CHICAGO, IL – To raise awareness about the hazards in the trenching and excavation industry, including potentially deadly trench collapses, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is joining with industry leaders, union leaders, and safety professionals for three Trench Safety Conferences, April 9-11, 2019, in the Chicago area.

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a new pilot program for discretionary suspensions and debarments to ensure accountability and protect the federal government from doing business with those who engage in inappropriate or illegal conduct.

Discretionary suspensions and debarments make individuals or organizations ineligible for federal contracting and transactions with the federal government typically for up to 12 months for a suspension and up to three years for a debarment.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an opioid-crisis Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training for up to $3,988,971, with $1,329,657 released initially. This grant will provide disaster relief jobs and employment services to eligible individuals in Rhode Island impacted by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today was joined by Americans from around the nation to discuss pathways for those exiting the justice system to reenter the workforce.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposed rule to revise and clarify the responsibilities of employers and joint employers to employees in joint employer arrangements. The Department has not meaningfully revised its joint employer regulation since 1958.

NEW YORK, NY – Tishman Interiors Corp. - the prime contractor for a renovation project at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York - has paid $420,335 in back wages to resolve violations of federal wage laws following a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced today the selection of four organizations to pilot its Apprenticeship Inclusion Models' (AIM) initiative. The purpose of the AIM initiative is to expand pathways for youth and adults with disabilities into high-demand, well-paying careers by developing and testing new recruitment and retention strategies with employers, unions, and apprenticeship programs.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor reminds the nation's job creators they have until April 30, 2019, to submit an application for an Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans (HIRE Vets) Medallion Award.

The award recognizes employers ranging from small businesses, non-profit organizations, and large businesses for their leadership in recruiting, employing, and retaining America's veterans.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposed rule to clarify and update the regulations governing regular rate requirements for the first time in more than 50 years.

Regular rate requirements define what forms of payment employers include and exclude in the "time and one-half" calculation when determining workers' overtime rates.

In the week ending March 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 211,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 5,000 from 221,000 to 216,000. The 4-week moving average was 217,250, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 4,500 from 225,000 to 220,500. 

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) announced the availability of approximately $13.5 million in Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) grants.

BELOIT, WI – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has again cited Avid Pallet Services LLC after a follow-up inspection found employees continued to be exposed to wood dust. The company faces penalties of $188,302 for repeated, serious, and other-than-serious safety and health violations.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an opioid-crisis Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development for up to $2,450,295, with $816,765 released initially. This grant will provide disaster relief jobs and employment services to eligible individuals in eight Massachusetts counties who have been impacted by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction, and overdose.  

HINESVILLE, GA – The Liberty County Board of Commissioners will pay $209,106 in back wages to 131 employees for violations of the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) found in a U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation.

ACWORTH, GA - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Corley Contractors Inc. – based in Dallas, Georgia – for exposing employees to excavation hazards while installing water and sewer lines at a worksite in Acworth, Georgia. The company faces $106,078 in penalties.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the Department of Labor has filed suit against Madeira Restaurant Inc. and The Waterfront Restaurant and Lounge Inc. – operators of two East Providence, Rhode Island, restaurants – and their owner Albertino Milho and managers David Milho, and Karen DaSilva, alleging willful violations of the overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ALBUQUERQUE, NM - Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Santa Fe Picacho Hotel Management Corporation - doing business as Heritage Hotels & Resorts and Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town in Albuquerque - has paid $39,545 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 69 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirements.

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is partnering with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, State of Georgia, and local government organizations and employers to sponsor safety stand-down events during National Highway Work Zone Awareness Week, April 8-12, 2019.

LEBANON, OH – A Lebanon, Ohio, company that provides services to individuals with development disabilities has agreed to pay 84 employees a total of $37,658 – representing $18,829 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages – after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

LOS ANGELES, CA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has entered a consent judgment against the individual defendants of a failing California-based Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA) in a Department lawsuit aimed at protecting more than 16,000 participants and beneficiaries.