May 14, 2021

US Department of Labor reaches agreement with Conduent Inc. to resolve alleged hiring discrimination at Oklahoma facility

YUKON, OK – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a conciliation agreement with Conduent Inc. to resolve alleged systemic hiring discrimination against Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander applicants for customer care assistant positions at its Yukon facility.

May 13, 2021

US Department of Labor announces ‘America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion’ is 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month theme

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the theme for 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month is “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” Held each October, the annual commemoration raises awareness about disability employment issues, and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities.

May 13, 2021

OSHA, Maine Brewers’ Guild, Maine Department of Labor’s Workplace Safety and Health Division partner to promote worker safety

AUGUSTA, ME – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Maine Department of Labor Workplace Safety and Health Division (SafetyWorks!) and the Maine Brewers’ Guild have formed an alliance to promote worker safety and health in the Maine brewing industry. 

May 13, 2021

US Department of Labor announces 18-month delay to rule affecting prevailing wage for certain immigrants, non-immigrants

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an 18-month delay in the effective date of the final rule, “Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States.”

Published in January 2021, the final rule affects employers seeking to employ foreign workers on a permanent or temporary basis through certain immigrant visas or through H-1B, H-1B1 and E-3 non-immigrant visas.  The final rule will now go into effect on Nov. 14, 2022. 

May 13, 2021

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending May 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 473,000, a decrease of 34,000 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 up by 9,000 from 498,000 to 507,000. The 4-week moving average was 534,000, a decrease of 28,250 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 up by 2,250 from 560,000 to 562,250.

May 13, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers more than $530K in back wages after investigation finds Florida employer missed multiple payrolls

Hallandale, FL – Construction industry employers owe it to their workers to pay them their hard-earned wages on time for their long hours and often demanding, physical labor.

A Hallandale-based restoration firm has learned that failing to meet these obligations doesn’t pay.

May 12, 2021

South Florida H-2A employer pays $21K after US Department of Labor uncovers guest worker visa program violations

LEHIGH ACRES, FL – Eighty-one workers harvesting squash and zucchini at a Homestead farm discovered the contractor who hired them was not going to provide meals or kitchen facilities. Workers were forced to spend more on meals than $12.46 per day, the amount promised by the contractor, a violation of the federal H-2A guest worker visa program.

May 12, 2021

US Department of Labor secures court order requiring Tennessee disaster relief company and officer to pay $87K in back wages and damages to employees who worked in US Virgin Islands

ST. CROIX, VI – The District Court of the Virgin Islands has ordered a Gallatin, Tennessee, construction management and disaster relief company and its then officer and current CEO to pay $87,000 to 26 employees to resolve violations of the minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

May 11, 2021

US Department of Labor investigation finds Orange County assisted-living facilities operator shorted workers’ pay

LAGUNA HILLS, CA – Serving the needs of the elderly and others in residential care demands skill and commitment. More than a job, it is a vocation and a source of pride for many. Yet, regardless of the job’s essential nature, some of these workers fall victim to employers who show little concern for their employees’ well-being or for paying them all the wages they have legally earned.

May 11, 2021

Los Angeles garment contractor to pay back wages, penalties after US Department of Labor finds overtime violations

WEST COVINA, CA – Garment industry workers have too often fallen victim to employers who fail to pay these vulnerable workers all of the wages they have legally earned. A recent U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found a Los Angeles garment contractor continuing this trend and held them accountable.

May 11, 2021

NEWS: US Department of Labor recovers more than $33K in back wages for 22 workers at Florida home healthcare service

CRYSTAL RIVER, FL Few would argue with the fact that home healthcare nurses – who serve the needs of our communities and their most vulnerable – deserve all the wages they legally earn. When employers fail to pay workers like these correctly, the U.S. Department of Labor responds.

May 10, 2021

OSHA cites 6 contractors for exposing workers to falls, other safety hazards at Medford luxury home site; proposes nearly $250K in penalties

MARLTON, NJ – Six contractors constructing luxury single-family homes at the future site of Hawthorne Estates in Medford put workers at risk of serious or fatal injuries by failing to comply with federal requirements to prevent falls, the leading cause of death in the construction industry.

May 10, 2021

Minnesota company debarred from federal guest worker program after investigation finds temporary foreign workers exploited

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota lawn care and snow removal company took advantage of more than 70 temporary foreign workers – charging them higher rent than allowed, requiring them to pay for their international transportation and demanding payment to keep their jobs – all in violation of the federal H-2B Visa program. The program helps supply employers with temporary foreign workers when sufficient numbers of U.S.

May 7, 2021

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

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

May 7, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers $36K in back wages for Fort Myers’ grocery store workers after investigation finds overtime violations

FORT MYERS, FL – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has recovered more than $36,000 in back wages for workers at a grocery store that denied them overtime pay required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

May 6, 2021

US Department of Labor proposes $558K in fines for Texas bath, shower manufacturer for willful, repeat safety violations at Waco facility

WACO, TX – Moving machine parts have the potential to cause serious or fatal injuries when safety protections and procedures are ignored, and yet a Waco bath and shower manufacturer once again failed to provide its employees a safe and healthful workplace.

May 6, 2021

US Department of Labor asks Kansas heavy construction industries to submit data to help establish accurate prevailing wage rates

WICHITA, KS- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division asks businesses in Kansas’ heavy construction industries to complete surveys to help the agency establish accurate prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts.

May 6, 2021

US Department of Labor announces proposed rulemaking for range herding, livestock production applications under the H-2A program

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking related to the adjudication of temporary need for employers seeking to hire for herding or production of livestock on the range jobs under the H-2A program.

May 6, 2021

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending May 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 498,000, a decrease of 92,000 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 up by 37,000 from 553,000 to 590,000. The 4-week moving average was 560,000, a decrease of 61,000 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 up by 9,250 from 611,750 to 621,000.