BOISE, ID ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment in federal court requiring a Boise dog daycare facility and its former owner to pay $50,000 in general and punitive damages for terminating two employees unlawfully for raising workplace safety concerns about being exposed to the risk of the coronavirus amid the pandemic in June 2020.

Employer:                                          Dolgencorp LLC, operating as Dollar General

404 East Pioneer St.

Crandon, Wisconsin 54520

Citations Issued:                   Three repeat violations and one other-than-serious violation 

WAYNE, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with a New Jersey building contractor who allowed their subcontractors’ employees to work in close proximity to high-voltage power lines at a Paterson work site in 2021 and 2022.

CHICAGO – An independent research center affiliated with the University of Chicago will pay $95,000 in back wages and interest to 107 Asian applicants to resolve alleged hiring discrimination found in a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the incremental award of $7.5 million in funding to support continued disaster-relief employment and workforce training for eligible residents in Florida as the state continues to recover following Hurricane Ian. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a settlement with United of Omaha Life Insurance Co. that requires the company to revise how it administers its requirement that participants in employer-sponsored life insurance plans provide proof of good health — referred to as evidence of insurability — before obtaining coverage in certain instances. 

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against the operator and owner of four western Michigan 7-Eleven convenience stores after an investigation found payroll records were inaccurate, paid employees “off the books” and failed to pay them overtime.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor and International Labor Organization today announced the launch of a joint initiative in Leon, Guanajuato, that will support workplace democratic processes in Mexico through the impartial observation of workplace votes and the capacity-building of workers, employers and other key stakeholders on the issues of freedom of association and collective bargaining.

KEY LARGO, FL – A 29-year-old employee of a Florida marine construction company drowned in five feet of water after being pinned under a fallen crane in March 2023. Federal workplace safety investigators determined the company could have prevented the fatality by following required safety standards.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has awarded more than $10.5 million in grants to reduce mining accidents, injuries and illnesses by supporting programs such as safety and health courses. 

Employer:      Quick Service Foods Inc., operating as Wendy’s

                        1779 Army Drive, Suite 104

Date of action: September 28, 2023

Type of action: Employee Retirement Income Security Act consent order and judgment 

Names of defendants:           Sypris Solutions Inc. and

                                                Sypris Solutions 401(k) Merged Retirement Savings Plan

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $5 million to organizations in seven states to increase the numbers of women in Registered Apprenticeship programs and help connect them with good-paying careers in nontraditional occupations where the Biden-Harris administration’s historic infrastructure, manufacturing and clean energy investments are creating sharp job increases. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $16 million in grants to support organizations in 12 states as they pilot strategies to improve job quality and increase the availability of good jobs in the care, climate resiliency and hospitality sectors.

While essential to the economy’s growth and vitality, these critical sectors have historically provided lower-paying jobs with few benefits, worker protections and opportunities for advancement. 

WEST COVINA, CA – Un tribunal federal emitió sentencias que requieren que los operadores de la planta procesadora de aves de corral en La Puente paguen más de $1 millón después de que el Departamento de Trabajo de EE.UU. encontró que los empleadores negaron deliberadamente salarios por horas extra a 113 trabajadores y trataron de ocultar el robo de salario.

Employer:      San Jose Care Homes for the Elderly LLC

                        32262 Crest Lane 

Union City, CA 94587

WEST COVINA, CA – A federal court has entered default judgments that require the operators of La Puente poultry processing plant to pay more than $1 million after the U.S. Department of Labor found the employers deliberately denied overtime wages earned by 113 workers and tried to hide the wage theft.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor, in partnership with the Department of Justice, today announced the award of more than $63 million in funding to enhance the Bureau of Prisons’ existing rehabilitation and reentry efforts by partnering with workforce agencies in 11 additional states.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today published a fact sheet that clarifies protections under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that prohibit certain forms of antisemitic, Islamophobic and related forms of discrimination in federally funded programs and activities. The publication marks the first time the department has put this guidance in writing.