EDISON, NJ – U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer continued her America at Work listening tour this week with visits to Long Island, New York, and Edison, New Jersey, where she met with apprentices and observed hands-on training in welding, framing, and acoustical work.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of its opinion letter program. This expands the department’s longstanding commitment to providing meaningful compliance assistance that helps workers, employers and other stakeholders understand how federal labor laws apply in specific workplace situations. 

The program spans five key enforcement agencies within the department: 

ORLANDO, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited The Salvation Army after a 54-year-old maintenance worker suffered fatal injuries following a fall while working at an Orlando donation center and store in November 2024. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced it will begin a phased pause in operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide, initiating an orderly transition for students, staff, and local communities. The decision follows an internal review of the program’s outcome and structure and will be carried out in accordance with available funding, the statutory framework established under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and congressional notification requirements.  

In the week ending May 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 240,000, an increase of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 227,000 to 226,000. The 4-week moving average was 230,750, a decrease of 250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 500 from 231,500 to 231,000.

WASHINGTON – For more than half a century, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s On-Site Consultation Program has been helping small and medium-sized businesses protect workers and improve safety at no cost and with complete confidentiality. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration has rescinded a 2022 compliance release that previously discouraged fiduciaries from including cryptocurrency options in 401(k) retirement plans.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its strategic partnerships with Holder Construction Group LLC – collaborations that have significantly improved worker safety and health. 

LEESBURG, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $594,313 in back wages and damages for 419 workers after a federal investigation found a Leesburg-based employer failed to pay workers all of their required overtime wages.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced five political appointees for the Wage and Hour Division, including an acting administrator and four policy advisors. 

The team will help Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling put the American worker first by carrying out the division’s critical mission to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards that protect and enhance the welfare of the nation's workforce. 

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered more than $207,470 in back wages and damages for 157 workers after finding a Michigan-based electrical services contractor failed to pay proper overtime rates to workers at job sites in Arizona and Kentucky.

WASHINGTON – The departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury took action today to advance President Trump’s directive to ensure Americans have clear, accurate, and actionable information about healthcare prices. 

In the week ending May 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 227,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 231,500, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 230,500.

PATERSON, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement agreement with a New Jersey commercial baker to resolve litigation after a May 2024 follow-up investigation at the company’s Paterson facility found previously identified hazards had not been addressed.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it has updated the inspection program that directs agency enforcement resources to establishments with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses based on injury and illness data submitted in accordance with OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements.

In the week ending May 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 229,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 228,000 to 229,000. The 4-week moving average was 230,500, an increase of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 227,000 to 227,250.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $1 million in grant funding to support disaster-relief jobs and employment and training services for West Virginia residents suffering from the aftermath of February severe storms. 

ATLANTA – A U.S. Department of Labor follow-up inspection found that Art Stone-Granite & Marble Inc., a stone product manufacturer in Marietta, had failed to administer hearing conservation and respiratory protection programs identified previously on an April 2024 safety and health inspection.

COLUMBUS, OH – U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer visited Columbus Monday to highlight significant investments by Anheuser-Busch and McDonald’s aimed at bolstering manufacturing and workforce development in the United States. The announcements come as President Trump continues fighting to revitalize the economy by reducing America’s $1.2 trillion trade deficit and creating jobs in critical industries that have been left behind, including manufacturing.

Anheuser-Busch

MEADVILLE, PA – Multiple U.S. Department of Labor investigations into a minor-aged worker’s fingertip amputation in May 2024 found a Meadville manufacturing company violated federal law and exposed employees to a half dozen serious workplace safety violations.