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Showing posts from January, 2024

Department of Labor will celebrate benefits of Registered Apprenticeships as valuable pathway to good jobs during first Youth Apprenticeship Week

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Department of Labor will celebrate benefits of Registered Apprenticeships as valuable pathway to good jobs during first Youth Apprenticeship Week WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor today announced that the nation will celebrate the benefits of Registered Apprenticeships and the opportunities they create for youth and young adults with 320 special events and more than 70 proclamations scheduled across the U.S. to mark the first annual Youth Apprenticeship Week from May 5-11. Built on the success of National Apprenticeship Week, Youth Apprenticeship Week will give employers, unions, educators, state agencies, workforce partners, community-based organizations and other Registered Apprenticeship sponsors the opportunity to showcase their programs and successes in youth apprenticeships. The annual commemoration also offers youth apprentices a platform on which they can share their apprenticeship experiences and educate the public about the benefits of local youth apprenticeship programs.
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US Department of Labor cites Homestead drywall service employer after 22-year-old worker suffers fatal head injury at Miami Beach worksite

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US Department of Labor cites Homestead drywall service employer after 22-year-old worker suffers fatal head injury at Miami Beach worksite HOMESTEAD, FL – A Homestead drywall contractor could have prevented a hoisting incident in July 2023 by following required safety regulations, a federal workplace investigation has found. A 22-year-old worker suffered a fatal head injury following the incident.Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that a scaffold pulley system failed while workers were hoisting buckets of concrete at a Stucco Works Inc. residential construction site in Miami Beach. As a result, the hoist arm of the pulley system detached from the scaffold and struck one worker across the head.“Stucco Works’ failure to make employee safety a priority led to the loss of a young worker’s life,” said OSHA Area Office Director Condell Eastmond in Fort Lauderdale. “Employers are required to follow the federal standards
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Department of Labor announces seminars for current, prospective federal contractors on prevailing wage requirements

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Department of Labor announces seminars for current, prospective federal contractors on prevailing wage requirements WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Wage and Hour Division will offer online seminars throughout 2024 for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders on the requirements for paying prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.Part of the division’s effort to increase awareness and improve compliance, each day-long seminar will include sessions on the Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act and other related topics. Participants can choose among the sessions offered throughout the day. The seminars are scheduled for Feb. 27, May 15 and Aug. 29. Any updates will be posted on the prevailing wage seminar webpage, which includes a video library covering additional topics.“Prevailing wage laws empower workers by ensuring that construction and service jobs on federally funded projects across t
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Department of Labor announces seminars for current, prospective federal contractors on prevailing wage requirements

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Department of Labor announces seminars for current, prospective federal contractors on prevailing wage requirements WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Wage and Hour Division will offer online seminars throughout 2024 for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders on the requirements for paying prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.Part of the division’s effort to increase awareness and improve compliance, each day-long seminar will include sessions on the Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act and other related topics. Participants can choose among the sessions offered throughout the day. The seminars are scheduled for Feb. 27, May 15 and Aug. 29. Any updates will be posted on the prevailing wage seminar webpage, which includes a video library covering additional topics.“Prevailing wage laws empower workers by ensuring that construction and service jobs on federally funded projects across t
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US Labor Department cites Silver Creek plumbing contractor after 34-year-old employee’s fatal fall, exposure to hydrogen sulfide

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US Labor Department cites Silver Creek plumbing contractor after 34-year-old employee’s fatal fall, exposure to hydrogen sulfide ROME, GA – A Silver Creek plumbing contractor could have prevented a 34-year-old employee’s June 2023 fatal fall at a Rome work site by following required safety procedures, a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found.Investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration learned that a three-person work crew from K&D Plumbing Inc. was replacing a sewer line at Armuchee High School when they encountered a blockage in a pipe. To clear the blockage near the end of a 60-foot-long trench, one worker entered a manhole. A short time later, the worker fell about 20 feet, where they succumbed to injuries as a result of the fall and subsequent exposure to a high atmospheric concentration of hydrogen sulfide gas.The Rome Fire Department used a gas monitor to test the air inside the manhole and discovered the presence of hydrogen sulfi
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Federal court holds Nebraska contractor in contempt, orders daily fine until he complies with US Department of Labor subpoena

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Federal court holds Nebraska contractor in contempt, orders daily fine until he complies with US Department of Labor subpoena LINCOLN, NE – A federal court has issued an order holding a Nebraska roofing contractor — who has stalled federal investigators for nearly a year — in contempt of court and imposing a fine of $100 a day if he fails to comply with a subpoena to provide the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration with documents necessary for an investigation of an employee's fall off a residential roof in Lincoln in February 2023.On Jan. 16, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. of the District of Nebraska found Christopher C. Arps in contempt of court and ordered him to comply with OSHA’s subpoena or face the daily fine. The court also ordered Arps to pay $5,926.56 to the department for legal fees and costs incurred. The court warned Arps that if he does not comply by Jan. 26, 2024, he may be subject to additional sanctions
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US Department of Labor announces new communities in initiative to improve workforce opportunities for young people

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US Department of Labor announces new communities in initiative to improve workforce opportunities for young people WASHINGTON –The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the second cohort of its Youth Systems Building Academy, an innovative effort to increase and enhance employment opportunities for youth. The 10 additional communities and their partners will receive individualized training and tailored technical assistance from the department to help develop, test, implement or scale systems that engage and support young people entering the workforce. Delivering a “no-wrong-door” youth workforce system is a critical part of the department’s Youth Employment Works strategy to ensure young workers are prepared and empowered to take advantage of opportunities in today’s labor market. In March 2023, the department announced its initial cohort of communities that developed strategies to improve youth employment outcomes. The self-nomination period for the latest cohort closed in Novembe
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US Department of Labor investigation of construction worker’s fatal injuries finds Stoughton contractor failed to follow required safety procedures

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US Department of Labor investigation of construction worker’s fatal injuries finds Stoughton contractor failed to follow required safety procedures BRAINTREE, MA – A federal investigation has found that a Stoughton general contractor could have prevented an employee from suffering fatal injuries in June 2023 if the employer had followed required safety regulations and trained workers on the safe operation of heavy equipment at a Brockton work site.The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found LMA Services Company LLC exposed employees to struck-by and caught between hazards as they worked near a compact track loader doing excavation work for a new building at Brockton Hospital.OSHA investigators discovered the track loader’s bucket was elevated and being used to load and unload crushed stone on uneven ground as an employee worked beneath. During the operation, the employee suffered fatal injuries after being struck by the loader and pinned between
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US Department of Labor seeks input from Texas building construction industry for wage survey to establish prevailing wage rates

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US Department of Labor seeks input from Texas building construction industry for wage survey to establish prevailing wage rates AUSTIN, TX – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is asking the building construction industry of Texas to participate in a survey to help the agency establish prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts for wages paid to workers on federally funded and federally assisted construction projects.The department sets the prevailing wage rates that reflect the actual wages and fringe benefits paid to construction workers in the county where the work takes place. This survey requests information about wages paid to construction workers on building construction projects in Texas where construction occurred between Jan. 29, 2023, and April 29, 2024, in the Austin and San Antonio areas, covering the counties of Atascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Medina, Travis, Wilson and William
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Department of Labor recovers $305K in back wages, damages for 47 workers after contractor failed to pay them for all hours worked; denied overtime

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Department of Labor recovers $305K in back wages, damages for 47 workers after contractor failed to pay them for all hours worked; denied overtime LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $305,977 in back wages and damages for 47 people employed by a Palmdale construction company that deliberately failed to pay them for time spent working before and after their shifts and when traveling to and from the company’s yard.Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division found Tejon Constructors Inc. did not pay the affected workers for all the hours they worked in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. They also determined the company owners — Brian Smith, Timothy Costello and Paul Delgado — failed to keep accurate records of employees’ hours worked as required by law.“The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to making sure workers are paid every dollar they earn,” said Wage and Hour Division Assistant District Director Susan Bacon in Los Angeles. “Our invest
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US Department of Labor recovers $132K in back wages, liquidated damages for workers; assesses penalties to Clearwater roofing contractor that denied overtime

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US Department of Labor recovers $132K in back wages, liquidated damages for workers; assesses penalties to Clearwater roofing contractor that denied overtime Employer:                              All Florida Weatherproofing & Construction Inc.                                                4231 112th Terrace North                                                Clearwater, FL 33762                                                Investigation findings: U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators found a Clearwater roofing contractor of mobile and manufactured homes failed to pay overtime for hours worked over 40 in a workweek to 21 employees as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Specifically, the employer paid workers by the piece, but failed to pay the time-and-one-half rate for hours worked over 40. In addition, All Florida Weatherproofing did not include non-discretionary bonuses in the employees’ regular rate when computing overtime payments. The employ
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US Department of Labor obtains decision to revoke Lynn contractor’s license for repeated defiance of safety regulations, failure to pay $300K in penalties

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US Department of Labor obtains decision to revoke Lynn contractor’s license for repeated defiance of safety regulations, failure to pay $300K in penalties BOSTON – The Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards has revoked William Trahant’s construction supervisor’s license for at least two years as the result of a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Labor citing seven separate citations issued to his company since 2014 for violating federal fall safety regulations, as well as his continued failure to pay more than $300,000 in related penalties.The department’s Regional Solicitor’s Office and Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Boston presented evidence against Trahant — owner of William Trahant Jr. Construction Inc. — before the board’s hearing officer and obtained a favorable decision on Nov. 17, 2023, which revoked his license. In the decision, the hearing officer ordered Trahant to return his license and cease any work on active building permits h
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US Department of Labor recovers $180K in back wages, damages from trio of Orange County contractors found shortchanging employees

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US Department of Labor recovers $180K in back wages, damages from trio of Orange County contractors found shortchanging employees SANTA ANA, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $180,299 in back wages and damages from three Orange County residential construction contractors whose employment pay practices violated federal regulations and denied workers their rightful and legal wages.Some of the violations related to an employer’s misclassification of employees as independent contractors, a common violation in the construction industry that deprives workers of full and proper wages, benefits and worker protections under federal law. The recovery follows investigations by the department’s Wage and Hour Division that found the Southern California companies violated their workers’ rights. In total, the division recovered $90,150 in back wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages for the affected workers. The division also assessed the employers $5,319 in civil money penalt
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US Department of Labor investigation, litigation recovers $108K in back wages, damages for 47 workers employed by Rhode Island contractors

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US Department of Labor investigation, litigation recovers $108K in back wages, damages for 47 workers employed by Rhode Island contractors Date of action:                       Sept. 28, 2023             Type of action:                     Consent judgment and order Names of defendants:           Lonsdale Construction Inc. doing business as Lonsdale Construction, Lonsdale Concrete Floors Inc. doing business as Lonsdale Concrete, AJ Concrete Pumping Service Inc. doing business as AJ Concrete Pumping, Joseph Almeida and Jose Almeida. Address:                                 201 Broad St., Cumberland, Rhode Island 02864Background:                          An investigation by the Providence area office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that the employers, residential concrete foundation and structure contractors, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act between Sept. 1, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2022, by failing to pay employees time and a-half their regular rates-of-pay
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