WASHINGTON – Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and the Department of Labor has inducted a group of Thai garment workers who helped expose their former employer’s abusive labor practices in 1995 into the department’s Hall of Honor. The group, who spurred changes in legal protections for workers nationwide, were honored at a ceremony held on Sept. 18, 2023, at the department’s Washington headquarters.

Employers:    Sparty Tacos LLC

                        TC Tacos LLC

                        GR Tacos LLC, operating as Barrio Tacos

                        Owner Jacob Hawley

Actions:          Fair Labor Standards Act complaint filing

Courts:           U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division    

WASHINGTON – With opioid abuse responsible for about four deaths each day in Massachusetts, the commonwealth cites the epidemic as its greatest public health threat. To help address the crisis, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $1 million in funding for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development to address the impact of the opioid crisis on the local workforce in Berkshire County.

PHOENIX – The U.S. Department of Labor is asking employers in Arizona’s heavy and highway construction industries to participate in a survey to help the department’s Wage and Hour Division establish prevailing wage rates for construction workers employed on federally funded and federally assisted projects.

The Davis-Bacon Act and Related Acts directs the department to set the prevailing wage rates that reflect the actual wages and fringe benefits paid to construction workers in the county where the work takes place. 

Who:            U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

                        Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division

AUSTIN, TX – A workplace safety investigation found that a Nixon poultry processor exposed employees to ergonomic hazards, a common industry safety concern and the cause of many injuries to its workers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates about 50 percent of injuries and illnesses in the poultry processing industry involve musculoskeletal disorders.

PALM COAST, FL – El Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. determinó que un centro turístico y spa de Palm Coast violó las leyes federales que exigen a los empleadores brindar adaptaciones en el lugar de trabajo para las trabajadoras que necesitan extraerse leche materna para sus bebés, en particular un lugar designado para que puedan extraerse la leche de forma privada.

WASHINGTON – Amid a sharp national increase in opioid overdoses, Washington state has also experienced significant increases in opioid-related drug overdose deaths, as deaths nearly doubled from 827 in 2019 to 1,619 in 2021. To help address the crisis, the U.S.

WASHINGTON – On Aug. 30, 2023, Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm along the northeastern Gulf Coast, bringing high winds, storm surges and massive flooding to Florida and the region. To support disaster-relief jobs and employment and training services as the state recovers from the impacts, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced an initial award of more than $6.6 million to assist people in 33 counties.

PALM COAST, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor determined that a Palm Coast resort and spa violated federal laws requiring employers to provide workplace accommodations for workers who need to pump breast milk for their infants, particularly a designated place for them to express milk privately. Additionally, the employer violated federal child labor laws, employing children between the ages of 14 and 15 to work longer than federal law permits.

COLQUITT, GA – A federal investigation into how a 59-year-old worker at a Colquitt grain silo became engulfed and suffocated in April 2023 found the operator could have prevented the fatality by following required grain-handling safety regulations.

HIXSON, TN- Una investigación del Departamento de Trabajo de los Estados Unidos ha permitido recuperar $17,006 para cinco trabajadores de un restaurante de Hixson que no les pagó sus salarios de horas extras. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of more than $57 million in grants to support projects in 12 states that support unemployed and underemployed people to access, return to, or advance in high-quality jobs in infrastructure, environment and climate, the care economy and other critical and growing industries. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Office of Disability Employment Policy has awarded $2 million in funds to Cornell University to operate an employer-focused, disability policy development and technical assistance center.

DEDEDO, GUAM ‒ Two weeks after federal workplace safety inspectors warned the operator of a Tamuning construction company of hazardous conditions facing employees working in an excavation, they returned to find the company again exposing workers to potentially deadly trench hazards as they installed a sewer line at the Paradise Court subdivision in Mangilao. 

HIXSON, TN – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has led to the recovery of $17,006 for five workers of a Hixson restaurant that failed to pay them their correct overtime wages. 

MILLERSBURG, OH – On four occasions in less than three months in 2023, U.S. Department of Labor inspectors observed a Millersburg roofing contractor again exposing workers to deadly fall hazards of up to 19 feet at four residential roofing job sites in Canton, Uniontown and Westlake, despite having fall protection equipment available on site. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today – in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority and Northern Border Regional Commission – more than $44 million in awards to provide career training and supportive services to help workers in these areas secure good jobs in stable, high-demand occupations. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced today that the department’s Wage and Hour Division and the EEOC signed a formal partnership that will enhance and maximize the enforcement of federal laws and regulations.

In the week ending September 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 220,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 216,000 to 217,000. The 4-week moving average was 224,500, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 229,250 to 229,500.