WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today issued the following statement regarding the February 2019 Employment Situation report:

"At 3.4% year-over-year, wage gains hit their highest mark since April 2009.  The year-over-year average hourly earnings growth surpassing 3.0% for the seventh straight month is good news for America's workers.

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would make more than a million more American workers eligible for overtime.

In the week ending March 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 223,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 225,000 to 226,000. The 4-week moving average was 226,250, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 229,000 to 229,250. 

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – After a U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) investigation of a multi-million dollar pension trust fraud, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has sentenced William H. Minor to 41 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a special assessment of $100, and ordered him to pay $1,636,604 restitution.

AUGUSTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited U.S. Battery Manufacturing Co. for exposing employees to lead, unguarded machinery, and other safety hazards at its facility in Augusta, Georgia. The company faces penalties of $115,594.

ORLANDO, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited two contractors – PCL Construction Services Inc. and Universal Engineering Sciences – for safety violations after two employees suffered fatal injuries at a work site for the new JW Marriott Hotel in Orlando.

LOUISVILLE, KY – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio, issued an opinion affirming the Department's assertion that Off Duty Police Services Inc. – a security and traffic control services provider based in Louisville, Kentucky – violated overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WARMINSTER, PA - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Etna Construction Inc. – based in Warminster, Pennsylvania – for exposing employees to excavation hazards at a worksite in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company faces $208,560 in penalties.

NAPLES, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited TarHeel Corp. for exposing employees to safety hazards after an employee suffered fatal injuries as a result of a fall at the Forest Glen Community in Naples, Florida.

MYRTLE BEACH, SC – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Monarch Co. – based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and operating as Monarch Roofing – will pay $156,346 in back wages to 84 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Fast Frontier LLC – based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and operating as Cricket Wireless – has paid $41,677 in back wages to 111 employees for violating the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at 54 locations in Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

ATLANTA, GA - The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and the Center for the Visually Impaired in Atlanta, Georgia, will host an education and outreach event to assist federal contractors in recruiting people with disabilities into the workplace and protecting those in the workforce from discrimination.

CONROE, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and the GEO Group Inc. – a company specializing in privatized corrections, detention, and mental health treatment – have entered into a conciliation agreement to resolve allegations of hiring discrimination at the company’s Joe Corley Detention Center in Conroe, Texas. The GEO Group Inc.

POMPANO BEACH, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Rivera Services Group Inc. – a construction labor provider based in Pompano Beach, Florida – has paid $102,088 in back wages to 79 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The company was assessed and paid a civil penalty of $1,323 for child labor violations.

MONTGOMERY, AL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), John Knox Manor Inc. – operating as John Knox Manor II – will pay $96,233 in back wages to 92 employees for violating the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at its nursing home facility in Montgomery, Alabama.

NORCROSS, GA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals Inc. – an herbal products manufacturer and distributer based in Norcross, Georgia – has paid $454,655 in back wages to 28 employees for violating overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

OPELIKA, AL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Hydro-Green Erosion Control LLC – an erosion control company based in Opelika, Alabama – will pay $113,984 in back wages and liquidated damages to 34 employees for violating minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

BOSTON, MA – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Boston, Massachusetts-based contractor Tara Construction Inc. and its chief executive officer, Pedro Pirez, alleging that they retaliated against an injured employee by facilitating his arrest.

TOLEDO, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has renewed an alliance with the Toledo Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) to address safety and health hazards that Ohio's apprentice and journeyperson electricians may encounter while working in construction and general industry.

MILLIKEN, CO – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Burnco Colorado LLC - doing business as Bestway Concrete and Aggregates - has paid $77,238 in back wages to 406 employees to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime requirements at the company's facilities in Milliken, Colorado, and Irvin, Texas.