Construction Materials

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 benefit...

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 moder...

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 moder...

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...

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 wo...

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 ha...

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 ...