PHILADELPHIA─ The U.S. Department of Labor will hold an online listening session with employees, employers and other stakeholders in the Northeast on May 13, 2022, on possible revisions to the regulations that enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime exemptions for executive, administrative and professional employees.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the April 2022 Employment Situation Report:

MILWAUKEE – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Wisconsin On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program, Gilbane Building Co., C.D. Smith Construction and labor unions are partnering to protect worker safety and health at the Wisconsin Center Expansion project in Milwaukee.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Four Ocean State medical facilities in Providence and West Greenwich, and their owner and operator, will pay $175,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 103 employees to resolve violations of federal overtime requirements, after an investigation and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The employer will also pay $50,000 in civil money penalties.

COVINGTON, GA – A federal workplace safety investigation has determined that two companies failed to follow required safety standards that could have prevented a bridge collapse and spared the life of a 33-year-old worker on a demolition project in Covington on Oct. 19, 2021.

CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint and has asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order against a Huntley restaurant and its owners for retaliating and intimidating workers illegally during an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division.

In the week ending April 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 200,000, an increase of 19,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 180,000 to 181,000. The 4-week moving average was 188,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 179,750 to 180,000.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra met with health insurance and business leaders on May 3 to discuss compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, adequacy of in-network providers and mental health and substance use disorder treatment during the pandemic, as the nation observes Mental Health Awareness Month.

Participant:   Acushnet Company, Custom Operations. New Bedford, Massachusetts

PHOENIX – Following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that found a Phoenix-area landscaping company and its owner used illegal pay practices, lied to investigators and intimidated workers, a consent judgment has been entered in federal court to recover back wages and damages for employees and hold the employer accountable.

Employer name:                    United Cerebral Palsy of Greater New Orleans Inc.

Investigation site:                  New Orleans, Louisiana

OKLAHOMA CITY – Federal workplace safety investigators found that a construction company’s failure to prevent sudden start-up of a conveyor system contributed to an 18-year-old worker’s fatal injuries after he was pulled into a hot asphalt silo as he tried to remove debris from the conveyor in Oklahoma City on Nov. 2, 2021.

Employer name:                    3Pointe Restaurant Group Holdings LLC

Investigation sites:               4507 W Walnut St., Rogers, AR 72756

                                                        1049 N Salem Road, Fayetteville, AR 72704

                                                        6800 W Sunset Ave., Springdale, AR 72762

CHICAGO ─ The U.S. Department of Labor is holding a series of listening sessions with employees and their stakeholders on possible revisions to the regulations that enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime exemptions for executive, administrative and professional employees.

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor and LinkedIn Corp. have entered into a conciliation agreement to resolve allegations of systemic, gender-based pay discrimination by the operator of employment-oriented websites and mobile apps at its San Francisco and Sunnyvale, California, facilities.

WHO:           U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division

WHAT:          Construction and Government Contracting Forum

WHEN:         May 17 and 18, 2022

LAS VEGAS – A federal investigation has recovered $94,112 in back wages and liquidated damages for 33 workers of a Las Vegas construction company that denied them overtime wages by misclassifying the workers as independent contractors. The investigation also found that the employer denied a worker sick leave in violation of the Family First Coronavirus Response Act.

Employer name:                    Arrow Pest Control of Baton Rouge Inc.,

                                                      doing business as Arrow Termite and Pest Control Co.

Investigation site:                  Baton Rouge, Louisiana

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $8 million in funding over four years to manage the Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Policy Development Center.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced its Veterans’ Employment and Training Service has signed a memorandum of understanding with seven organizations to serve as partners in support of VETS’ Employment Navigator and Partnership Pilot.