FairPay Initiative Guarantees Overtime Rights for Millions of Workers

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced the final regulations governing overtime eligibility for “white-collar” workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The regulations had not been substantially updated for over 50 years, creating confusion for workers and employers, generating wasteful class action litigation, and failing to effectively protect workers’ pay rights.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

New York, New York - The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained an order from a federal court in Syracuse, New York, requiring the former principals of Bennett Funding Group Inc. to restore $2.66 million plus interest to the company’s pension, profit sharing and 401(k) plans.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Memphis, Tennessee - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the former president of Memphis-based International Staff Management Inc. for mismanagement of the Section 125 cafeteria health plan. ISM was a staff-leasing firm that operated a multiple employer welfare arrangement that left participants with as much as $535,000 in unpaid health claims.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Grand Rapids, Michigan - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the owner of Van-Kal Truck Equipment Inc. of Mattawan, Michigan, for failing to forward employee contributions to the company’s 401 (k) plan. The department also sued owner Steven P. Mullins to prevent him from discharging any debt owed to the plan.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Kansas City, Missouri - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the owner of Ver-Sa-Til Associates, Inc. in Chanhassen, Minnesota, for failing to timely forward employee contributions owed to the company’s profit sharing plan.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) today released a Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) providing enforcement guidance to field investigators on Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Grand Rapids, Michigan - The U.S. Department of Labor sued Kalamazoo, Michigan-based companies Magic P.I. & Security, Inc., and Magic Civil Process, Inc., the companies’ owner and the 401(k) plan trustee of Magic P.I. for misusing $511,157 in plan assets.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

WASHINGTON—The U. S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) today announced the appointment of Bradford P. Campbell to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy.

Mr. Campbell directs the policy, legislative and research functions of the agency that administers the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). He serves as a liaison to other government agencies and the private sector on a variety of issues relating to ERISA.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

SILVER SPRING, Md.—The U. S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment permanently barring the president of SAI Plus in Rockville, Md., from serving as a fiduciary or doing business with any employee benefit plan governed by federal benefits law.

WASHINGTON—A free database that identifies almost 1,600 qualified college students and recent graduates with disabilities who seek summer and permanent job openings is being made available to government and private sector employers.

SEATTLE—The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the filing of a consent judgment in which Siemens Building Technologies, Inc., of Bellevue agrees to pay 52 employees $1,204,203 in overtime back wages for alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Labor published final regulations today implementing Executive Order 13201, which requires government contractors and subcontractors to post notices informing their employees of their rights relating to union membership and the use of their union dues and fees.

“When everyone is informed of the law, workers, employers and unions all win,” said Victoria A. Lipnic, Assistant Secretary for Employment Standards. “We are charged with and committed to protecting workers and enforcing laws that guard their wages, their safety and their rights.”

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has extended to May 5, 2004 the deadline for providing comments on proposed changes to the ERISA Filing Acceptance System (EFAST).

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Cleveland, Ohio - The U.S. Department of Labor sued the former trustee of the 401(k) plan of defunct White’s Information Systems, Inc., of Cleveland, Ohio, for failing to forward to the account contributions withheld from employees’ paychecks.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Labor has filed settlement agreements providing for restitution of $4.875 million to 12 pension and welfare plans in California, Nevada and Utah that invested plan assets in risky private placement schemes with Capital Consultants LLC. The consent orders also require payment of $975,000 in civil penalties to the government.

Department Launches New Partnership Program

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) today launched a program aimed at promoting greater awareness and compliance with DOL’s employment laws through partnerships and activities with nonprofit stakeholder organizations. The new Partnerships for Compliance Assistance Program (PCAP) will complement DOL’s public outreach efforts and help protect the wages, health benefits, retirement security, safety and health of America’s workforce.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - The Compliance Assistance Seminar sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and the Nevada Department of Insurance, will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 28-29, 2004 at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino, 3801 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada.