In the week ending August 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 262,000, an increase of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 12,000 from 260,000 to 248,000. The 4-week moving average was 252,000, an increase of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 7,250 from 254,750 to 247,500.

SOUTHAVEN, MS – The operator of five Wing Stop franchise locations in Mississippi who made employees pay for their uniforms, safety training, background checks and cash register shortages – and violated child labor regulations – has been held  accountable by the U.S. Department of Labor, and paid $114,427 in back wages, liquidated damages and civil penalties.

MINNEAPOLIS – After a federal investigation found a Golden Valley franchisee of a national chain of home healthcare providers failed to pay overtime to certified nursing and patient care assistants as required by law – and then attempted to mask the violations – the U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint in federal court in Minneapolis to recover back wages and damages.

PARK CITY, UT– A federal whistleblower investigation has found a Shreveport, Louisiana-based provider of helicopter ambulance services retaliated against a pilot in Utah who refused to fly twice in 2021 amid concerns about limited visibility.

KANSAS CITY, MO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a multi-establishment conciliation agreement with Cerner Corp. – a healthcare and information technology company – to resolve preliminary findings of a federal compliance evaluation that alleged the company discriminated in hiring Black and Asian applicants between 2015 to 2019.

PITTSBURGH – In return for providing essential homecare for people in need, 218 workers employed by a Pittsburgh-based home care agency expected their employer to pay them all their hard-earned wages. Instead, they found their employer denied them overtime wages, and manipulated records to hide the wage theft.     

LOUISVILLE, CO – An administrative law judge in Denver has affirmed the findings of a U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety investigation that determined a Louisville acute inpatient psychiatric treatment facility exposed direct care employees – such as nurses and mental health technicians – to aggressive patients who regularly assaulted and seriously injured them.

DENVER – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Ryan Companies, builder of a five-story, 4,000,000-square-foot distribution center in Loveland, have entered into a strategic partnership to promote the safety and health of those working on the project. The Colorado Onsite Health and Safety Consultation Program at Colorado State University is also part of the partnership.

Employer:                                        Wooden Shoe Farms

Investigation site:                       673 North 825 West

                                                             Blackfoot, ID 83221

ROCHESTER, NY – A federal investigation has recovered $228,379 in back wages for 260 employees of a Rochester-based home healthcare agency that denied them overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an incremental award of $961,059 to support continued disaster-relief employment and employment and training services in northern California after devastating wildfires in August 2020.

HEBRON, KY – The initial discovery of illegal pay practices at a Hebron, Kentucky, warehouse by the U.S. Department of Labor led to a broader investigation that found systemic overtime violations by a California-based warehouse operator and e-commerce distributor, and a determination that the employer owes $1,025,909 in back wages to 995 warehouse workers in Kentucky and California.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the July 2022 Employment Situation Report:

JACKSONVILLE, TX – A Jacksonville wood crate and pallet manufacturer’s history of workplace safety violations continues after federal inspectors found the company exposed workers to amputation hazards.

NUEVA ORLEANS - Una investigación federal sobre cheques de nómina rechazados de 10 trabajadores de la construcción que renovaban un hogar para ancianos en Panama City, Florida descubrió que el empleador que emitía los cheques inválidos también negaba a más de 800 trabajadores los salarios por horas extras al clasificarlos como contratistas independientes.

WASHINGTON –The U.S. Department of Labor will begin a series of events in August to highlight the importance of maternal health and workplace protections for expectant and new mothers as the country marks National Breastfeeding Month.  

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Department of Labor has found that the wages of hundreds of painters and drywall workers employed by a Louisiana contractor on construction projects, including work at New Orleans’ Superdome, were tackled for a loss when their employer misclassified the workers as independent contractors, a common industry violation.

GRAND ISLAND, NE – A 20-year-old worker’s attempt at clearing a jam in an industrial cardboard baler at a Grand Island waste disposal company turned tragic when the worker fell into the baler, became caught and suffered severe amputation injuries. OSHA alleges the employer disregarded federal regulations designed to prevent such tragedies.

NEW ORLEANS – A federal investigation into the bounced payroll checks of 10 construction workers renovating a nursing home in Panama City, Florida, found the employer who issued the bad checks had also denied more than 800 workers overtime wages by misclassifying them as independent contractors.

In the week ending July 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 260,000, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 2,000 from 256,000 to 254,000. The 4-week moving average was 254,750, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 500 from 249,250 to 248,750.