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☆ US Labor Department accuses Amazon of failing to keep warehouse workers safe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Amazon has been accused by federal safety regulators of failing to keep warehouse workers safe from workplace hazards at three US facilities, in the latest example of government officials scrutinizing the e-commerce giant’s labor practices. The Department of Labor said Wednesday that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Amazon and issued hazard letters related to injury risks from workers lifting packages after inspecting three warehouse facilities in Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; and New Windsor, New York. An Amazon spokesperson said the company “strongly” disagrees with OSHA’s claims and intends to appeal. “We’ve cooperated fully, and the government’s allegations don’t reflect the reality of safety at our sites,” Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, told CNN in a statement Wednesday. But Amazon is also known for carefully tracking worker productivity and for working conditions that have been called “grueling.”“We have to keep up with the pace,” Jennifer Bates, an Amazon warehouse employee who helped organize a union push at an Alabama facility, said in testimony before the Senate Budget Committee in 2021.

☆ Before accepting 'manager' in your title, make sure it's not just a way for your company to avoid paying you overtime
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new study finds that firms may be using fake managerial titles to get out of paying employees overtime. Workers with a manager title, who make over a certain amount weekly, are exempt from overtime. Firms gave many more workers who make that cut-off wage manager titles, according to the study. They found that, during that time, there was a 485% increase in managerial titles for workers just over that overtime threshold. In essence, firms give workers title bumps without tacking on new duties — or higher pay.

☆ A Los Angeles restaurant chain was fined $1.6 million for failing to pay overtime to 83 staff and for keeping false records
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Thai-restaurant chain in LA was fined more than $1.6 million after failing to pay staff overtime. The DOL found that 83 employees at Ocha Classic and Vim Restaurant were owed more than $800,000. The DOL personally fined Boonyindee, who operates six Ocha Classic chains and one Vim Restaurant outlet, an additional $62,000 for the "willful nature" of his violations. According to an LA Times report from last year, diners often queue up for an hour for a table at Ocha Classic. Ocha Classic didn't respond to a request for comment from Insider.

☆ American Airlines retaliated against cabin crew who reported illnesses caused by toxic fumes on aircraft, say federal investigators
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

American Airlines retaliated against employees who reported work-related illnesses, per the DOL. Cabin crew said they were discouraged from reporting illnesses after jet fumes entered the cabin. In a statement, the Department of Labor (DOL) said flight attendants reported worker illnesses to the airline caused by jet fuel fumes seeping into aircraft cabins. But an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) — initiated by a whistleblower tip-off — found that upon reporting these illnesses, the airline retaliated against employees. The effects on passengers of toxic jet fumes entering the cabin are unclear.

Garvey had argued that the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), which protects workers who report securities violations, can apply to securities fraud that occurs overseas but affects U.S. markets. Circuit said SOX's whistleblower protections do not prohibit securities fraud, so any impact on the U.S. was irrelevant in applying the law. Nor did Morgan Stanley, which has denied retaliating against Garvey. An administrative law judge ruled that SOX did not apply to overseas workers, and a review board agreed last year. For Garvey: pro seFor DOL: Reynaldo FuentesFor Morgan Stanley: Michael Kenneally of Morgan Lewis & BockiusOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dollarama lifts annual sales forecast on strong demand for cheaper grocery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 7 (Reuters) - Dollarama Inc (DOL.TO) raised its full-year same-store sales forecast on Wednesday, as the Canadian discount store chain benefited from inflation-weary consumers shopping at its stores in search of cheaper groceries and household supplies. The company's U.S. counterpart Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O) raised its annual net sales forecast in November, while Dollar General Corp (DG.N) said last week that its full-year same-store sales would be toward the upper end of its previous estimate. read more read moreDollarama said it now expects comparable store-sales growth between 9.5% and 10.5% for fiscal 2023, up from prior forecast of 6.5%-7.5%. The company also narrowed its forecast range for full-year gross margin to a range of 43.1% to 43.6%, from prior estimate of 42.9% to 43.9%. ($1 = 1.3680 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The company accused of employing dozens of minors in slaughterhouses on the graveyard shift reaches agreement with the feds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Laura Strickler | Julianne Mcshane | Laura Strickler Is A Washington-Based Investigative Reporter With The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

An industrial cleaning company accused by federal investigators of hiring dozens of children to clean slaughterhouses during the graveyard shift has resolved the allegations with the U.S. Department of Labor, according to a federal court filing filed Tuesday morning. The company will also provide a new child labor provision in its contracts with clients and will notify the Labor Department as to how many employees it terminated as a result of its compliance with child labor laws. Allegations of child labor at a slaughterhouse in Grand Island, Nebraska, date back to 2016, according to a previously unreported local police report obtained by NBC News. At least three chiildren suffered chemical burns as a result of working in the slaughterhouses, according to that complaint. The Department of Labor’s Child Labor Regulations designates many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors.

☆ Food sanitation company accused of employing at least 31 children on graveyard shifts in slaughterhouses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

A leading sanitation company is accused of employing dozens of children to clean the killing floors of slaughterhouses during graveyard shifts, the Department of Labor announced. The Department of Labor’s Child Labor Regulations designates many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors. That order requires PSSI to “immediately cease and refrain from employing oppressive child labor” and comply with the Department of Labor’s investigation. Yet, the children working overnight on the kill floor of these slaughterhouses cannot wait,” the complaint states. When they are hired by PSSI, workers sign paperwork assuming the risk of death and injury on the job, NBC News reported last year.

☆ Food plant cleaning company accused in federal probe of hiring children for 'hazardous' work that left 13-year-old with chemical burns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Labor Department filed a complaint against PSSI following a three-month investigation into unlawful child labor claims. The department is accusing the sanitation contractor of having employees as young as 13 working 'hazardous' overnight shifts. PSSI emphasized its 'zero tolerance' for violating its policy of employing anyone under 18 years old. A news release Wednesday from the DOL said Packers Sanitation Services Inc. employed at least 31 children — ages 13 to 17 — in "hazardous occupations." But a PSSI spokesperson said in a statement to Insider Thursday that it has a "zero tolerance" policy around hiring employees under 18.

☆ A restaurant in Oregon threatened to fire servers who didn't surrender their cash tips, a Labor Department investigation found
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A restaurant in Oregon said it would fire servers who didn't surrender their cash tips, a DOL investigation found. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyA sushi restaurant in Oregon threatened to fire servers who didn't surrender their cash tips, an investigation by the Department of Labor found. The DOL's Wage and Hour Division found that Bonsai Teriyaki and Sushi in Medford, southwest Oregon, had collected and withheld cash and credit card tips earned by seven servers, and "warned them they'd be fired if they failed to surrender cash tips." This violated the Fair Labor Standards Act, which stipulates that employers are not allowed to keep staff tips "under any circumstances." In addition, Bonsai Teriyaki and Sushi failed to pay overtime wages to four cooks and sushi chefs, the DOL said.

☆ As North Korea flexes its military muscles, some of South Korea's best submarines may be sidelined
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Nine of South Korea's submarines have defects that could sideline them for extended periods. The issue comes to light as North Korea launches scores of missiles in shows of force to its neighbors. South Korea's sub woes come as North Korea continues to issue threats over joint US-South Korean military exercises that Pyongyang claims are a rehearsal for an invasion. Aircraft in particular would be key to destroying North Korean nuclear sites, artillery emplacements, and even decapitation strikes against the North's leaders. Superior US and South Korean naval capabilities — perhaps assisted by Japanese forces — allow for amphibious landings, special-forces raids, blockades, and shore bombardment.

☆ Texas regulators have their eyes on one of the most powerful players in the crypto world
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Jon Sarlin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN Business —The big news in crypto this week came via a court filing in Texas. FTX, the crypto giant that is led by arguably the most powerful person in the industry, is under investigation by Texas regulators for selling unregistered securities. FDIC, OCC, SEC, DOL, FBI, US Treasury and IRS have all stepped up their crypto enforcement efforts. The crypto lawyer I spoke with told me that those who prefer the CFTC over the SEC fall into two camps. I interviewed Saylor last year for CNN’s crypto interactive (“The Bitcoin Billionaire” is what we dubbed him).

☆ An Alabama factory that makes parts for Kia and Hyundai employed children as young as 13, a Labor Department investigation found
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An auto parts manufacturer in Alabama has been ordered to stop hiring underage workers. SL Alabama also paid a $30,076 civil money penalty to address the violations. SL Alabama, which has around 650 workers in the Alexander City area, manufactures headlights, rear combination lights, and side mirrors for automakers including Korean sister companies Hyundai and Kia. The FLSA also makes it illegal for employers to ship products from worksites where child-labor laws have been violated. JK USA, Hyundai, and Kia, as well as an attorney for SL Alabama, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of regular working hours.

☆ Is the Uber, Lyft and gig economy battle over workers nearing its end game?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

With federal regulators set to tighten Trump-era labor standards that let Uber and Lyft, as well as food-delivery services like Doordash, treat gig workers as independent contractors with few protections under labor law, shares dropped sharply last week. But while a shift, the Department of Labor proposal doesn't immediately transform gig workers into employees entitled to overtime pay, unemployment insurance and other benefits. "It seems like the start of a Game of Thrones battle between the Department of Labor and the gig economy,' Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said. Uber believes the Department of Labor is focused less on ridesharing and more on industries such as construction that also use gig workers, pointing out that the proposed rule doesn't single out rideshare drivers. Uber drivers also supply their own cars and gasoline, though the company in March added a per-trip fuel surcharge that goes directly to drivers.

☆ A North Carolina restaurant has been ordered to pay $157,287 to staff after failing to give them their tips
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A North Carolina restaurant has been ordered to give back pay to staff after failing to give them their tips. The restaurant has been ordered to pay $157,287 to 65 staff, the Department of Labor said. "Tips are the property of the worker and, under no circumstances, may employers keep any part of their employees' tips." It ordered the company to pay a $1,915 civil money penalty for these specific violations. Mugen also owns five other restaurants in North Carolina.

☆ Oil giant Exxon was ordered to reinstate 2 employees and pay $800,000 for illegally firing them after suspecting them of leaking information to the media
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Exxon Mobil fired two workers it suspected of leaking information to the WSJ, the DoL said. The company has been ordered to reinstate them and pay them $800,000 in back wages and damages. Employees had told the WSJ in 2020 they thought Exxon's growth plans in Texas were unrealistic. The company has been ordered to reinstate the employees and pay them $800,000 in back wages and damages, the DoL said. OSHA said that neither of the fired scientists were revealed as sources for the article.

In August, authorities accused Alexander City, Alabama-based SL Alabama in federal court of violating child labor laws. The action against SL Alabama, which supplies lights and mirrors for Hyundai and Kia assembly plants in the U.S. South, came following a July Reuters article that documented child labor practices at another auto parts supplier in the state, Hyundai-owned SMART Alabama LLC. SL Alabama agreed to implement new monitoring and training programs, the federal regulator said. "Our investigation found SL Alabama engaged in oppressive child labor," said Kenneth Stripling, DOL's Wage and Hours Division Director in Birmingham, Alabama, in the statement. Regulators said plant operators are accountable for child labor violations even when unauthorized employees are brought in by third-party recruiting firms.

☆ U.S. government back and forth on 'gig' workers, contractors
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A DOL proposal in September 2020 made it easier for companies to classify workers as independent contractors if they operated an independent business and had opportunities for profit or loss. BIDEN ADMINISTRATIONThe administration of Democrat Joe Biden blocked the Trump rule in May 2021. A U.S. district judge in Texas in March 2022 blocked the Biden administration withdrawal and ordered the Trump rule to take effect. In June 2022, the DOL said it would develop a proposed rule on determining employee or independent contractor status. It held forums in June to hear from workers and companies.

☆ Twitter engineers can make over $300,000 in base salary: See how much analysts, managers, and other employees get paid at the social media company
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Kali Hays | Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Insider analyzed hundreds of salaries paid to workers in the second quarter of this year. Twitter discloses salary data in visa applications with the US Department of Labor. And, should Twitter in the coming weeks become a private entity under Musk, Twitter workers will no longer receive grants of stock associated with public companies. One engineer hired during the second quarter is getting a salary of $332,000 and most others are being paid around $200,000 and above. See below for a complete breakdown of what Twitter agreed to pay employees in the second quarter.

☆ A Marriott resort in Tennessee will pay $630,000 after allegations it discriminated against 250 Black, Asian, and female job applicants
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The DOL says an investigation found a Marriott resort discriminated against Black, Asian, and female job applicants. The hotel and conference center will pay $630,000 to settle the allegations, which it didn't admit to or deny. The apparent offences occurred between August 2018 and August 2020 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. It said that the Gaylord Opryland entered into an early resolution conciliation agreement without admitting or denying the allegations. Raymond Boyd/Getty ImagesThe Gaylord Opryland is part of Marriott's Gaylord Hotels brand, which consists of five large, upmarket hotels, with a sixth set to open in 2025.

☆ A Texas barbecue chain was ordered to pay $230,000 to workers after their tips were shared with managers
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A chain of barbecue restaurants in Texas was ordered to pay $230,353 in back wages to employees. According to Wage and Hour Division investigators, employers kept employee tips for managers. The DOL's Wage and Hour Division is ordering Black's Barbecue restaurant to pay employees back, after illegally keeping tips from employees, according to a press release from the department. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers, managers, and supervisors are not allowed to keep employees' tips. Black's Barbecue restaurant operates Black's Barbecue Inc; Kent Black's Lockhart Barbecue Inc., and New Braunfels Barbecue LLC.

☆ Rail unions have reached a tentative deal to avert economy-rattling strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Stephen Jones | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Unions and rail companies have struck a deal, averting crippling rail strikes, the White House said. President Biden praised railway representatives for reaching a "tentative agreement" on Thursday. "For the American people, the hard work done to reach this tentative agreement means that our economy can avert the significant damage any shutdown would have brought," Biden said. One key provision in the new tentative agreement: Workers can take off unpaid sick days without fear of repercussions, according to the Associated Press. Workers in one union had already voted down the prior tentative agreement and were prepared to strike.

☆ Wells Fargo is paying $131.8 million to retirement-plan participants after an investigation found the plan overpaid for company stock
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wells Fargo is paying $131.8 million to 401(k) participants to settle a probe by the DOL. The DOL said it found that the plan overpaid for company stock purchased between 2013 and 2018. Wells Fargo said it "strongly disagrees" with the allegations. Wells Fargo and GreatBanc didn't admit or deny the allegations as part of the settlement, the DoL said, though Wells Fargo said in a statement Monday that it "strongly disagrees" with the allegations. The plan borrowed money from Wells Fargo to purchase the preferred stock between 2013 and 2018, the DoL found.

☆ Wells Fargo ordered to pay $22 million for firing an executive who spoke out about allegations of financial misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-02 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wells Fargo has been ordered to pay $22 million for retaliating against an executive. Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to Insider's request for conduct, made outside of normal working hours. Wells Fargo operates an EthicsLine that staff can access via phone call or online to report possible fraudulent activities. The call center is staffed by third-party interview specialists, who write a summary report based on the call which they pass onto Wells Fargo. "Any information provided to the EthicsLine will be treated as confidential to the extent allowed by applicable law," Wells Fargo adds.

☆ A Hawaii restaurant group illegally shared $59,000 tips accumulated by 70 servers among managers, DOL says
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Hawaii restaurant group illegally shared $58,855 of servers' tips among managers, the DOL said. The 70 servers' tips were used to top up managers' salaries after the company cut them, per the DOL. The restaurant paid $117,710 in taken tips plus damages to the servers following the investigation. The DOL said DK Restaurant Group, which operates seafood, sushi, and steak restaurants in Hawaii, reduced managers' salaries by "at least" 25% when it reopened its locations after COVID-19 lockdown — then topped up managers' salaries using tips accumulated by 70 servers. Previous investigations by the DOL have found that other restaurants have committed similar FLSA violations by withholding servers' tips, including making them participate in illegal tip pools.

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