U.S. Department of Labor

LOS ANGELES, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered a consent judgment resulting in two Orange County, California, residential care home operators paying $1,100,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 66 employees for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

NEW YORK, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) willful and serious citations against Tony Watson - doing business as Countryside Tree Service - were affirmed by an administrative law judge with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. OSHA issued its citations after an employee died after being pulled into a wood chipper on his first day on the job at a Schenectady, New York, work site. The judge’s decision also orders the employer to pay $66,986 in penalties.

In the week ending October 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 210,000. The 4-week moving average was 214,750, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 213,750.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the release of the Annual Report of the Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group. This report is released on behalf of the signatories to the Declaration of Joint Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol, which was signed by the U.S. Department of Labor, the governments of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana and the National Confectioners Association, on behalf of the international chocolate and cocoa industry.

HARTFORD, CT – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Nolita LLC – operating as Nolita Ristorante in East Hartford, Connecticut – and owner Vishal Sharma has paid $19,657 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 14 current and former employees to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). 

ATHENS, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited national discount retailer Dollar Tree Stores Inc. for exposing employees to safety hazards, at its store on Atlanta Highway in Athens, Georgia. The company faces $125,026 in proposed penalties.

GREENACRES, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited two Florida commercial and residential roofing companies for exposing employees to struck-by and fall hazards at a Greenacres, Florida, worksite. The companies face a combined $83,348 in penalties.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has reached a settlement with Intel Corp. to resolve allegations of systemic pay discrimination against female, African American and Hispanic American employees at its facilities in Arizona, California and Oregon. Under the terms of the agreement, Intel Corp. agreed to pay $3,500,000 in back pay and interest. Intel Corp. also agreed to allocate at least $1,500,000 in pay-equity adjustments for the next five years for U.S.

CENTRAL FALLS, RI – The U.S. Department of Labor will host an energy outreach event to provide information about the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act and help current and former nuclear weapons workers file claims in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island area on Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

WHAT: Energy Outreach Event

WHERE: Adams Public Library
205 Central Street
Central Falls, RI 02863

MOLINE, IL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) Osaka Steak House Sushi & Hibachi Inc. – doing business as Osaka Buffet in Moline, Illinois – will pay $78,970 in back wages to 33 current and former employees for violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA.

AUSTIN, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Liquid Environmental Solutions of Texas LLC for workplace safety hazards following an employee fatality at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in April 2019. The company faces $301,188 in fines.

CHARLESTON, WV - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Roofing Solutions LLC – based in Charleston, West Virginia – for exposing employees to falls, and other safety and health hazards at worksites in Charleston and Nitro, West Virginia. The company faces $202,988 in penalties.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – To help establish prevailing wage rates, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is conducting a survey of highway construction projects in Delaware.

The survey includes wages paid on all highway construction projects – active between June 1, 2018, and May 31, 2019 – throughout the state of Delaware. The survey is not limited to federally funded construction projects. The information provided for this survey will be used to establish prevailing wage rates as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA).

WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has released a new Technical Assistance Guide (TAG) for Educational Institutions to assist them in meeting their legal requirements and responsibilities as federal contractors.

LAS VEGAS, NV – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Royal West Drywall Inc. – a residential drywall and paint company in Las Vegas, Nevada – will pay $133,007 in back wages to 233 employees for violating the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

POWAY, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. – a Poway, California-based federal contactor providing aircraft systems and services to the U.S. Army – will pay $951,456 to 1,109 employees nationwide for violating the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA).

OCEAN SPRINGS, MS – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Graham Construction Co. Inc. for exposing employees to trenching hazards after inspectors observed employees installing water lines in an unprotected excavation at a work site in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The contractor faces $161,771 in penalties.

In the week ending October 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 210,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 219,000 to 220,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,750, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 212,500 to 212,750.

SYRACUSE, NY – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Dollar Tree Stores Inc. for unsafe storage of material, obstructed exit routes and blocked electrical panels at the discount retailer's Elmira, New York, store. The Chesapeake, Virginia-based retailer faces $208,368 in proposed penalties.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an opioid-crisis National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant for up to $4,710,000, with $2,134,933 released initially, to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. The grant will support disaster-relief jobs and provide employment services to eligible individuals in Mississippi affected by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose.