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REUTERS/Seth Wenig/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday moved to extend mandatory overtime pay to 3.6 million salaried workers, going even further than an Obama-era rule that was struck down in court. The proposed rule would not affect overtime eligibility for workers who are paid hourly. Salaried workers who earn above the salary threshold may still be eligible for overtime pay if they do not primarily perform management-related duties. But a federal judge in Texas the following year said that ceiling was so high that it could sweep in some management workers who are exempt from overtime pay protections. Ben Brubeck, vice president of construction trade group Associated Builders and Contractors, on Wednesday called the proposed rule disappointing.

Persons: Seth Wenig, Joe Biden, Obama, Trump, Jessica Looman, Looman, Ben Brubeck, DOL, Brubeck, Daniel Wiessner, Bernadette Baum, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Brooklyn, REUTERS, U.S, U.S . Department of Labor, Labor Department, Workers, Associated Builders and Contractors, Thomson Locations: New York, California, Texas, Albany , New York

☆ If you make less than $55,000, the Labor Department wants you to start getting overtime pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Department of Labor proposed a new rule that would update who's eligible for overtime. Currently, workers making under about $36,000 can get extra pay for extra hours. One study found that some firms give out fake manager titles to try and avoid paying their workers overtime. That means a sizable chunk would be eligible for overtime pay under the new $1,059 weekly threshold. It's not the first time that a Democratic administration has targeted the overtime threshold.

Persons: Judy Conti, Conti, they're, Julie Su, I've, Barack Obama Organizations: of Labor, Service, Biden, Department of, National Employment Law, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Democratic Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ A construction company could face over $260,000 in fines after a 23-year-old was killed by a crane collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A 23-year-old construction worker died in March when an overloaded crane collapsed. Its 15 violations included failing to create or employ an accident prevention program. AdvertisementAdvertisementOSHA cited S&D Erectors with a total of 15 violations, including operating a mobile crane in excess of its rated capacity. The federal agency also said that S&D Erectors did not create and employ an accident prevention program, or perform frequent and regular inspections of the site. S&D Erectors could not be reached for comment.

Persons: DOL, Erectors, Timothy Minor Organizations: OSHA, Service, Department of Labor, Wednesday, Occupational Safety, Health Administration Locations: Wall, Silicon, Texas

☆ Illegal child labor on the rise with nationwide violations found, Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

JBS has said that they do not tolerate child labor and that they would stop using PSSI at every location where the child labor violations were alleged to have occurred. In addition, the Wage and Hour Division of the Labor Department is currently pursuing more than 700 open child labor cases. Officials at the Labor Department emphasized in a press call this week that the increase in child labor violation findings is partially due to “significantly enhanced child labor enforcement efforts” in recent months. The fight to weaken child labor lawsThe Department of Labor on Thursday said its interagency task force on child labor has begun cross-training with other governmental agencies like Health and Human Services and the Office of Refugee Resettlement to identify and report possible incidences of child labor exploitation. But at the same time that violations of child labor protections are rising, states across the country are introducing legislation to weaken child labor laws.

Persons: it’s, ”, Labor Julie Su, Jordan Barab, Obama, Barab, JBS, Cargill, ” PSSI, PSSI, “, That’s, DOL, Karen Garnett, Tiffanie Boyd, there’s, David Weil, Weil, Jaehoon, Jay, Chang, ” McDonald’s, they’re, Biden, Sen, Rich Draheim, “ That’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Labor Department, Packers Sanitation Services Inc, Cargill, JBS, Department of Labor, Labor, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, PSSI, Blackstone Group, CNN, McDonald’s, of, “ Employers, Heller School for Social Policy, Management, Brandeis University, Hyundai, Kia, Health, Human Services, Refugee Resettlement, US Department of Agriculture, Economic, Institute, Minnesota, Republican Locations: New York, Nebraska, JBS USA, Minnesota, Louisiana, Texas, Louisville , Kentucky, McDonald’s, United States, DOL, Alabama, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Missouri , Ohio, South Dakota, Arkansas, Iowa, America

☆ A growing number of US states are working to loosen child labor laws so your next bartender could be an underage teenager
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In April, Iowa's senate voted to pass a bill that would allow teenagers to serve alcohol. Legislators in Wisconsin are pushing to lower the alcohol service age from 18 to 14 years old. In April, Iowa's Republican-led state senate voted 32-17 to pass a bill rolling back child labor laws in the state. The bill would allow teens to work until 9:00 p.m. during the school year and until 11:00 p.m. over the summer and serve alcohol. The restaurant industry is backing legislators in their efforts to loosen child labor laws, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.

Persons: Nina Mast Organizations: Service, Economic Policy Institute, Iowa's Republican, Institute, National Restaurant Association, US Department of Labor, Packers Sanitation Services Inc Locations: Iowa's, Wisconsin, Wall, Silicon, Iowa , Michigan , Ohio , Kentucky, West Virginia, New Mexico , Alabama , Wisconsin, Idaho, Pennsylvania

☆ Biden to keep Julie Su on indefinitely as Labor chief despite lack of Senate votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Sahil Kapur | Liz Brown-Kaiser | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The White House plans to use a little-known law to keep Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su in the job even if she fails to win Senate approval, a White House official told NBC News. "Upon Secretary Walsh's departure, Acting Secretary Su automatically became Acting Secretary under its organic statute, not under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act," the White House official said in an email. "As a result, Su is not subject to the time limits of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and she can serve as Acting Secretary indefinitely." But Su's nomination for labor secretary has since stalled in the Senate, where Democrats control 51 votes and expect unified Republican opposition. "The President's support for Acting Secretary Su is unwavering," the White House official said.

Persons: Julie Su, Walsh's, Su, Marty Walsh, Sen, Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, hasn't, Joe Biden, Biden, Julie Su's, Bill Cassidy, Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, Chuck Schumer, — Elyse Perlmutter, Gumbiner Organizations: Education, Department of Labor, White, Labor, NBC, Federal, White House, NBC News, Senate, Health, Pensions, GOP, Republican, Democratic, Wednesday Locations: Rayburn, Ky

☆ Your 401(k) plan may be worsening climate change, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Increasingly, employees are automatically enrolled in their 401(k) plan without weighing in on their investments. watch nowMeanwhile, some employers may be worried that their workers won't get high enough profits from ESG funds, Dyer said. A Trump administration-era rule discouraged retirement plan sponsors from offering ESG funds, experts say. How to examine your ESG 401(k) optionsIf you're in the small pool of employees who do have access to an ESG fund in your retirement plan, your research may end there. Employers have a fiduciary duty to administer retirement plans in the best interest of plan participants.

Persons: Dyer, Morgan Stanley, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Bradford Campbell, Campbell, Behar, Andrew Behar, Sow Organizations: CFA Institute, CFA, Department of Labor, House Republicans, Employers Locations: ESG, Texas, GreenFin

☆ 2 Tennessee restaurants had to pay $270,000 to servers who were forced to share tips with dishwashers, the labor department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Two restaurants made servers give $5 in tips to dishwashers on Fridays and Saturdays, the DOL said. The restaurants in Nashville also failed to pay overtime rates and keep accurate records, per the DOL. The restaurants paid $270,751 in back wages to 82 employees following the investigation. The DOL said that the restaurants had paid $270,751 in back wages to 82 employees following the investigation. As well as requiring servers to share tips with dishwashers, the restaurants failed to pay employees overtime rates of one-and-a-half times their usual hourly wages for hours worked over 40 in a week, the DOL said.

Persons: DOL, —, Lisa Kelly Organizations: Service, Department of Labor, Labor Locations: Nashville, Nashville , Tennessee, Tennessee

☆ A California taco restaurant hired a 'priest' to ask staff to confess to workplace 'sins' like arriving late, an ex-employee told the Department of Labor
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A restaurant got a person "identified as a priest" to ask staff to confess to workplace "sins," an ex-worker said. They told a court the "priest" asked if they had stolen from the Sacramento, CA restaurant or harmed their employer. "The priest told me that he would instead ask me questions to get the sins out of me." They said that after the priest talked to staff, he left the restaurant together with one of the owners. Workers claimed that during the investigation, the restaurants instructed staff not to work with the DOL and told them to share false information.

Persons: DOL, —, Taqueria Garibaldi, Garibaldi, Che Garibaldi, William B, Shubb, Che Garibaldi's Organizations: Service, US Department of Labor, Department of Labor, DOL's, Che Garibaldi Inc, Workers, US, Court, Eastern, Eastern District of Locations: Sacramento , CA, Sacramento , California, Eastern District, Eastern District of California

☆ A 34-year-old created 2 bachelorette-themed Airbnbs that have brought in a combined $243,000 this year. Take a look inside the successful listings that he spent months and hundreds of thousands of dol
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kent He bought his first investment property in 2021 and turned it into a bachelorette-themed Airbnb. He and his wife bought their first investment property in August 2021 and spent three months converting it into a bachelorette-themed Airbnb. He owns three investment properties, two of which are bachelorette-themed Airbnb properties in Scottsdale. The bachelorette-themed Airbnb includes a beauty bar. Courtesy of Kent HeWhen Airbnb users have so many options to choose from, you want your property to stand out.

Persons: Kent, Scottsdale , Arizona —, PriceLabs, He, Kent He, — Locations: Scottsdale , Arizona, Scottsdale, niching

☆ Dollarama beats sales estimates on strong demand for essentials
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 7 (Reuters) - Canadian discount store chain Dollarama Inc (DOL.TO) beat market expectations for quarterly sales on Wednesday, benefiting from strong demand for its cheaper groceries and household supplies. The company's U.S. counterpart Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O), however, trimmed its annual profit forecast in May, while Dollar General Corp (DG.N) cut its annual profit and sales forecast, both citing slowing demand for discretionary goods. Last month, retail bellwether Walmart Inc (WMT.N) said it saw strong demand for its low-priced groceries and other essentials, and is expecting this trend to continue in the back half of the year. Dollarama on Wednesday reaffirmed its fiscal 2024 same store sales forecast and gross margin at 5.0% to 6.0% and 43.5% to 44.5%, respectively. The company's sales rose to C$1.29 billion ($964 million) in the first quarter, from C$1.07 billion a year earlier, compared with analysts' average estimate of C$1.25 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Persons: Dollarama, Juveria Tabassum, Aatrayee Chatterjee, Shailesh Organizations: Inc, Dollar, Corp, Walmart Inc, Thomson Locations: U.S, Refinitiv, Bengaluru

☆ A New Jersey restaurant had to pay $300,000 to staff after the Labor Department ruled they had been underpaid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A New Jersey restaurant failed to give some staff the minimum wage and overtime pay, the DOL said. The restaurant paid more than $300,000 to 63 members of staff following the DOL's investigation. The DOL's Wage and Hour Division said in a press release that Aquarius Restaurant Group, which runs Aquarius Seafood Restaurant in Fort Lee, had violated minimum wage and overtime pay laws. Aquarius Seafood Restaurant also used checks and cash to pay kitchen staff twice a month, the spokesperson said. They added that the minimum wage violations occurred "sporadically" throughout the period of investigation, which was from April 2019 to April 2022.

Persons: DOL, —, Paula Ruffin Organizations: Service, Department of Labor Locations: Jersey, Fort Lee, New Jersey

☆ Staff at several Subway stores in San Francisco missed out on $265,000 of wages after the franchisee gave them checks that bounced, Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Bay Area Subway franchisee paid staff more than $265,000 in bounced checks, the DOL said. The stores also violated child-labor laws, kept tips, and got staff to falsify records, a DOL investigation said. Between July 26 and December 26, 2022, alone, 297 checks bounced from just one bank account belonging to one of Meza's businesses, a DOL investigator said in a declaration. The investigation by the DOL's Wage and Hour Division covered 14 franchise stores in total, but the department did not say how many had given bad checks to staff. Meza's business associate also threatened to file a false police report against two 15-year-old employees who asked for their unpaid wages, the DOL wrote in the lawsuit.

☆ A Whataburger in Texas fired a nursing mother for leaving the restaurant to express breast milk, the Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Texas Whataburger didn't provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk, the DOL said. When the nursing mother left the premises to express milk, the company fired her, the DOL said. Employers have to give staff reasonable break time to express milk for a year after the child's birth. The corporate-owned restaurant in Lubbock, northwest Texas, failed to provide reasonable break time for the employee to express breast milk, the DOL said. And when she did leave the premises to express milk, the company terminated her, the DOL said.

☆ A Florida sushi restaurant has repaid staff $262,000 after it made servers share their tips with owners and managers, the Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Fort Myers restaurant made its 75 servers share their tips with its chefs, owners, and managers, the DOL said. The sushi restaurant repaid staff $262,000 after the DOL uncovered a number of labor-law violations. The restaurant's manager told The Fort Myers News-Press that it was "all cleared up now." Ginza Japanese Restaurant in Fort Myers made its 75 servers share their tips with its chefs, owners, and managers, the US Department of Labor said in a press release. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers are not allowed to require their staff to share their tips with supervisors, managers, and business owners.

☆ The manager of a Popeyes franchise 'screamed' obscenities at federal investigators and slammed the kitchen door so hard it shook the building, the Labor Department said
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Popeyes franchise manager "screamed" at federal investigators, the DOL says in a lawsuit. He cursed at the investigators and slammed a door so hard it shook the building, per the lawsuit. The complaint claims that the district manager "instantly started screaming 'what the f*** are you doing here,' using an aggressive tone and demeanor." The district manager also slammed the kitchen door "so hard that the entire establishment shook," per the complaint. RBI and lawyers for the district manager and the franchise company did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of regular US working hours.

☆ Pennsylvania battery maker ordered to pay $22 million in back wages after DOL rules it denied thousands of workers overtime
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Pennsylvania battery maker was ordered to pay 7,500 workers $22 million in unpaid overtime. The DOL said East Penn Manufacturing Company Inc. didn't pay employees for their time spent preparing to work in hazardous conditions. During its investigation, the DOL found that East Penn employees were only being paid for their contracted 8-hour shifts. In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson for East Penn said the jury also found that East Penn did not act in a knowing or reckless disregard of the law. "East Penn appreciates the time and attention of the jurors over the course of this lengthy andcomplex trial.

☆ Senator Patty Murray says it's impossible to keep the economy growing without affordable, well-paid childcare
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Senator Patty Murray is once again pushing legislation to make childcare affordable and accessible. She told Insider the growth of the US economy relies on workers having access to childcare. Under the Child Care for Working Families Act, families' childcare costs would be capped at 7% of their income, and families that earn under 85% of their state's median would pay nothing at all. "Childcare was a crisis long ago, but it was a silent crisis," Murray told Insider. "Women are in the workforce to provide for their families," Murray said.

☆ A Comfort Inn hotel in Tennessee employed 2 children under the age of 12, the labor department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A hotel in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, employed two children under the age of 12, the DOL said. The operators of the Comfort Inn hotel also paid some workers below the minimum wage, it said. The DOL said in the lawsuit that since at least March 2021, Pigeon Forge Hospitality had employed "oppressive child labor" by hiring two minors under the age of 12. It had also employed a 15-year-old to perform baking and cooking activities that weren't allowed for their age group. The lawsuit doesn't state the name of the hotel, but the DOL press release said that Pigeon Forge Hospitality and Patel operated a Comfort Inn hotel in the city.

☆ A paper mill in Alabama told authorities a worker died from a heart attack. He actually died after being electrocuted by machinery, the labor department says.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A paper mill in Alabama told OSHA that a worker who was electrocuted actually died from a heart attack. The company's lawyer also asked the coroner's office to change the cause of death to heart attack, OSHA said. The department said that the company – South Coast Paper LLC – had "willfully" violated safety standards, including failing to implement procedures to protect employees performing maintenance on machinery. The plant's manager and the company's general manager, however, told an OSHA certified safety and health officer that the worker had died from electrocution, OSHA wrote. South Coast Paper did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of regular working hours.

☆ Blocked emergency exits and 'dangerous' fire hazards: Dollar General again found in violation of federal workplace safety standards
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The exterior of a Dollar General convenience store is seen on March 16, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Dollar General has again been found in violation of federal workplace safety regulations for "willfully exposing" staff to fire hazards at a Pennsylvania store, the Department of Labor said Friday. "Dollar General Corp. has a substantial history of the same violations and hazards found at stores all around the U.S. Just last week, OSHA said Dollar General was in settlement talks with federal regulators after the retailer was labeled a "severe violator" of workplace safety rules. In fiscal 2022, which ended Feb. 3, Dollar General reported $37.84 billion in sales and a net income of $2.41 billion.

☆ A worker's leg had to be amputated after he fell into an industrial blender, the labor department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A worker in Ohio fell into an industrial blender and had to have his leg amputated, the DOL said. Following an investigation, the OSHA proposed penalties of $1.9 million for Zwanenberg Food Group. OSHA said cleaning staff weren't trained on how to ensure equipment was isolated during maintenance. The DOL said staff weren't trained to lock the equipment prior to cleaning so it didn't move during maintenance. Cleaning staff weren't given information about wearing appropriate eye protection and weren't trained on how to ensure equipment was isolated, OSHA found.

☆ Senators ask 27 CEOs to make sure their companies comply with child labor laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Laura Strickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The company entered into an agreement with the agency pledging compliance with child labor laws and consented to third-party oversight. This is the second Senate inquiry citing NBC News reporting on child labor. JBS has zero tolerance for child labor, discrimination or unsafe working conditions for anyone working in our facilities. In a local newspaper editorial, Hearthside CEO Darlene Nicosia wrote the revelation of child labor was "a shock and major disappointment to us." Hearthside is in the midst of a 60-day independent review of child labor practices by an outside law firm, according to a spokesperson.

☆ Brazil's BTG Pactual launches own dollar-backed stablecoin
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, April 4 (Reuters) - Brazil's BTG Pactual said on Tuesday it will launch a stablecoin priced in U.S. dollars at a parity of one to one, as it seeks to position itself in the digital assets market. The stablecoin, called BTG Dol, will be available on Mynt, the bank's crypto-asset platform, and through BTG Pactual's own investment system. A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency that is pegged to a stable asset as a way to reduce volatility. Now we have our own stablecoin," said Marcel Monteiro, Mynt's head of operations. Reporting by Paula Arend Laier; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A 15-year-old suffered hot oil burns while using a deep fryer at a McDonald's restaurant in Tennessee, the Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A 15-year-old McDonald's worker suffered hot oil burns while using a deep fryer, the DOL said. The DOL assessed a $3,258 civil penalty to the franchisee that operates the restaurant. The restaurant in Morristown, north-east Tennessee, had illegally allowed the minor to remove french fries from a hot oil deep fryer manually, the DOL said. The DOL assessed a $3,258 civil penalty for Faris Enterprises, the franchisee that operates the restaurant. The DOL assessed nearly $4.4 million in civil money penalties in 2022 related to violations of child labor laws.

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