ST. LOUIS – Federal workplace safety inspectors found a Missouri roofing contractor again risking the safety of its employees by failing to protect them against the construction industry’s deadliest hazard — falls from heights— at five residential worksites in Wentzville in October and November 2023. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of the Treasury, IRS and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. have jointly extended the comment period soliciting public input on existing reporting and disclosure requirements for retirement plans. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will host an information session on April 10 in Portsmouth, Ohio, for current and former nuclear weapons workers and their families employed at covered facilities on the benefits available under the federal Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. 

SEATTLE – A federal court has ordered a producer of Christmas wreaths and seasonal greens for major retailers — including Costco, Publix, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Wegmans — to pay $1.85 million in back wages and damages to nearly 700 workers after the U.S. Department of Labor found the employer failed to pay required overtime wages and violated migrant and seasonal workers’ rights.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $49.2 million in funding to provide career training services to prepare workers in the Appalachian, Lower Mississippi Delta and Northern Border regions to obtain quality jobs. 

In the week ending March 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 221,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 210,000 to 212,000. The 4-week moving average was 214,250, an increase of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 211,000 to 211,500.

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested the Mexican government conduct a review based on its finding that a denial of workers’ rights has occurred at Minera Tizapa S.A. de C.V., in Zacazonapan.

AUSTIN, TX – An Austin subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest producers of modular and manufactured homes faces $272,479 in penalties after federal investigators found the company exposing employees to more than two dozen serious violations during an October 2023 inspection.

DEDEDO, Guam – The U.S. Department of Labor encourages construction industry employers in Guam to participate in a survey to help establish accurate prevailing wage rates and reduce the need for contractors to seek additional labor classifications.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $10.5 million to fund the first year of four, five-year cooperative agreements aimed at developing strategies to assist youth and young adults with disabilities — particularly in underserved communities — in successfully transitioning into the workforce.

The awards have been granted to the Connecticut Department of Labor, Kansas Department of Commerce, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and the New York Department of Labor.

Employer:                             Krafty Draft Brew Pub LLC

                                                269 Charter Oak Road 

                                                Lexington, SC 29072

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Employee Benefits Security Administration has released a final amendment to Class Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-14, also known as the Qualified Professional Asset Manager Exemption, which permits various parties related to employee benefit plans and individual retirement accounts to engage in transactions involving plan and IRA assets.

Employer:   Chili Thai Inc. in Puyallup

TNBMEELAP Inc. in Silverdale

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested the Mexican government review an allegation that workers’ rights are being denied at the Servicios Industriales González industrial parts manufacturing facility in Nuevo León, Mexico.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Federal Black Lung Program will host four outreach events in Pennsylvania from April 8-11 for current and former coal miners suffering disabilities related to black lung disease, and their families to assist them in filing or refiling claims for benefits. 

Employer:                       Williams Plumbing & Associates Inc.

                                                243 Battleground Road

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule clarifying the rights of employees to authorize a representative to accompany an Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance officer during an inspection of their workplace will be published in the Federal Register on April 1.

Employers:    Neubert Painting Inc., Brook Park, Ohio

                         John Neubert, owner

Action:           U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation

In the week ending March 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 210,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 210,000 to 212,000. The 4-week moving average was 211,000, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 211,250 to 211,750.