December 9, 2024

Federal court judgment finds Philadelphia-area home care agency owes $414K in back wages, liquidated damages to 62 workers denied overtime

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.

December 9, 2024

US Department of Labor to hold ERISA Advisory Council meeting Dec. 12-13

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.

December 9, 2024

US Department of Labor issues final rule adopting voluntary consensus standards for electric motor-driven mine equipment, accessories

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. 

December 9, 2024

Bakeware company faces $182K in fines following 2 worker amputations because of unguarded machines

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. 

December 6, 2024

Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on November jobs report

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

December 6, 2024

Department of Labor seeks back wages, damages from US Postal Service for allegedly firing a worker who raised safety concerns

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.

December 5, 2024

Department of Labor cites North Florida contractors for willfully endangering employees in excavations without required safety protections

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. 

December 5, 2024

US Department of Labor finds lack of training, other failures led forklift operator to suffer fatal injuries at Elm Mott tire distribution facility

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.

December 5, 2024

US Department of Labor conducted impact inspections at 15 mines with histories of repeated health, safety violations in October 2024

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. 

December 5, 2024

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

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.

December 4, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $24K in back wages, damages from Kentucky employer that denied 22 London smoke shop workers overtime

Employer:   25 Vape & Smoke LLC

Employer address:    1745 North Laurel Road, London, KY 40741

December 4, 2024

Lake Zurich roofing contractor continues to ignore safety regulations, exposing workers to deadly fall hazards in 8 inspections since 2020

LAKE ZURICH, IL – For the eighth time since 2020, federal workplace safety inspectors have cited a Lake Zurich roofing contractor for exposing workers to falls from elevation, the leading cause of fatal and serious injuries among people employed in the construction industry.

December 3, 2024

Department of Labor obtains consent judgment ordering 2 healthcare staffing companies to pay a total of more than $2.4M in back wages, liquidated damages to 341 employees

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment and order in federal court that recovers a total of more than $2.4 million in back wages and liquidated damages from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania healthcare staffing agencies that denied 341 employees overtime wages, including employees misclassified as independent contractors

December 3, 2024

US Department of Labor announces proposed rule to phase out certificates allowing payment of less than minimum wage to workers with disabilities

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposed rule that would phase out the issuance of certificates allowing employers to pay some workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage, currently $7.25 per hour, for the work they perform.

December 2, 2024

Department of Labor obtains judgment to recover $72K in wages, damages for 20 workers denied full wages by Oklahoma farm, landscape stores

TULSA, OK  The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment and injunction to recover $72,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 20 workers whose Oklahoma employer misapplied the agriculture exemption to retail workers and did not pay overtime to employees who worked more than 40 hours per week regularly. 

December 2, 2024

US Department of Labor extends public comment period for proposed heat injury, illness prevention rule until Jan. 14, 2025

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has extended the public comment period for its proposed rule to protect workers from extreme heat exposure in indoor and outdoor workplaces to remain open until Jan. 14, 2025.