October 31, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $109K in back wages, benefits from Maryland contractor that underpaid 55 workers at Eglin AFB

Employer:   Crystal Enterprises Inc.

Employer address:    10837 Lanham Severn Road, Glenn Dale, MD 20769

October 31, 2024

Department of Labor completed impact inspections at 8 mines in 7 states with histories of repeated health, safety violations in September 2024

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections in September 2024 at eight mines in Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin and issued 112 violations. 

October 31, 2024

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending October 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 216,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 227,000 to 228,000. The 4-week moving average was 236,500, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 238,500 to 238,750.

October 30, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $53K in back wages, damages from cleaning service that misclassified 59 workers as independent contractors

Employer:                              Finichel LLC, operating as Finichel Cleaning Services 

Investigation site:                  801 Mohawk Drive

West Columbia, SC 29169

October 29, 2024

Department of Labor finds construction contractors failed to protect rigger from fatal 30-story fall at Fort Lauderdale high-rise

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found two contractors could have prevented a crane collapse at a Fort Lauderdale residential construction site in April 2024, which caused a 27-year-old rigger to suffer fatal injuries after falling approximately 30 stories.

October 29, 2024

US Department of Labor to host Veteran Resource and Opportunity Fair in Buffalo for military members, spouses seeking career growth

BUFFALO, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs will mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act and Veterans Day 2024 by holding a Veteran Resource and Opportunity Fair on Nov. 6, 2024. 

October 29, 2024

Department of Labor investigation into worker’s fatal grain engulfment finds Missouri farm cooperative lacked adequate rescue equipment

HAMILTON, MO ‒ A Missouri grain cooperative could have prevented an employee’s fatal engulfment in a storage bin in May 2024 had it followed federal workplace safety requirements, the U.S. Department of Labor determined.

October 28, 2024

Department of Labor seeks Kentucky highway construction industry’s input to set accurate prevailing wage, fringe benefits for workers

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Department of Labor encourages employers and others in Kentucky’s highway construction industry to complete a statewide prevailing wage rates survey to help its Wage and Hour Division establish accurate pay and fringe benefits for workers on federally funded and assisted construction projects.

October 28, 2024

US Department of Labor signs memorandum with Kenyan government to promote labor cooperation, strengthen ties between two countries

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and Kenya’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection today signed a memorandum of understanding to advance labor cooperation between the two countries.

Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee and Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Labor and Social Protection Alfred N. Mutua met for a signing ceremony at the ministry’s Nairobi headquarters.

October 28, 2024

US Department of Labor awards $5M for temporary jobs, workforce training to continue Hurricane Idalia support to Florida

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $5 million in funding to support continued disaster-relief employment and workforce training for Florida residents as the state continues to recover after Hurricane Idalia.

October 24, 2024

US Department of Labor announces collaboration with New York to promote labor law compliance, child labor enforcement

Date of action:           Oct. 3, 2024 

Participants:              U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division 

                        New York State Department of Labor, Division of Labor Standards

October 24, 2024

Judge affirms serious violations against Rochester roofing contractor that exposed workers to 4-story falls from Village of Newark municipal building

SYRACUSE, NY – An administrative law judge has ordered a Rochester commercial roofing company to pay $16,782 in penalties for two serious fall protection and ladder safety violations, after an investigation and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor.

October 24, 2024

Departments of Labor, Commerce, Education renew memorandum of understanding with Switzerland to expand Registered Apprenticeship in US

WASHINGTON – The U.S. and Swiss governments have renewed a memorandum of understanding to expand and strengthen quality apprenticeships and pathways to good jobs, including Registered Apprenticeships, among Swiss companies and Swiss-invested companies in the U.S.

October 24, 2024

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending October 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 227,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 241,000 to 242,000. The 4-week moving average was 238,500, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 236,250 to 236,500.

October 23, 2024

US Department of Labor, Office of the Trade Representative seek review of alleged denial of labor rights at Hidalgo, Mexico, cement plant facility

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested that the Mexican government review an alleged denial of workers’ rights at Odisa Equipment Services, a cement plant machinery manufacturing facility in Hidalgo, Mexico.

The U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.

October 23, 2024

Department of Labor welcomes new Apprenticeship Ambassadors, recognizes organizations for promoting, expanding, diversifying Registered Apprenticeship

WASHINGTON – At a White House ceremony today, the U.S. Department of Labor welcomed the latest cohort of Apprenticeship Ambassadors and recognized current ambassadors for meeting or exceeding their commitments to expand and diversify Registered Apprenticeships. 

October 22, 2024

Department of Labor announces Advisory Board on Toxic Substances, Worker Health will meet Oct. 30

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor today announced the Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health for Part E of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act will hold an online meeting Oct. 30, 2024. Meetings are open to the public.

The act provides compensation and medical benefits to nuclear weapons workers diagnosed with medical conditions caused by their exposure to toxic substances at covered nuclear facilities.

October 22, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers more than $1B in wages, damages for 615,000 workers under Biden-Harris administration

WASHINGTON –The Biden-Harris administration today announced that the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $1 billion in back wages and damages for our nation’s workers since the start of the Biden-Harris administration. The recoveries derive from investigations concluded by the division from Jan. 20, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2024.

October 22, 2024

El Departamento de Trabajo obtiene orden judicial para recuperar $120K en sueldos, daños de un franquiciado de Huddle House que retuvo sueldos e hizo deducciones ilegales

OKLAHOMA CITY – El Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. obtuvo un fallo por consentimiento y un interdicto para recuperar $120,000 en sueldos atrasados y daños y perjuicios para 177 trabajadores de restaurantes de Oklahoma cuyo empleador dedujo el tiempo de descanso para almorzar que no se utilizó y no les pagó por todas las horas trabajadas.

October 22, 2024

Department of Labor obtains judgment to recover $120K in wages, damages from Huddle House franchisee who withheld wages, made illegal deductions

OKLAHOMA CITY  The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment and injunction to recover $120,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 177 Oklahoma restaurant workers whose employer deducted time for lunch breaks not taken and failed to pay employees for all hours worked.