In the week ending April 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 239,000, an increase of 11,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 228,000. The 4-week moving average was 240,000, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 237,750.

WASHINGTON – At Dollar General stores near Houston and Green Bay, federal workplace safety inspectors found exit routes and walkways blocked — unsafe conditions that make safe and quick emergency evacuation difficult or impossible — that have become common discoveries for years at stores operated by one of the nation’s largest discount retailers.

CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Wage and Hour Division will host an online seminar on April 18 at 1 p.m. EDT on the proper employment of temporary nonimmigrant workers with H-2B guest visas for employers, worker advocates and other stakeholders, as part of an ongoing division initiative to ensure that Midwest employers comply with federal laws governing the program.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the initial award of a $7,469,452 grant to California for cleanup and recovery activities after severe winter storms in December and January caused flooding and extensive waterway damage.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will join construction organizations in Georgia to promote worker safety and encourage industry employers to hold safety stand-downs at roadwork sites and in traffic work zones during National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 17 to 21.

Participants: U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and WeCount!

What:             Safety alliance agreement

Employer:      Haza Bell of Nebraska LLC operating as Taco Bell

                       320 11 St. SW

                       Spencer, Iowa

Investigation findings: U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators recovered $22,744 – representing $11,372 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages – for 12 workers at the Spencer, Iowa, Taco Bell.

ATLANTA – With violations of child labor laws up 69 percent since 2018 and millions of minor-aged workers joining the U.S. workforce each year – many in seasonal summer jobs in the restaurant, retail and amusement industries – the U.S. Department of Labor is actively working to educate Southeast employers about their legal obligations and make sure young employees are kept safe at work and paid fully.

Participant:   Tiverton Power

Tiverton, Rhode Island

Description:   Tiverton Power employs about 20 workers at this site, a natural gas power plant generating electricity for the New England power grid.   

DETROIT – The demands of the job sometimes require employees in the healthcare industry to work through their meal periods but as many employers – including Detroit Medical Center – learn eventually, federal law says these employees must be paid when their duties demand they work through or during meal periods.

Participant:   Dighton Power

Dighton, Massachusetts

Description:   Dighton Power employs about 15 workers at this site, a natural gas power plant generating electricity for the New England power grid.  

Date of Action:          April 10, 2023

Type of Action:         Employee Retirement Income Security Act consent order and judgment

Company/Owners:    Fred Vargason

Nissan of St. Charles

Nissan of St. Charles Simple IRA Plan

Date of action:                       April 6, 2023

Type of action:                      Fair Labor Standards Act consent order and permanent injunction

Names of defendants:           Pigeon Forge Hospitality, LLC

                                                 Nimesh Patel

WHO:            U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division

WHAT:          Child labor webinars

WHEN:         

May 9, 2023: For employers, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT   

May 11, 2023: For workers, parents, and educators, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT

CHICAGO ‒ Thirty-nine people died doing trench or excavation work in the U.S. in 2022 – four in Illinois and two others in Ohio. In fact, the number of worker fatalities more than doubled since 2021, continuing a troubling trend cited by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that found 166 workers died in trench cave-ins from 2011-2018, an average of 21 each year.

DES MOINES, IA – In September 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor obtained a consent judgment to recover $1.7 million for nearly 2,900 workers employed by 145 different subcontractors in 2015 to euthanize birds and dispose of carcasses during the avian flu outbreak and is trying to locate workers owed back wages.

Employers:         Nyrio Investments Corp., operating as Stateline Liquor & Wine at 1069 Main Street, Southaven, MS 38671

                             Three Star Investments, operating as Three Star Liquor Store, 3305 South 3rd Street, Memphis, TN 38109

                             Yala Investments Corp., operating as Spirits Unlimited at 3024 Covington Pike Street 1, Memphis, TN 38218

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

JERSEY SHORE, PA – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has again found Dollar General exposing workers to dangerous safety hazards – including blocked emergency exit routes and electrical panels – this time during a November 2022 inspection at a Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, store.

Participant:    Guarantee Electrical Contracting LLC

                              1390 Wheeling St.

                              Denver, CO 80239