MOBILE, AL – The operator of a Smoothie King franchise in Mobile, Alabama, has paid $918 in back wages to seven employees after wrongly denying them emergency paid sick leave. The seven employees took leave while some sought medical diagnosis for suspected coronavirus infection and others followed orders to self-quarantine due to coronavirus exposure at the workplace.

NEW HAMPTON, IA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Precision of New Hampton Inc. – based in New Hampton, Iowa – will pay 150 employees a total of $279,505 in back wages for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor took a range of actions to aid American workers and employers as our nation combats the coronavirus pandemic.

Reopening America’s Economy:

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement regarding the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) has selected Eightfold.ai, a Mountain View, California-based software solution provider, as the grand prize recipient of its competition to build an application to better match transitioning military service members’ skills with employers’ needs.

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) urges response crews and residents in areas affected by Hurricane Sally to be aware of hazards created by flooding, power loss, structural damage, fallen trees and storm debris.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where he joined Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) to highlight workforce development and apprenticeships. The Secretary and Congressman toured Elizabethtown Community and Technical College and held a roundtable discussion with educators and manufacturers. Secretary Scalia and Congressman Guthrie also visited Summit Polymers to meet with employees and tour the facility.

DALLAS, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and Microsoft Corp. U.S. have entered into an early resolution conciliation agreement (ERCA) to resolve alleged hiring discrimination practices at its facilities in Irving, Texas; Redmond, Washington; New York, New York; and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of a campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of registered apprenticeships, and increase participation by business leaders and job seekers nationwide.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has awarded approximately $11.2 million in Susan Harwood federal safety and health training grants to 90 nonprofit organizations nationwide.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to discuss economic recovery, workplace safety, and the steps needed to develop a skilled, dynamic workforce. Secretary Scalia visited Consolidated Metals, where he met company leadership and employees and discussed the economic re-opening. Additionally, Secretary Scalia visited Great Oaks which specializes in career and technical education for both high school students and adults.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Government, through efforts of the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, signed an updated bilateral cooperative agreement with Guatemala to facilitate increased transparency, accountability and worker safety in the H-2 nonimmigrant visa programs for temporary workers from Guatemala.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced actions it is taking to assist Americans in states affected by Hurricane Sally.

In response to the anticipated needs of those living in states in the path of Hurricane Sally, the Department and its agencies are taking the following actions:

In the week ending September 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 860,000, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 9,000 from 884,000 to 893,000. The 4-week moving average was 912,000, a decrease of 61,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 2,250 from 970,750 to 973,000.

Read the full release.

GEORGETOWN, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Georgetown Dental LLC for violating respiratory protection and other standards at the Georgetown, Massachusetts, location. OSHA cited the dental practice for six serious and one other-than-serious violations, with proposed penalties of $9,500. The company has paid the penalty in full and abated the citations.

NEW YORK, NY – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Weaver Racing Inc. and owner George R. Weaver paid a total of $425,000 in court-ordered back wages, liquidated damages and civil penalties for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the labor provisions of the H-2B visa program.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a total of $32,000,000 in Workforce Information Grants to States (WIGS) for use by states and territories to support the development, management and delivery of workforce and labor market information.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of approximately $2,500,000 million in grants through the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) that incentivizes workplace diversity and facilitates access to good jobs for American workers.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of three Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) totaling $11,150,278 to Oklahoma, Washington and Wisconsin, to help address the workforce-related impacts of the coronavirus public health emergency.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the availability of up to $40 million in funding in the Rural Healthcare Grant Program to address rural healthcare workforce shortages in communities across the country.