NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor and a third-party administrator that provides employee health benefit plans with access to a network of doctors, hospitals and other medical providers have reached an agreement in which the administrator has committed to improve its communications with health plans and to return certain fees the plans paid for claims administration that the department alleged were not fully disclosed to the plans. The agreement with MagnaCare LLC resolves alleged violations of the

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will publish a Request for Information for the overtime rule on Wednesday, July 26, 2017. The RFI is an opportunity for the public to provide information that will aid the department in formulating a proposal to revise these regulations which define and delimit exemptions from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime requirements for certain employees. The RFI solicits feedback on questions related to the salary level test, the duties test, varying cost-of-living across different parts of the U.S.,

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta is inviting interested persons to submit nominations for individuals to serve on the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. The creation of the task force is a key step in implementing President Donald J. Trump’s executive order to expand apprenticeships. “Apprenticeships are a cornerstone of President Trump’s plan to close the skills gap and ensure the American workforce is prepared to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. “The Task Force on App

DENVER –Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta encouraged state legislators to engage in principled reforms to help American workers. In his remarks at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council, he discussed how occupational licensing has created excessive barriers for the American workforce. Excerpts from his remarks are below: [[{"fid":"62113","view_mode":"default","type":"media","attributes":{"alt":"Secretary Acosta speaking at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Legislative Exchange

State: Arkansas Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant Amount Approved/Awarded: $2,060,000 Funding Awarded to: Arkansas Department of Workforce Services Number of Workers Served: Approximately 103 Use of Funds: The U.S. Department of Labor approved a National Dislocated Worker Grant for $2,060,000 to create disaster relief employment to assist with clean-up and recovery effor

DELAIR, N.J. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has again cited a Camden County aluminum manufacturing company with a long history of noncompliance with OSHA standards – this time for 51 safety and health violations and proposed penalties of $1,922,895. OSHA initiated its inspection of Delair-based Aluminum Shapes LLC on Jan. 23, 2017. Since 2011, the agency has inspected the facility eight times,

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Wells Fargo to reinstate and pay $577,500 in back wages, damages and other fees to a former branch manager in Pomona who was terminated after she reported conduct by at least three “private bankers” working under her that she reasonably believed to be bank, wire and mail fraud. Investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that Wells Fargo terminated the employee turned whistleblower in September 2011 because of concerns ra

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed an injunction against the owners of two medical offices in Brooklyn to prevent further retaliation against employees who refused to provide false information to obstruct the department’s investigation into alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. In a complaint filed

Type of Action: Consent order and judgement Names of Defendants: Ditch Witch Equipment of Tennessee Inc. Aubrey Needham Allegations: Based on an investigation conducted by the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the U.S. Secretary of Labor filed a civil complaint against Ditch Witch Equipment of Tennessee Inc., an underground utility construction equipment company, and Aubrey Needham, trustee of the company’s profit-sharing plan on April 29, 2014.

Who: U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration National Labor Relations Board Louisiana Workforce Commission/Office of UI Administration What:

In the week ending July 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 233,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 247,000 to 248,000. The 4-week moving average was 243,750, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 245,750 to 246,000. Read the full release.

EAST ORANGE, N.J. – Three East Orange construction companies have entered into a consent judgment  with the U.S. Department of Labor and will pay $850,000 in back wages and damages to 153 workers to resolve violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The department’s Wage and Hour Division investigators found that DKNJ Masonry Corp., Roy Rock LLC and Silver Construction Inc. – all controlled and operated by Rui Pires – violated the FLSA’s overtime and recordke

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta released the following statement on his meeting with Swiss government officials to discuss apprenticeships and workforce development models: “The Trump administration is drawing from the successful apprenticeship models that many of our neighbors around the world, like Switzerland, have enjoyed,” said Secretary Acosta. “I look forward to continue working with our neighbors as businesses begin to expand quality apprenticeships in the United States. It’s critical American workers have the most up-to-dat

KEY LARGO, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a South Florida utility company and related contracting company after the agency’s investigation into the deaths of three workers who succumbed to toxic gases in a manhole on Jan. 16, 2017. Elway Gray, a 34-year-old pipe layer, entered the manhole – a confined space – and quickly became unresponsive. Louis O’Keefe, a 49-year-old laborer, entered the hole and attempted to rescue Gray. After O’Kee

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced the availability of $10.5 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to fund training and education for workers and employers to help them identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards. The grants are available for nonprofit organizations including community and faith-based organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Indian tribes

In the week ending July 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 247,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 248,000 to 250,000. The 4-week moving average was 245,750, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 243,000 to 243,500.

FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS – A fraud investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the FBI, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General has led to a 12-year prison sentence for William Jackson Moates Jr., of Fort Smith, Arkansas. The investigation found that over the course of nearly five years, Moates, 50, received investment funds from at least 25 different clients, which were not invested as Moates said they would be. Moates diverted clients’ in

DAYTON – A multi-agency federal and state investigation has led to the guilty plea and imprisonment of Ohio businessman William M. Apostelos, who orchestrated a Ponzi scheme that included the theft of $1.9 million from an employee benefit plan. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration and Office of Inspector General participated in the investigation and prosecution led by the

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement on the June 2017 Employment Situation report: “June’s unemployment numbers were little changed at 4.4 percent from the previous month’s level of 4.3 percent. Non-farm payroll employment rose by 222,000 jobs. 187,000 private sector jobs were created in June, and 821,000 private sector jobs have been added to the economy during the five months since January 2017.  Job growth was strong in the sectors of mining and logging, financial activities, and education and health

ARLINGTON, Va. - Improvements in roof control technology in underground coal mines have significantly reduced accidents involving roof and rib falls or coal bursts, but such accidents remain a leading cause of injuries, reports the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration. Since 2013, roof and rib falls or coal bursts led to the deaths of five continuous mining machine operators, and injured 83 other operators. To increase awareness among coal miners and mine operators of roof and rib fall hazards, MSHA