ZEBULON, NC – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a temporary restraining order against a plastics manufacturer after an investigation found the company failed to pay minimum wage and overtime to its employees. The Department’s complaint seeks to keep Aimet Technologies LLC from shipping any products manufactured between June 19 and July 2, 2017. The Division believes the company’s plastic components – used in commercial and residential appliances – were produced by employees who were paid less than the federal minimum wage during that time period.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is conducting a construction survey in 24 New York counties to collect data on wages paid to workers to help establish prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. The survey includes wages paid on all building construction projects that occurred between June 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017, in the following counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chenango, Chautauqua, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton,

ATLANTA, GA – A U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia has ordered Bland Farms Production and Packing LLC – an onion producer in Vidalia – to pay $1,480,268 in back wages and liquidated damages after the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the employer violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Bland failed to pay overtime to approximately 460 employees over the span of six years, the Division determined. Under the FLSA, employers must pay workers time-and-a-half when they exceed 40 hours in a work week. The overtim

KANSAS CITY, MO – The owner of a Kansas City-area restaurant pleaded guilty in federal court to two felony counts of providing falsified payroll records to impede an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division into violations of federal wage laws. Yong Lin – president of China Garden Buffet Inc. in Merriam, Kansas – entered the plea on Sept. 12, 2017, before U.S. District Court Judge Carlos Murguia. Sentencing is expected before the end of the year. Falsification of records could result in a sentence of up to 20 years impris

In the week ending October 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 222,000, a decrease of 22,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 31, 1973 when it was 222,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 243,000 to 244,000. The 4-week moving average was 248,250, a decrease of 9,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 257,500 to 257,750.

MCDONOUGH, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Structural Subcontractors Service, LLC for exposing workers to fall hazards. The structural framing company, based in Birmingham, Alabama, faces proposed penalties totaling $102,669. OSHA initiated an inspection on July 7, 2017, as part of the agency’s regional emphasis program to limit falls in construction. During the inspection, OSHA compliance sa

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ – A South Jersey construction company owner with a long history of workplace safety violations was cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for exposing workers to serious scaffold hazards at a job site in Philadelphia. The owner, Vyacheslav Leshko faces $191,215 in proposed penalties. OSHA inspectors responded to a complaint of unsafe working conditions at DH Construction LLC., and discovered employees performing masonry and bricklaying while working on a scaffold that was dangerously clo

PHILADELPHIA, PA – A Philadelphia restaurant has agreed to pay 63 workers a total of $197,917 in back wages, and an equal amount in liquidated damages, to resolve alleged federal wage violations, including requiring employees to work unpaid hours. The agreement is part of a proposed consent judgment filed on Oct. 16, 2017, pending review and approval by a federal judge. An investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division in Philadelphia found that Washington Square Restaurant Partners LP – doing business as Talula’s Garden �

WASHINGTON, DC – Following President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order Expanding Apprenticeships in America, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today announced members of the President's Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. The Task Force—representing companies, trade and industry groups, educational institutions, and labor unions—brings to the table substantial workforce development experience in addressing the nation’s skills gap. “Expanding apprenticeships will help Americans learn the skills they need to fill jobs that are open right now a

DENVER, CO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Western Colorado Contractors Association (WCCA) have signed an alliance to provide the western Colorado’s construction industry with information, guidance, and access to training resources. The two-year agreement will focus on struck-by, falls

ERIE, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Pittsburgh-based P.J. Dick Corp. have established a strategic partnership to promote workplace safety and educate workers on construction hazards during construction of a new office building in Erie. The project, which will build a seven-floor, 340,000-square-foot office building on French Street, will be occupied by Erie Insurance. It is expected to be completed by spring 2020. “Our focus is to establish a foundation for the development of an effecti

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today issued the following statement on the President’s Executive Order regarding healthcare: “President Trump and his Administration are committed to providing hard-working Americans with quality, affordable health insurance options. The Department of Labor welcomes the Executive Order on Promoting Healthcare Choice and Competition across the United States. We look forward to working with the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Treasury as we consider reforms that will expand access to high-

HOUSTON, TX – The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) have partnered to organize and distribute protective equipment and other resources to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. OSHA offices in Houston and Corpus Christi will work with the ASSE Region III leadership to coordinate donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) and distribute information on safety and health issues during recovery efforts. “Our joint resources are aimed at helping busines

In the week ending October 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 243,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 2,000 from 260,000 to 258,000. The 4-week moving average was 257,500, a decrease of 9,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 1,250 from 268,250 to 267,000.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement on President Donald J. Trump’s speech today on tax reform: “President Trump continues to make a strong case for pro-growth tax reform that will give a boost to America’s workforce and job creators.  Under President Trump’s framework, miners, makers, and movers—including truckers—will be able to keep more of their paychecks. With a simpler, fairer tax system, Americans will get the level playing field they need to succeed.”

ALLENTOWN, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), PA-OSHA Consultation Program, and HealthWorks’ Safety Peer Group – a consortium of Lehigh Valley area employers – have established an alliance to enhance workplace safety and health. The alliance will focus on reducing and preventing exposure to ergonomic hazards, environmental health-care conditions, and chemical hazards. Alliance members will also emphasize injury and illness prevention programs and effective safety training. “Our alliance i

DALLAS, TX – On Oct. 10, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which had ceased most programmed enforcement actions following Hurricane Harvey, resumed normal enforcement throughout Texas and Louisiana. Following Hurricane Harvey, OSHA provided compliance assistance and outreach to employers and workers in a number of counties and parishes in Texas and Louisiana. This action enabled OSHA’s staff to provide faster and more flexible responses to hazards facing workers involved in the cleanup and recovery ope

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) joined U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta for a mine safety tour of ICG Beckley, LLC’s Pocahontas Beckley Mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Officials from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which is an agency within the Department of Labor, also participated in the mine safety tour. Following an approximately 30-minute ride in a mantrip that transported the group underground, Secretary Acosta and the Senators observed first-hand the operation’s

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement today on the Trump Administration’s immigration policy priorities: “Visa fraud and abuse hurts American workers and, at the same time, hurts foreign workers here legally under federal programs.  The U.S. Department of Labor is focused on combating fraud and abuse of Federal visa programs and is taking every available legal action against those who abuse these programs.  Stopping visa fraud and abuse must also be a priority for Congress.”

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement on the September 2017 Employment Situation report: “Even as parts of our nation recover from multiple devastating hurricanes, September’s jobs report reflects the resilience of the American economy. “The bottom line is this: 154.35 million Americans are employed compared to 153.44 million the previous month, an increase of 906,000.  The number of paychecks earned for the week of September 10th through 16th declined by 33,000, largely reflecting Irma’s