ORLANDO, FL – Investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor of 11 central Florida heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractors have recovered more than $113,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 169 workers whose employers’ illegal pay practices denied them their full wages.

Who:                                       U.S. Department of Labor

Tuskegee State University faculty, students and career services professionals

What:                                     U.S. Department of Labor, Southeast Region Hiring Initiative Summer Summits

When:                                     Aug. 17, 2022

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

                       Damage Prevention Council of Texas Northwest

                       Mayor Adam Steen, City of Monahans

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration has recognized the Department of Labor – for the fifth consecutive year – with an A+ on its Fiscal Year 2021 Small Business Federal Procurement Scorecard.

Date of action:                       Aug. 4, 2022

Type of action:                      Joint stipulation, order for preliminary injunction

Employer name:            Che Garibaldi doing business as Taqueria Garibaldi

                                                1841 Howe Ave.

                                                Sacramento, CA 95825

BATON ROUGE, LA – Federal safety inspectors have cited the operator of several Baton Rouge-area car wash, oil change, fueling and convenience store locations after a workplace violence investigation into the stabbing of an assistant manager on Feb. 6, 2022. The employee was treated and later released from the hospital.

EVENT:         Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Mid-Atlantic Region Data Users Conference, in partnership with the Federal Reserve                                     Bank of Philadelphia

WHO:            Bureau of Labor Statistics

                              Commissioner William Beach

In the week ending August 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 262,000, an increase of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 12,000 from 260,000 to 248,000. The 4-week moving average was 252,000, an increase of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 7,250 from 254,750 to 247,500.

SOUTHAVEN, MS – The operator of five Wing Stop franchise locations in Mississippi who made employees pay for their uniforms, safety training, background checks and cash register shortages – and violated child labor regulations – has been held  accountable by the U.S. Department of Labor, and paid $114,427 in back wages, liquidated damages and civil penalties.

MINNEAPOLIS – After a federal investigation found a Golden Valley franchisee of a national chain of home healthcare providers failed to pay overtime to certified nursing and patient care assistants as required by law – and then attempted to mask the violations – the U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint in federal court in Minneapolis to recover back wages and damages.

PARK CITY, UT– A federal whistleblower investigation has found a Shreveport, Louisiana-based provider of helicopter ambulance services retaliated against a pilot in Utah who refused to fly twice in 2021 amid concerns about limited visibility.

KANSAS CITY, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a multi-establishment conciliation agreement with Cerner Corp. – a healthcare and information technology company – to resolve preliminary findings of a federal compliance evaluation that alleged the company discriminated in hiring Black and Asian applicants between 2015 to 2019.

PITTSBURGH – In return for providing essential homecare for people in need, 218 workers employed by a Pittsburgh-based home care agency expected their employer to pay them all their hard-earned wages. Instead, they found their employer denied them overtime wages, and manipulated records to hide the wage theft.     

LOUISVILLE, CO – An administrative law judge in Denver has affirmed the findings of a U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety investigation that determined a Louisville acute inpatient psychiatric treatment facility exposed direct care employees – such as nurses and mental health technicians – to aggressive patients who regularly assaulted and seriously injured them.

DENVER – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Ryan Companies, builder of a five-story, 4,000,000-square-foot distribution center in Loveland, have entered into a strategic partnership to promote the safety and health of those working on the project. The Colorado Onsite Health and Safety Consultation Program at Colorado State University is also part of the partnership.

Employer:                                        Wooden Shoe Farms

Investigation site:                       673 North 825 West

                                                             Blackfoot, ID 83221

ROCHESTER, NY – A federal investigation has recovered $228,379 in back wages for 260 employees of a Rochester-based home healthcare agency that denied them overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an incremental award of $961,059 to support continued disaster-relief employment and employment and training services in northern California after devastating wildfires in August 2020.

HEBRON, KY – The initial discovery of illegal pay practices at a Hebron, Kentucky, warehouse by the U.S. Department of Labor led to a broader investigation that found systemic overtime violations by a California-based warehouse operator and e-commerce distributor, and a determination that the employer owes $1,025,909 in back wages to 995 warehouse workers in Kentucky and California.

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