June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor cites pharma, biotech manufacturer for failing to protect workers from coronavirus at Monmouth County facility

EATONTOWN, NJ – An Eatontown manufacturer failed to protect employees adequately from workplace exposure to coronavirus, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined, after an investigation into the deaths of two workers and the hospitalization of two others who contracted the coronavirus in the fall of 2020.

June 10, 2021

US Department of Labor investigation finds Campbellsville tobacco, hemp farm shortchanged temporary agricultural workers

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces the labor provisions of the federal H-2A temporary agricultural workers program to prevent employers from exploiting temporary, nonimmigrant workers hired for seasonal agricultural work and from gaining an unfair competitive advantage over law-abiding employers.

June 10, 2021

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending June 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 376,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 385,000. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000. The 4-week moving average was 402,500, a decrease of 25,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 428,000. This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 225,500.

June 8, 2021

US Department of Labor finds Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center required employees to work after clocking out, manipulated timecards

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas hospital that required workers to complete necessary paperwork without pay after their daily shifts ended also manipulated employee time cards to avoid paying overtime, a federal investigation has found.

June 7, 2021

US Department of Labor implements initiative to conduct random, weekend safety inspections to protect construction workers from falls, trench collapses

DENVER – As work at construction project sites increases in Colorado’s Front Range, more workers may find themselves exposed to falls and trenching and excavation hazards. Over the last two years, at least six workers have suffered fatal falls, and nearly a dozen excavation collapses and trenching incidents have led to the deaths of three workers in Colorado.

June 7, 2021

US Department of Labor cites Cambria grain facility for workplace safety failures following engulfment death of manager in corn silo

CAMBRIA, WI – After a worker who was clearing corn debris from an unsafe silo failed to arrive for a regularly scheduled meeting, employees called 911 when they could not find him at the silo, nor reach him by phone. It took emergency services nine hours to recover the body of the 52-year-old manager, found engulfed in the silo operated by Didion Milling Inc. in Cambria.

June 4, 2021

US Department of Labor partners with OHL North America construction company, University of South Florida to promote workplace safety

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Obrascón Huarte Lain North America are collaborating to promote worker safety and health at the South Corridor Rapid Transit project, a 20-mile stretch of existing busway.

June 4, 2021

Statement by US Secretary of Labor Walsh on the May Jobs Report

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the May 2021 Employment Situation Report:

June 3, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers $162K in back wages for 45 employees of three Key West restaurants after investigations find overtime violations

KEY WEST, FL – Business owners must understand their legal responsibilities to pay overtime when it comes to their workers, as well as any workers employed through staffing companies, to avoid costly violations, a lesson learned by the operators of three Key West restaurants. 

June 3, 2021

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending May 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 385,000, a decrease of 20,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 406,000 to 405,000. The 4-week moving average was 428,000, a decrease of 30,500 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 225,500. The previous week's average was revised down by 250 from 458,750 to 458,500.

June 2, 2021

Lackawanna County home healthcare company pays $140K in back wages, damages, penalties after US Labor Department secures court judgment

OLYPHANT, PA – A federal court has entered a consent judgment resolving a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit filed after an investigation found that an Olyphant home healthcare agency failed to pay 98 nurses overtime wages they legally earned – including payment for ancillary work and work-related travel – in violation of federal law.

June 2, 2021

US Department of Labor seeks Idaho building, heavy construction employers’ input to establish accurate prevailing wage rates

BOISE, ID – The U.S. Department of Labor is asking businesses in Idaho’s building and heavy construction industries to participate in a survey to help its Wage and Hour Division establish prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts.

June 2, 2021

US Department of Labor fines Piggly Wiggly franchisee after teenager injured doing prohibited work

Nahunta, GA What could have been a catastrophic and life-changing incident for a teenage worker instead resulted in a painful injury, a frightening lesson and an opportunity for a Nahunta Piggly Wiggly supermarket franchisee to protect all of its workers better.

June 2, 2021

Lack of hazardous energy control safeguards, unexpected steam release led to two workers’ deaths at Department of Veterans Affairs’ West Haven campus

BRIDGEPORT, CT – Two workers at a West Haven veterans’ healthcare facility suffered fatal injuries caused by hot steam after a metal fixture on a main steam line blew off. The workers had just finished making repairs to the steam pipe within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven campus in November 2020.

June 1, 2021

US Department of Labor sues New York health center and its CEO for firing employee who reported coronavirus safety concerns

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor is suing a Staten Island community health center and its CEO after they suspended and later fired an employee who reported coronavirus-related health and safety hazards, including possibly exposing staff to the virus and lack of proper social distancing protocols.

June 1, 2021

US Department of Labor awards more than $52M in grants to help homeless veterans reenter the workforce

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the award of more than $52 million in grants to help homeless veterans return to meaningful employment and address the complex problems facing homeless veterans.

June 1, 2021

Fort Myers behavioral healthcare center agrees to revamp its workplace violence prevention program after OSHA investigation of five incidents

FORT MYERS, FL  The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has reached a settlement with a Fort Myers behavioral healthcare and residential treatment facility to prevent future employee injuries after a series of violent incidents in the spring and fall of 2020.

June 1, 2021

Court orders Long Island contractor to pay $500K to 69 employees following US Department of Labor investigation, litigation

NEW YORK – A Long Island construction contractor who often directed laborers and masons to work 10-hour days, five or six days a week, knew the Fair Labor Standards Act required employees to receive overtime pay when they worked more than 40 hours per week, but disregarded the law.

June 1, 2021

Pearl security company pays $18K in back wages to 43 workers to resolve overtime violations found in US Department of Labor investigation

PEARL, MS  Security industry workers too often find themselves misclassified by their employers as independent contractors instead of employees, which can shortchange workers’ wages and benefits and expose employers to liability for back wage payments.

May 28, 2021

Statement by US Labor Secretary Walsh on the President’s FY 2022 Budget

WASHINGTON, DC – The Biden-Harris administration today submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2022. As the administration continues to make progress defeating the pandemic and getting our economy back on track, the budget makes historic investments that will help the country build back better and lay the foundation for shared growth and prosperity for decades to come.