors in the food supply chain take important precautionary steps to prevent or eliminate illegal child labor. These steps include determining whether illegal child labor is being used anywhere in their supply chain, incorporating stronger standards in supplier and vendor contracts, and adopting supplier standards that will better guard against the use of illegal child labor. In the months since, USDA has engaged in productive conversations with industry leaders about how they are working to ensure that their supply chains are free of illegal child labor. USDA is continuing to explore enforcement mechanisms and considering aspects of regulatory infrastructure that support the department’s ability to strengthen compliance and provide the necessary attention and oversight.
• The departments of Labor and Justice are partnering through the Legal Orientation Program for Custodians of Unaccompanied Children to educate custodians of unaccompanied children on federal child labor laws and protections through new materials and information provided during the LOPC orientations.
• The departments of Labor and Justice are also collaborating to educate Office for Victims of Crime grantees and stakeholders to ensure that service providers for victims of crime have greater awareness about exploitative child labor, information on how to report suspected child labor violations, and resources to share with their clients and communities.

“While there still remains much to do in the effort to root out child labor in this country, the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Labor and the Task Force and its members are fully committed to using every governmental lever possible under federal law and current funding levels to stop the exploitation of young people in workplaces across the country,” Acting Secretary Su added.

WASHINGTON – Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su released the following statement after a tentative labor agreement was reached today between leaders of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and UPS: 

“Today, leadership from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and UPS reached an historic tentative agreement covering more than 340,000 Teamsters nationwide, ensuring stability for workers, businesses and the American economy. On behalf of the Biden-Harris administration, we applaud the parties for their perseverance and focus in achieving this hard-won, mutually beneficial deal. UPS and the Teamsters are a model of what a positive, productive labor-management partnership can achieve. They’ve also demonstrated, yet again, that when the collective bargaining process is allowed to work, the results are invariably good for workers, good for business, and good for America.”  

WASHINGTON – At the Department of Labor today, Acting Secretary Julie Su joined Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Environmental Protection Agency Chief of Staff Dan Utech and other key stakeholders to discuss good jobs in the clean economy and how their agencies will collaborate to create good quality jobs in infrastructure, clean energy, manufacturing and technology as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s “Investing in America” agenda.

“The benefits made possible by our partnership will show we don’t need to choose between good jobs and climate action when, in fact, we can achieve both,” said Acting Secretary Julie Su. “The Investing in America agenda gives us an historic opportunity to put workers first and act to address climate change and other environmental concerns. It also allows us to include workers and communities historically left behind.”

Memorandums of understanding signed between the Departments of Labor and the Interior and between the Department of Labor and the EPA will enable all three departments to share resources and expertise to guide their actions to meet their shared goals to expand an equitable and diverse workforce while taking significant action to combat climate change.

“With funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are putting historic resources into the American workforce throughout our nation that support conservation, legacy pollution cleanup, outdoor recreation, and our collective effort to address the climate crisis,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “I’m thrilled that our new Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Labor will support continued cooperative efforts that help us draw on the strength and creativity of every worker in America.”

The participants also discussed their collaborative effort to make federal infrastructure, regional economic development and workforce development priorities while creating good-paying, high-quality jobs that offer workers the free and fair choice to form or join a union.

“From day one President Biden promised a whole-of-government approach to tackle the climate crisis and grow our clean energy economy, and thanks to his Investing in America Agenda, we are matching historic resources with community driven solutions to do just that,” said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Under this Memorandum of Understanding with our partners at the Department of Labor, we’re going to ensure that all communities can participate in this clean energy transition and that we create good paying jobs in the process.”

During the event, Acting Secretary Su also moderated a panel discussion with Lee Geisse, regional program manager with the BlueGreen Alliance in Canton, Ohio; Frank Howard III of Howard Concrete Pumping Inc. in Cleveland; and Wayne L. Richardson, president of the Essex County Board of County Commissioners in New Jersey on how federal collaboration can help workers and local communities.

Read the department’s MOU with the Department of the Interior.

Read the department’s MOU with the Environmental Protection Agency.

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary Julie Su welcomed mayors and representatives from 16 cities, along with other leaders of government, business and labor; and key stakeholders to open the first of a two-day meeting of the “Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy,” which helps cities launch and scale innovative workforce initiatives to create pathways to good quality jobs. 

Convened by the department, National League of Cities and other partners, the meeting also spotlights the academy’s work to support city-led efforts to train and place workers, specifically from historically underserved and underrepresented communities, in quality jobs in high-demand industries such as infrastructure, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.

The event is part of a comprehensive effort to connect workers with jobs made possible by the Biden-Harris administration’s ‘Investing in America’ agenda. 

“Here at the Department of Labor, creating good jobs is our North Star and we are laser focused on connecting workers to these good jobs, including workers who have been left out in the past,” Acting Secretary Su shared with attendees. “The Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy was born out of the incredible opportunities we have in this moment. We knew that to deliver on the promise of manufacturing, infrastructure and clean energy in America, a partnership between the Department of Labor and America’s innovative cities was an important path forward.”  

Among those joining the meeting today were federal and local government leaders, representatives from the National League of Cities, business and labor leaders, and other critical stakeholders. 

White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden, White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, and White House Senior Advisor and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez also delivered remarks at the event.

The academy provides its members with technical assistance to support and accelerate each city’s efforts to design and launch workforce initiatives to meet the demands of their regional economies. Cities included in the academy are Birmingham, Alabama; Tempe, Arizona; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Kokomo, Indiana; Frederick, Maryland; Lansing, Michigan; Duluth, Minnesota; Saint Louis, Missouri; Missoula, Montana; Newark, New Jersey; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Jamestown, New York; Monroe, North Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; San Antonio, Texas; and Tacoma, Washington. 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the June 2023 Employment Situation report:

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 209,000 jobs in the month of June, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.6 percent, continuing the longest stretch of sub-4 percent unemployment since the 1960s. With 13.2 million jobs added since President Biden took office and an average of 244,000 jobs added per month over the past three months, this progress continues the steady, stable economic growth that benefits working families.

“The Biden-Harris administration has implemented an investment agenda that prioritizes expanding the middle class and leaving no one behind. The solid job market continues to deliver employment and earnings opportunities for our growing workforce, with average hourly earnings increasing 4.4 percent over the year.

“For the third straight month, a new historic high for labor force participation rate for prime working-age women was set at 77.8 percent. Women, as they so often do, have strengthened our labor force when called upon, and we must remain committed to addressing structural barriers to their full flourishing in their careers.

“Bidenomics is rooted in the notion that growth must be broadly shared by diverse communities throughout this nation. I am proud of the confidence that President Biden has shown in me to continue this work and ensure that equitable growth powers sustained economic gains for working families.”

INDIANOLA, MS – In the summer of 2022, U.S. Department of Labor leaders heard from a group of Black farmworkers in the Mississippi Delta about allegations of abuse and exploitation of Black farmworkers in some of the nation’s poorest counties, including egregious violations of their workplace rights.

Today, the department’s Wage and Hour Division announced that, to date, it has conducted investigations and identified violations by 44 employers and recovered $505,540 in back wages for 161 workers. Employers also paid an additional $341,838 in civil money penalties.

The division’s completed investigations found employers, in violation of program requirements when they did the following:

• Showed preferential treatment towards temporary H-2A agricultural workers and failed to pay the required rate of pay to U.S. workers in corresponding employment.
• Did not disclose all conditions of employment.
• Failed to provide accurate anticipated hours of work and bonus opportunities.
• Made illegal pay deductions.
• Did not reimburse travel-related expenses as required.
• Failed to comply with federal recordkeeping requirements.

“The outcome of these investigations confirms that employers in the Mississippi Delta denied a large number of marginalized farmworkers their lawful wages, and in some cases, violated the rights of U.S. workers by giving temporary guest workers preferential treatment,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Audrey Hall in Jackson, Mississippi. “Though we were alarmed by the allegations from Black farmworkers in the Mississippi Delta, we applaud them for their willingness to come forward and shed light on these widespread violations. The courage they showed has helped workers across the Delta finally receive their long overdue wages.”

In addition to its enforcement efforts, the division conducted multiple outreach events for the Mississippi Delta Council, an area economic development organization representing 19 Delta and part-Delta counties of Northwest Mississippi. These events provided local agricultural, business and professional leaders with opportunities to work together to enhance compliance throughout the region.

“The Wage and Hour Division protects the rights of workers of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized and faced with persistent poverty and inequality,” said Regional Administrator Juan Coria in Atlanta. “Collaboration with trusted partners, like the Mississippi Center for Justice, is critical to protecting these workers’ rights. The center provided important help in our efforts to protect the rights of workers whose employers denied them their full wages and protections.”

Currently, Southeast employers host the largest number of H-2A workers in the nation. In addition to the Wage and Hour Division, the expanded agriculture enforcement in the Delta region brought together federal experts from the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Employment and Training Administration and Office of the Solicitor; as well as with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and regional stakeholders, such as the Mississippi Center for Justice and the NAACP.

For more information about workers’ rights enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact its toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Workers can call the division confidentially with questions and the division can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Download the agency’s new Timesheet App for iOS and Android devices – free and now available in Spanish – to track hours and pay.

WASHINGTON – Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su released the following statement after a tentative agreement was reached today between leaders of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association:

“This afternoon, the leaders of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association reached a tentative agreement covering 22,000 workers and 29 West Coast ports, demonstrating once again that collective bargaining — though sometimes difficult — works.

“Thanks to the hard work and perseverance of the leadership of the ILWU and the PMA, the tentative agreement delivers important stability for workers, for employers and for our country’s supply chain. This important milestone is welcome news to all, and on behalf of President Biden, we are pleased to congratulate both parties on what they have achieved.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Public Affairs Julie McClain Downey issued the following statement on the May 2023 Employment Situation Report:

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 339,000 jobs in the month of May, further confirmation that the economy continues its steady growth, and working families are benefiting from the economic policies of this Administration. The 3.7 percent unemployment rate in May remains within a low, narrow range that has remained consistent for more than a year, the longest period of sub-4 percent unemployment since the 1960s. 

“The Biden-Harris administration has implemented an investment agenda that prioritizes expanding the middle class and equitably distributes gains among historically underserved communities. Last month’s record-high labor force participation rate for prime working-age women did not falter. As inflation moderates, 4.3 percent nominal annual wage growth translates to easing financial pressures on families. 

“This is a strong and healthy report that squarely places the economy in a resilient period of steady growth, where jobs in 10 large sectors of the economy are above their pre-pandemic levels. Since President Biden took office, the nation has created 13.1 million new jobs, providing opportunities for good jobs with better conditions for workers and job seekers across the country.”