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Showing posts from August, 2024

US Department of Labor announces $12.7M in grants awarded

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US Department of Labor announces $12.7M in grants awarded WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $12.7 million to 102 nonprofits nationwide to fund education and training initiatives designed to create safer workplaces.Administered by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, funds from the Susan Harwood Training Grants Program will support the delivery of training and education on hazard awareness, avoidance and controls, and inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This round of funding was awarded to programs in the categories of targeted topic training, training and educational materials development, and capacity building.“The Susan Harwood Training Grants are a critical investment that the Department of Labor makes to help workers know their rights and power – in turn making their workplace safer and healthier,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “This grant ho
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Department of Labor recovers $80K in wages for 55 employees shortchanged by employer contracted for Typhoon Mawar debris removal

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Department of Labor recovers $80K in wages for 55 employees shortchanged by employer contracted for Typhoon Mawar debris removal Employer:      UMS Heavy Equipment Rental Inc.                             3415 Maimai Road                             Chalan Pago, Guam 96910 Investigation findings: A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found construction subcontractor UMS Heavy Equipment Rental Inc. in violation of federal contract labor laws while under a multi-million federal service contract for management and disposal of debris resulting from Typhoon Mawar on Guam in May 2023. Investigators determined the employer violated federal labor laws by failing to pay $80,346 in minimum and prevailing wages, fringe benefits and overtime. Wages Recovered/Damages Assessed:        $48,843 in minimum wages for 43 workers.                                                                                          $24,764 in fringe benefits for 53 workers.                    
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Acting Secretary Su, Navy Secretary Del Toro tout workforce development, national security in visit to Newport News’ Apprentice School in Virginia

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Acting Secretary Su, Navy Secretary Del Toro tout workforce development, national security in visit to Newport News’ Apprentice School in Virginia WASHINGTON –Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro visited Virginia today to see how the Apprentice School in Newport News – one of the nation’s critical apprenticeship programs – is making construction of one of the world’s most capable and adaptable aircraft carriers, the PCU John F. Kennedy, possible.During their visit, Secretaries Su and Del Toro highlighted their shared commitment to strengthening the Department of Defense’s organic and industrial base workforce. “Our partnership with the U.S. Navy will enhance the quality of jobs for workers who play an essential role in protecting our nation,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “The Department of Labor is committed to making sure our Navy has the strongest, most diverse and skilled workforce needed to ensure military readiness and moderniza
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Acting Secretary Su, Navy Secretary Del Toro tout workforce development, national security in visit to Newport News’ Apprentice School in Virginia

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Acting Secretary Su, Navy Secretary Del Toro tout workforce development, national security in visit to Newport News’ Apprentice School in Virginia WASHINGTON –Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro visited Virginia today to see how the Apprentice School in Newport News – one of the nation’s critical apprenticeship programs – is making construction of one of the world’s most capable and adaptable aircraft carriers, the PCU John F. Kennedy, possible.During their visit, Secretaries Su and Del Toro highlighted their shared commitment to strengthening the Department of Defense’s organic and industrial base workforce. “Our partnership with the U.S. Navy will enhance the quality of jobs for workers who play an essential role in protecting our nation,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “The Department of Labor is committed to making sure our Navy has the strongest, most diverse and skilled workforce needed to ensure military readiness and moderniza
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Department of Labor seeking input from South Carolina highway construction industry for wage survey to establish prevailing wage rates

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Department of Labor seeking input from South Carolina highway construction industry for wage survey to establish prevailing wage rates COLUMBIA, SC – The U.S. Department of Labor is encouraging employers and stakeholders in South Carolina’s highway construction industry to participate in a statewide survey to help its Wage and Hour Division establish prevailing wage rates for construction workers on federally funded and assisted construction projects.The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts require the department to set the prevailing wage rates that reflect the actual wages and fringe benefits paid to construction workers in the county where the work occurs. This survey requests information about wages paid by employers on highway construction projects in South Carolina where construction occurred from Sept. 9, 2023, to Dec. 9, 2024. Not limited to federally funded construction projects, survey findings are critical to the publication of prevailing wage and fringe benefit rates that reflect
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Federal court orders staffing company to stop employing children illegally after US Department of Labor investigation

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Federal court orders staffing company to stop employing children illegally after US Department of Labor investigation GREENVILLE, TN – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment in a Tennessee federal court that requires a Kingsport staffing agency to stop employing children illegally and forbids them from future violations of federal child labor laws.The action comes after federal investigators uncovered oppressive child labor at a Morristown manufacturing facility that produces outdoor power equipment for major companies including John Deere, Toro and Yamaha. Entered on Aug. 12, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the court’s action comes after the department’s Wage and Hour Division discovered several children employed in dangerous jobs at a plant operated by Tuff Torq Corp. The division found that Professional Personnel Service Inc., operating as Luttrell Staffing in Kingsport, employed several children to work at Tuff Torq in
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Metro-Chicago contractor again found ignoring federal safety regulations, exposing employees to deadly fall hazards at Frankfort worksite

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Metro-Chicago contractor again found ignoring federal safety regulations, exposing employees to deadly fall hazards at Frankfort worksite PALOS PARK, IL – A federal workplace safety investigation has found that a metro-Chicago carpentry contractor with a long history of exposing employees to potentially deadly hazards again ignored regulations to protect workers from falls.For the seventh time since 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Dromin Development LLC for not providing required safety equipment and training to employees building a new home in Frankfort. The company currently owes more than $114,000 in unpaid penalties for similar willful and serious violations.The March 2024 inspection in Frankfort determined Dromin allowed employees to work at heights greater than six feet without fall protection and failed to provide training in fall protection and proper forklift operation. OSHA also noted workers failed to wear hard hats a
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Department of Labor offers online seminar on prevailing wages for employers, workers on federally funded projects Aug. 29

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Department of Labor offers online seminar on prevailing wages for employers, workers on federally funded projects Aug. 29 WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor today announced its Wage and Hour Division will offer contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders an opportunity to attend an online seminar on Aug. 29 on requirements for paying prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.Part of the division’s continuing effort to increase awareness and improve compliance, the day-long seminar will offer sessions on the labor standards protections in the Davis-Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act – including how the department sets and administers prevailing wages – and other topics. “Prevailing wage laws empower workers by ensuring that federally funded construction and service jobs are good jobs with fair wages and benefits,” said Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman. “The Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments in
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Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on July jobs report

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Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on July jobs report WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the July 2024 Employment Situation report:“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 114,000 jobs in July, bringing the total to nearly 16 million jobs created under the Biden-Harris administration. While job growth came in below expectations, with an average of 170,000 jobs added per month over the last three months, the American economy is still the envy of the world. “What the July jobs report indicates is a continued transition to a more stable and sustainable economy that saw growth across multiple industries, including construction, health care, and leisure hospitality. Layoffs are low, the prime-age labor force participation rate rose to 84 percent, the highest level since 2001, the overall labor force participation ticked up to 62.7 percent, and wages continue to grow and are still outpacing i
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Department of Labor investigation of trench fatality finds El Paso contractor repeatedly, willfully failed to follow federal safety measures

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Department of Labor investigation of trench fatality finds El Paso contractor repeatedly, willfully failed to follow federal safety measures EL PASO, TX – An El Paso contractor could have prevented a 37-year-old employee from suffering fatal injuries in February 2024 by following federally required safety standards to avoid trench collapses, the same failure for which the U.S. Department of Labor has cited the employer six times since 2015. The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined a pipe layer for CMD Endeavors Inc. was allowed to work in an excavation without a proper protective system. The trench collapsed, causing piece of asphalt to fall and severely injure the worker who later died in an area hospital. The City of El Paso had contracted the company for  pipework for the Cedar Grove Waterline Replacement project, part of an ongoing citywide initiative. “Despite repeated citations and warnings about the dangers of unprotected trenches, CMD Endeavors
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