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Phoenix drywall, painting contractor must pay more than $7.4M in wages, damages after deliberately denying overtime to over 1,400 employees

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Phoenix drywall, painting contractor must pay more than $7.4M in wages, damages after deliberately denying overtime to over 1,400 employees PHOENIX – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment ordering two commonly owned Arizona drywall and painting companies to pay $7,450,000 in back wages and damages after investigators found the employers willfully denied overtime pay to more than 1,400 employees.The Jan. 15, 2025 judgment by the U.S. District Court of the District of Arizona follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division that found Apodaca Wall Systems Inc. and Empire Wall Systems Inc. in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The companies, owned by Arnold Apodaca and his children Michael and Brittany Apodaca, attempted to evade payment of overtime wages by paying hourly employees with multiple checks at straight-time rates for all hours worked. They also used labor brokers to hire hourly workers who were paid in cash at st...
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Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on December jobs report

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Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on December jobs report WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the December 2024 Employment Situation report:“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 256,000 jobs in December, well above market expectations and reflecting a robust and resilient labor market. With unemployment ticking down to 4.1 percent and the three-month average of payroll employment gains at 170,000, this report underscores the strength of our economy as we close out 2024. “December was a particularly strong month for sectors like private healthcare, retail and government, while construction growth over the past year has been driven by non-residential projects. This is also the first economic recovery since the 1970’s in which manufacturing jobs have fully recovered - a testament to the investments and leadership of this administration. “The labor force participation rate h...
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Zion contractor again found ignoring protections to prevent workers from suffering disabling, deadly falls from elevation; faces $266K in new fines

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Zion contractor again found ignoring protections to prevent workers from suffering disabling, deadly falls from elevation; faces $266K in new fines ZION, IL – Federal inspectors have again cited a Zion contractor with an extensive history of endangering workers by exposing them to fall hazards. The latest violations were discovered when employees were found roofing a residential structure without required fall protections – marking the second such incident in six months and the fifth in two years.Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed employees of Miguel A. Esquina Reyes – operating as Corner Construction Corp. – working without legally required fall protection equipment atop a residential structure in Glencoe in August 2024. Falls from elevation are the leading cause of fatal and serious injuries among construction workers and rank among the most frequently cited safety violations by OSHA. In 2022, the Burea...
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Owner of Medford construction company sentenced to 18 months for tax crimes, making false statements to federal government

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Owner of Medford construction company sentenced to 18 months for tax crimes, making false statements to federal government Date of action:                       Dec. 10, 2024Type of action:                      SentencingEmployers:                            Mauricio Baiense, owner, Contract Framing Builders Inc.                                                     407R Mystic Ave. Suite 34B, Medford, MA 02155Allegations:                  ...
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US Department of Labor finds Louisiana contractor could have prevented 27-year-old worker’s drowning at North Carolina worksite

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US Department of Labor finds Louisiana contractor could have prevented 27-year-old worker’s drowning at North Carolina worksite LELAND, NC – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation into the drowning of a 27-year-old heavy equipment operator at a Leland worksite found the employer could have prevented the fatal incident by following established safety regulations.      An investigation by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration into the August 2024 incident found that a heavy equipment operator and a foreman with RIGID Constructors LLC were repositioning a pump at Cell-3 Eagle Island using an amphibious excavator. While attempting to exit the water-filled cell, the machine tipped over, trapping the equipment operator underwater. The crew and emergency responders could not revive equipment operator. OSHA cited the Louisiana contractor with four serious violations for failing to train workers on operating a marsh hoe and for not provid...
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US Department of Labor finds worker electrocution tied to Alabama contractor’s expired tools, training failures

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US Department of Labor finds worker electrocution tied to Alabama contractor’s expired tools, training failures BESSEMER, AL – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found a local electrical contractor could have prevented a 44-year-old foreman’s electrocution during storm recovery efforts in Coaling by taking critical safety measures to protect their workers. Investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration learned the foreman was part of the three-person crew employed by Dexter Fortson Associates Inc. to restore distribution power to a series of natural gas pumps. While trying to replace a broken switch, the foreman suffered fatal electrocution from voltage in energized overhead power lines. OSHA inspectors later learned the switch was energized when the incident occurred. “Electrical work is inherently dangerous, and industry employers must ensure basic safety standards are met to prevent a needless tragedy like th...
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US Department of Labor completed 14 impact inspections in November 2024 at mines with histories of repeated health, safety violations

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US Department of Labor completed 14 impact inspections in November 2024 at mines with histories of repeated health, safety violations WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration completed impact inspections in November 2024 at 14 mines in Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia and issued 162 violations and one safeguard.The agency conducts impact inspections at mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement because of poor compliance history; previous accidents, injuries and illnesses; and other compliance concerns. Of the 162 violations MSHA identified in November 2024, 44 were evaluated by inspectors as significant and substantial and one had an unwarrantable failure finding. The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 2...
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