In the week ending December 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 242,000, an increase of 17,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 224,000 to 225,000. The 4-week moving average was 224,250, an increase of 5,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 218,250 to 218,500.

HAGATNA, GUAM – The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Asia Pacific Airlines to pay more than $2 million in wages, damages and attorney’s fees to an employee reprimanded, suspended and later fired for raising aircraft safety concerns and refusing to fly a cargo plane that they believed had an unreliable engine.

MINNEAPOLIS – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Office of the Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a conciliation agreement with Ryan Companies US Inc. to resolve allegations that the federal contractor’s employees faced sexual harassment, a hostile work environment and/or faced retaliatory actions after complaining about harassment and cooperating with federal investigators. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs has issued a final rule revising the regulations under the Black Lung Benefits Act related to self-insurance by coal mine operators.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has finalized a revision to the personal protective equipment standard for construction. The final rule explicitly requires the equipment to properly fit any construction worker who needs it, improving protections from hazardous conditions.

ATLANTA – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found a Marietta tree trimming contractor could have prevented the fatal injuries of a 38-year-old worker whose equipment came into contact with an unprotected power line less than 10 feet away from an Acworth worksite.

NEWARK, NJ – Federal workplace safety officials have again cited a Newark construction contractor for repeatedly violating U.S. Department of Labor safety requirements at three North Jersey worksites, exposing employees to falls from elevations, the construction industry’s leading cause of death and serious injuries. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Women’s Bureau renewed a memorandum of understanding with the International Labour Organization office for the United States and Canada to continue working together to end gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work. 

ATALLA, AL – A follow-up inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor at an Atalla meat processing and packing facility in July 2024 found the company failing to correct safety hazards identified in two inspections dating back to 2022, continuing to endanger workers.

CHESTER, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment against a home healthcare agency and its owner, Teajan Kamara, who had deliberately failed to pay employees their legally earned overtime wages.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will hold its final meeting of the 2024 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council, on Dec. 12-13 at the department’s headquarters in Washington.

The meeting is open to the public and accessible online and via teleconference.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a final rule that updates testing, evaluation and approval requirements for electric motor-driven mine equipment and accessories used in gassy mines with high risks of fire and explosion. 

CLEVELAND – U.S. Department of Labor inspectors found a Cleveland bakeware manufacturer failed to prevent two workers from suffering injuries that resulted in amputations, incidents that could have been avoided with proper safety measures. 

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the November 2024 Employment Situation report:

CHARLEROI, PA - The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against the U.S. Postal Service and two of its managers for wrongly terminating a contracted employee who raised safety concerns about loading dock equipment at the Charleroi Post Office.

JACKSONVILLE, FL – In one week, U.S. Department of Labor safety inspectors found two contractors working in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach willfully exposing employees to one of the construction industry’s deadliest hazards: trench and excavation collapses and cave-ins. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S.

FORT WORTH, TX – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation revealed that proper workplace safety training and correct storage of pallets taller than 16 feet could have prevented the fatal injuries suffered by a forklift operator at a tire distribution center in Elm Mott.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections in October 2024 at 15 mines in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming and issued 286 violations. 

In the week ending November 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 224,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 213,000 to 215,000. The 4-week moving average was 218,250, an increase of 750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 217,000 to 217,500.