U.S. Department of Labor News

Idaho Shop Owner Ordered to Pay 100K to Worker Fired After Safety Report

A judge ordered a northern Idaho gas station owner to pay $100,000 to a former employee who was fired after reporting safety violations, including exposed wiring near water leaks and a lack of first aid equipment. U.S. District Judge B. …

DOL: Halliburton Owes Nearly $18.3M in Overtime Pay

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that Houston-based oil and gas service provider, Halliburton, has agreed to pay $18,293,557 to 1,016 employees nationwide after the company was found to have misclassified the workers. The department’s Wage and Hour Division investigated …

2011 Idaho Lab Radiation Accident Prompts New Lawsuit

A new federal lawsuit has been filed involving a 2011 accident at an eastern Idaho nuclear facility that exposed 16 workers to plutonium. The lawsuit was filed Thursday on behalf of Ralph Stanton. It follows up on a 2013 whistleblower …

Workplace Fatalities Declined 15% Last Year in Virginia

Labor officials say workplace deaths dropped in Virginia and nationwide last year. According to a preliminary report released by the U.S. Department of Labor, Virginia saw workplace fatalities decline 15 percent to 126 in 2013. The Virginian-Pilot reports that 43 …

Judge Says Inspectors Must Have Full Access to North Dakota Mine

A North Dakota company must allow federal inspectors unfettered access to a sand and gravel mine that is the subject of workplace safety complaints, a federal judge ordered Aug. 6. The U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit in July …

Connecticut Workplace Injury Cases Up 11% to 50,600 in 2011

The U.S. Department of Labor says the number of workplace injuries in Connecticut jumped 11 percent in 2011 over the previous year and that the rate of injury is among the highest in the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics …

Kauai, Maui to Get $400K For Storm Cleanup Efforts

Officials say Maui and Kauai will get a combined $400,000 to clean up damage from heavy storms that hit Hawaii in March. The money will fund 20 temporary jobs for people to clean and repair damaged homes, land and public …

Colorado May Criminalize Withholding Wages

Withholding wages from an employee could become criminal in Colorado under a bill being debated at the state Legislature. A House committee will consider a “wage theft” bill Tuesday. The bill would make it illegal to withhold wages owed to …