CHICAGO, IL – A Chicago manufacturer of rigid metal, plastic, and hybrid containers faces $503,380 in proposed penalties after inspectors from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) responded to four separate reports of workers suffering injuries at the facility. As a result of its investigations, OSHA cited BWAY Corporation for five repeated and five serious safety violations of machine safet

SYRACUSE, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and TOMRA NY Recycling LLC have reached a stipulated settlement agreement to improve workplace safety requiring the company to institute enhanced safety measures to prevent employee exposure to blood or other infectious materials. The recycling company has agreed to ensure that its employees at risk of exposure to blood or other infectious materials at each of its New York facilities participate in a training program compliant with OSHA standards. In addition to fu

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with the state of Georgia and local partners, is setting aside funding, making grants to assess workforce needs, and providing additional regulatory flexibilities in response to Hurricane Irma. U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has directed the Department to assist the residents and businesses in affected areas, and the Department will continue to work cooperatively with Georgia to assess needs as they develop. Labor Department activities to assist Georgia include: The

PORTLAND, OR – A federal judge has entered a consent judgment ordering a Portland drywall company to pay $285,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 82 employees for overtime violations after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation. The judge also ordered Moshen Salem, owner of Westside Drywall Inc., to refrain from retaliating against its employees and to provide training on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to all of its supervisors within six months. The consent judgment ordered the company to pay $142,500 i

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $1,492,095 to support the recruitment, training, and retention of women in skilled occupations. The Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grant program funds community-based organizations that provide employers and labor unions with one or more of the following types of technical assistance: Pre-apprenticeship or nontraditional skills training programs; Ongoing orientations for employers, unions and workers on creating a successful environment for women to s

WASHINGTON, DC – As with Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, the U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with the territories and local partners, is setting aside funding, making grants to assess workforce needs, and providing additional regulatory flexibilities in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in response to Hurricane Maria. U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has directed the Department to assist the residents and businesses in affected areas, and the Department will continue to work cooperatively with the territories to assess needs as they develop. The Departm

In the week ending September 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 259,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 2,000 from 284,000 to 282,000. The 4-week moving average was 268,750, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised average. This is the highest level for this average since June 4, 2016 when it was 269,500. The previous week's average was revised down by 500 from 263,250 to 262,750.

WASHINGTON, DC – ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ The U.S. Department of Labor today released an update of its annual child labor report – representing the most comprehensive research product to date on the state of child labor in over 130 countries worldwide. The Department simultaneously released a new mobile app, Comply Chain, designed to help businesses root out child labor and forced labor from global supply chains.

CARMEL, IN – An Indiana construction contractor has paid $103,788 in back wages to 29 employees working on a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development project to renovate the Flagstone Village apartment complex in Hammond. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division determined CRG Residential, the prime contractor, failed to incorporate the required Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) and Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) stipulations into the contracts of its subcontractors – Hubinger Landsc

MISSOULA, MT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS)-Northern Division, and the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE)-Northern Region have signed a two-year alliance to promote safe practices in Montana and North and South Dakota’s forestry, logging, firefighting, and natural resource industries.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and a large Midwest health care management company have reached an agreement to resolve overtime violations at 23 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Ide Management Group LLC, which operates the facilities as IMG, has agreed to pay 594 workers $165,379 in back wages and damages. The Wage and Hour Division found the Indianapolis-based company failed to include non-discretionary bonuses and shift-differentials paid to employees in ov

DENVER, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is conducting a statewide survey of wages paid to workers on heavy construction projects in North Dakota to establish prevailing wage rates required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA). The agency is seeking data from employers and interested parties on wages paid to workers on all active heavy construction projects in North Dakota from June 1, 2016, through May 31, 2017. The survey is not limited to federal or federally funded construction projects.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced employee benefit plan compliance guidance and relief for victims of Hurricane Irma that parallels that which it already provided to victims of Hurricane Harvey regarding verification procedures for plan loans and distributions, participant contributions and loan payments, blackout notices, and group health plan compliance. The Hurricane Harvey relief was announced on Aug. 30, 2017, in EBSA Release Number 17-1216-NAT. The Department unders

NEWBERRY, SC – A federal court has ordered a South Carolina company providing laborers to a turkey processing plant to pay four disabled workers $165,402 in back wages and liquidated damages after the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the employer violated the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Work Services Inc. provides employees to work at Kraft Foods Global Inc.’s plant in Newberry. Investigators found that Work Services and its owner Joseph Byrd and supervisor David Perez wi

SCOTT, LA – A Southwest Louisiana company that tests soil and concrete density for construction projects has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An investigation found Louisiana Testing and Inspection Inc. violated FLSA overtime and recordkeeping provisions willfully when the employer falsified payroll records. While the records purportedly reflected payment of time-and-one-half workers’ regular rates of pay for overtime hours they worked, the Wage

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has initially committed up to $40 million in Disaster Dislocated Worker Grant funding to Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist in disaster response efforts after Hurricane Irma. These grants were first announced on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017. The amount of total funding announced today may increase as the needs and impacts on state and local partners are assessed following the hurricane.

In the week ending September 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 284,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 298,000. The 4-week moving average was 263,250, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 250,250. This is the highest level for this average since August 13, 2016 when it was 263,250.

DETROIT, MI – Henry Ford Health System has paid $90,004 in back wages to 22 workers in the Detroit hospital’s cardiac sonography department to resolve violations of overtime and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found by the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division. The Division found cardiac sonographers would start work up to 45 minutes prior to their shifts to prepare for the patient workload. Additionally, they frequently worked through lunch hours and breaks to complete time

ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) today published two proposed rules in the Federal Register that would change the Agency’s final rule on Examinations of Working Places in Metal and Nonmetal Mines that was published on Jan. 23, 2017. The first proposed rule would make limited changes to the final rule. The proposed changes

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and a large Midwest health care management company have reached an agreement to resolve overtime violations at 23 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Ide Management Group LLC, which operates the facilities as IMG, has agreed to pay 594 workers $165,379 in back wages and damages. The Wage and Hour Division found the Indianapolis-based company failed to include non-discretionary bonuses and shift-differ