September 16, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $77K for 5 employees denied prevailing wages at federally funded construction project in Massachusetts

BOSTON – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has recovered $77,206 in back wages for five workers employed on a federally funded construction project after finding one subcontractor failed to pay prevailing wages and fringe benefits and another submitted falsified payroll records.

September 16, 2024

Department of Labor, Office of Trade Representative find auto interiors manufacturer denied labor rights at León, Guanajuato, facility

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested the Mexico government review alleged denial of workers’ rights at the Bader leather car interior manufacturing facility in León, Guanajuato. The Department of Labor and the Office of the Trade Representative co-chair the committee.

September 16, 2024

US Department of Labor marks 50th anniversary of landmark legislation protecting workers’ health, retirement plans with new webpage

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of a webpage that marks the 50th anniversary of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and reflects on the landmark law’s impact on the retirement security of America’s workers. 

September 13, 2024

US Department of Labor sues R.B. Pamplin Corporation and owner to recover millions in retirement funds for pension plan participants

PORTLAND, OR  The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon against Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. and R.B. Pamplin Corporation for jeopardizing millions of dollars in retirement funds for thousands of employees because of the unlawful acquisition of company-owned real estate by the R.B. Pamplin Corporation and Subsidiaries Pension Plan.

September 13, 2024

Federal jury awards more than $957K in back wages to 168 workers denied full wages by joint owners of Kansas restaurants in Andover, Derby, Wichita

KANSAS CITY, KS – A federal jury in Kansas has awarded $957,324 in back wages for 168 workers at three Wichita-area restaurants jointly operated by three owners who willfully violated federal laws by using tips earned by servers to pay hosts and bussers and denying workers minimum and overtime wages.

September 12, 2024

Department of Labor finds Wisconsin animal food plant exposed workers to explosion, fire, respiratory hazards from airborne dust, cites 24 violations

WATERTOWN, WI – Federal workplace safety inspectors found a Wisconsin animal food producer exposed employees to the risks of explosions, fires and long-term respiratory illnesses from excessive amounts of airborne dust, among two dozen safety and health violations they identified. 

September 12, 2024

Federal appeals court upholds decision that F.W. Webb Co. wrongly exempted inside sales representatives from overtime pay

Date of action:                       August 1, 2024 

September 12, 2024

US Department of Labor recovers $44K in back wages, benefits for 12 apprentices incorrectly classified as laborers on Army jobsite

Employer:   Walker White Inc.

Employer address:    7402 Fairfield Road, Columbia, SC 29203

September 12, 2024

Federal safety inspection finds Sun Prairie contractor again failed to protect workers from potentially deadly hazards at home sites

VERONA, WI – A suburban Madison contractor with a history of federal safety failures – including violations that led to an employee’s fatal injuries in 2022 – has again been found exposing workers to the construction industry’s most deadly hazard — falls from elevation — during a federal safety inspection in February 2024.

September 12, 2024

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

In the week ending September 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 230,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 227,000 to 228,000. The 4-week moving average was 230,750, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 230,000 to 230,250.

September 11, 2024

US Department of Labor announces $1.4M in grants to prevent, respond to workplace gender-based violence, harassment

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $1.4 million in funding to support efforts by four community organizations to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and harassment against underserved and marginalized women workers.

September 10, 2024

Prominent Fort Wayne restaurants operator must pay $149K in back wages, damages to 28 servers, $28K in penalties, to resolve federal wage violations

FORT WAYNE, IN – A federal lawsuit has recovered $178,000 in back wages, damages and penalties from Hall Drive-Ins Inc., operator of 10 Fort Wayne-area restaurants, to resolve U.S. Department of Labor litigation filed in 2023 in light of the employers’ violations of tip-pool requirements in the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

September 9, 2024

Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Treasury issue final rules strengthening access to mental health, substance use disorder benefits

WASHINGTON – As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to ensure more than 150 million people with private health coverage have greater access to mental health and substance use disorder care, the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury took significant action today by issuing final rules to clarify and strengthen protections to expand equitable access to these benefits as compared to medical and surgical benefits and reduce barriers to accessing these services. 

September 6, 2024

President Biden announces ‘Investing in America and Investing in Americans’ order to speed creation of Good Jobs through federal investments

WASHINGTON – As part of its continued efforts to expand opportunities for all, the Biden-Harris administration has announced the “Investing in America and Investing in Americans” Executive Order to drive more federal dollars toward good-paying, safe jobs offering the right to organize and providing critical benefits like childcare.

President Biden made the announcement today in Michigan at a United Association union hall in Ann Arbor, joined by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

September 6, 2024

US Department of Labor, Mexican Consulate in San Jose renew partnership to educate, protect workers’ rights under federal law

Participants: U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division

                        Consulate of Mexico in San Jose, California

September 6, 2024

US Department of Labor updates cybersecurity guidance for plan sponsors, fiduciaries, recordkeepers, plan participants to protect info, assets

WASHINGTON – In its continuing effort to protect U.S. workers’ retirement and health benefits, the U.S. Department of Labor today updated current cybersecurity guidance confirming that it applies to all types of plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, including health and welfare plans, and all employee retirement benefit plans.

September 6, 2024

US Department of Labor awards $90M in grants to support career services, training in 44 states, Puerto Rico to help farmworkers access good jobs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $90 million in grants to organizations in 44 states and Puerto Rico to provide training and career services and related support services, and work-based learning to help migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents develop skills to pursue careers in agriculture or non-agriculture sectors.

September 6, 2024

Statement by US Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on August jobs report

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the August 2024 Employment Situation report: 

“The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the U.S. economy added 142,000 jobs in August, with the unemployment rate edging down to 4.2 percent. Earnings continue to rise, reflecting ongoing wage growth, and labor force participation remainsstrong, including an all-time historic high women’s prime age labor force participation rate.