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☆ The Biden administration just announced plans to crack down on more than 4,400 new cases of child labor in the US since October
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Department of Labor is heightening enforcement of child labor laws through new partnerships and tactics. On Thursday, the Department of Labor announced it would take more measures to crack down on illegal child labor nationally, including heightening enforcement of child labor laws through new tactics and partnering with other agencies and foreign governments. "Like the President, we believe that any child working in a dangerous or hazardous environment is one child too many." This comes after the department's February 2023 announcement of the Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labor Exploitation, created in response to a 69% increase in illegal child labor findings from 2018 to 2022. Sixteen more McDonald's franchise locations in Louisiana and Texas were found in violation of child labor laws last week, impacting 83 minors.

Persons: Biden, Labor Julie Su Organizations: of Labor, Service, Department of Labor, Labor, Department of Health, Human Services, Refugee Resettlement, The Department of Labor, Housing, Urban Development, Transportation, US Small Business Administration, Commission, The Labor, State, Department of Education, Interagency, Force, Combat, The Locations: Wall, Silicon, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Minnesota, Kentucky , Indiana , Maryland, Ohio, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri , Ohio, South Dakota

☆ 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

☆ 'Oppenheimer' and the story behind those who lost their land to the lab
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] The town of Los Alamos, New Mexico with Fuller Lodge and the "Big House" dormitories is seen in an undated photograph. "Oppenheimer had no qualms about displacing people from their homelands," said Gomez, who wrote "Nuclear Nuevo Mexico" about the setting up of the lab. Today Los Alamos County, where the lab is based, is one of the richest and best-educated in the United States. "There's no economic development in our areas because it's all focused in Los Alamos," said Cristian Madrid-Estrada, director of the regional homeless shelter in Espanola, Rio Arriba's largest town. The lab said over 61% of employees hired since 2018 were from New Mexico, with most of its workforce living outside Los Alamos County.

Persons: Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy, Loyda Martinez, Martinez, Christopher Nolan's, Marcel Torres, Torres, dispossession, Myrriah Gomez, Gomez, Alisa Valdes, Mexico Rob Martinez, homesteader, Cristian Madrid, Estrada, Andrew Hay, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Fuller, of Energy, REUTERS, U.S . Army, Homes, Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S, Department, Labor, University of New, Manhattan, Hispano, Los Alamos, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Los Alamos , New Mexico, New Mexico, Espanola, New, University of New Mexico, Nuevo Mexico, Abiquiu , New Mexico, Publicists, United States, Los, Mexico, Los Alamos County, Neighboring Rio Arriba County, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba's, Taos , New Mexico

☆ 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

☆ The Labor Department only fines businesses on average $8,500 when a worker dies from a heat-related illness
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The average federal fine for a US employer, when a worker dies from heat-related illness, is $8,539.98. The three-year average of heat-related worker deaths has doubled since 1990, a 2021 report from NPR and Columbia Journalism Investigations revealed. According to federal data reported between 2017 and 2022, the Department of Labor fines businesses governed by federal OSHA regulations an average of just $8,539.98 if an employee dies because of heat-related illness. Gleason also noted that federal OSHA fines for worker deaths are significantly smaller than that of other federal agencies. "The average Environmental Protection Agency penalty is 10 times that of federal OSHA for a worker that dies," Gleason said.

Persons: Eugene Gates Jr, Felipe Pascual, Richard Gleason, Gleason, West Virginia —, Thomas Linkous, — Farrell, — Organizations: Service, NPR, Columbia, Investigations, US Postal Service, University of Washington, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Department, Labor, OSHA, Environmental, Agency, The Department Locations: United, Wall, Silicon, United States, Dallas, Houston, West Virginia, Wisconsin, California, Washington, Oregon

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Jobs, jobs and more jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Half a million jobsU.S. private sector companies added 497,000 jobs in June, according to payroll processing firm ADP. The ADP jobs report doesn't necessarily give a good estimate of the Department of Labor's jobs report. Worst days and lowest levelsU.S. stocks fell Thursday as traders grew concerned over what the scorching hot ADP jobs report means for interest rates.

Persons: Dow Jones, Janet Yellen, Yellen, Bitcoin Bitcoin, Larry Fink, Deutsche Bank's Maximilian Uleer Organizations: CNBC, Department, Treasury, U.S ., Treasury Department, BlackRock, Deutsche Bank's Locations: Yellen, China U.S, Beijing, China, U.S, BlackRock

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Jobs are still growing uncontrollably
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. The ADP jobs report doesn't necessarily give a good estimate of the Department of Labor's jobs report. Worst days and plunging profitsU.S. stocks fell Thursday as traders grew concerned over what the scorching hot ADP jobs report means for interest rates. But there are six U.S.-listed Chinese stocks that Morgan Stanley says have the potential to rise dramatically — one's a chipmaker that can soar 80%.

Persons: Dow Jones, Korea's Kospi, Janet Yellen, Yellen, Morgan Stanley Organizations: CNBC, Department, Samsung Electronics, Reuters, Treasury, U.S ., Treasury Department, Economist Intelligence Unit Locations: Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, China, Beijing, U.S, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan

☆ US layoffs fall to seven-month low in June, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Safiyah Riddle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton(Reuters) - American employers slowed downsizing in June, announcing the lowest number of layoffs since October 2022. The planned pace of layoffs in June was well above the 32,517 cuts announced in June 2022. There are 458,209 cuts so far this year, a 244% increase from the 133,211 layoffs announced through June 2022, as employers brace for the prospect of recession. Last month’s announced job cuts total was the highest for a month of June since 2020. The technology sector continues to downsize the fastest with 141,516 total job cuts announced this year, up 2,353% from 5,769 over the same period in 2022.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, ” Andrew Challenger, month’s Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Federal Reserve, Fed, Challenger, Department of Labor Locations: New York City, U.S

☆ Dow tumbles on red-hot US job market report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell about 2.4% as investors parsed the strong US labor data. US private sector businesses added an estimated 497,000 jobs, according to payroll processor ADP’s latest National Employment Report released Thursday. While a strong jobs market despite the Fed’s aggressive rate-hike campaign appears to be a positive economic sign, it is being seen negatively by the markets because the Fed may continue to raise interest rates. Investors are looking to the government’s June jobs report due Friday for more insight into the state of the labor market. PacWest Bank slipped 8.6%, New York Community Bank fell 1.7% and KeyCorp slipped about 3%.

Persons: Stocks, That’s, ”, Matt Dmytryszyn, JPMorgan Chase, Wells, KeyCorp Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Reserve, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Treasury, Department of Labor, West Texas Intermediate, JPMorgan, Citigroup, PacWest Bank, New York Community Bank Locations: New York

☆ America's largest office tenant is embracing remote work, creating more pain for a market already in distress
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The federal government is embracing remote work and cutting back its office footprint nationally. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump might not appear to agree on much, but when it comes to cutting back on office space, they're aligned. Now federal tenants are in for a new phase of belt-tightening as more accept remote and hybrid work, real estate experts say. "The majority of federal offices are still largely vacant on most days," said Darian LeBlanc, the director of government services at Cushman & Wakefield. So far, only the Department of Veterans Affairs has publicly said how it plans to use remote and hybrid work.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Biden —, Darian LeBlanc, LeBlanc, Rachel Davis, Davis, — Davis, Bob Hunt, Martin Selig, Jesse Lawder, Selig, Shalanda Young, Denis McDonough, Cushman, JBG Smith, Christi, who's Organizations: —, Trump, Cushman &, Washington DC, General Services Administration, Department of Labor, Management, FBI, Securities and Exchange Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Minerals Management Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Transportation Safety, L'Enfant Plaza, state's Department of General Services, National Association of State Locations: Cushman & Wakefield, United States, JLL, Seattle, Washington, L'Enfant, . Tennessee, Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Branscom, California , Illinois, North Carolina, Florida

☆ 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

☆ A boss who dumped 91,500 pennies on an ex-employee's driveway was ordered to pay $40,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An autoshop owner has been ordered to pay almost $40,000 in back wages and damages. Miles Walker previously dumped 91,000 pennies on a former employee's driveway. The US government sued him for repeatedly failing to pay wages and illegal retaliation. He was sued by the US government for repeatedly failing to pay wages and illegal retaliation against an ex-worker, according to the lawsuit viewed by Insider. When Walker was contacted by the department, he said he wouldn't pay Flaten a penny.

Persons: Miles Walker, —, Andreas Flaten, Walker didn't, Walker, Flaten, Tremelle Howard Organizations: Service, Department of Labor, Labor Locations: Peachtree City , Georgia, Fayetteville , Georgia, Atlanta

☆ 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

☆ Parents are struggling at work or quitting altogether because of the childcare crisis. This map shows how bad it is for families in every state.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds that childcare is weighing on parents' jobs. BLS data shows many employed people miss work because of childcare issues. Those job changes, per the report, "include quitting a job, not taking a job or greatly changing a job in the previous year." An analysis by economist Clive R. Belfield estimated that, roughly, inadequate childcare costs the US $122 billion annually, with $78 billion of that loss coming from parental income. Did you have to quit your job, reduce your work hours, or make another job change because of childcare issues?

Persons: Annie E, —, that's, AECF, Lisa Hamilton, Hamilton, Rachel, Clive R, Patty Murray Organizations: Casey Foundation, Service, National Survey of Children's, US Women's Bureau, Department of Labor, DC, Center for American, Bureau, Labor, Survey, jkaplan Locations: Washington, Arizona, North Carolina, Vermont, , Nebraska, DC, Massachusetts, Connecticut

☆ An American Airlines flight attendant says she was accused of fraud after taking leave for post-mastectomy surgery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An American Airlines flight attendant said she was accused of fraud after taking medical leave. Jeannine Schumacher said she took medical leave for reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy. An American Airlines flight attendant said she was accused of taking fraudulent medical leave linked to a cancer diagnosis. Following successful treatment, Schumacher said she requested medical leave for reconstructive surgery, which her attendance manager appeared to informally approve over the phone for four consecutive months. Up to half of breast-cancer survivors in the US undergo reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Persons: Jeannine Schumacher, Schumacher, who's, she'd, There's Organizations: American Airlines, Association of Professional, American Cancer Society, National Library of Medicine, Department of Labor, Airlines Locations: Phoenix

☆ 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

☆ Biden Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su engaged in tense West Coast port contract negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Julie Su testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on her nomination to be Labor Secretary, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 20, 2023. President Biden's Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su is in current communication with labor and port management representatives in an effort to help broker a deal at a time of rising tensions at ports up and down the West Coast. President Biden nominated Acting Secretary Su on February 28 to replace Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, who stepped down in March. She was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve as the deputy secretary of labor on July 13, 2021. It estimated a more widespread strike along the West Coast could cost approximately $1 billion per day.

Persons: Julie Su, Biden's, Su, Su's, Biden, Marty Walsh, Suzanne Clark, Paul Brashier Organizations: Health, Education, Labor, Capitol, California Labor, Workforce Development Agency, Warehouse Union, Pacific Maritime Association, The Department, United Mine Workers, AFL, Senate, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, National Retail Federation, National Association of Manufacturers, . Chamber of Commerce, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, ILWU, Canadian, Logistics, ITS Logistics Locations: Washington , U.S, West, West Coast, Los Angeles, Long, U.S, ILWU Canada, Canadian West Coast, Panama, East

☆ How Dollar General's troubles have snowballed into cluttered aisles and stores forced to close by fire marshals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

It was Christmas in May in the back room of a Michigan Dollar General last year. The clutter is one of the reasons that the Department of Labor labeled Dollar General a "severe violator" in March. In January, a Dollar General clerk was charged with manslaughter after police said he shot and killed an armed robber. Despite the problems on the ground, Dollar General continues to earn positive feedback from analysts on Wall Street. Do you work or shop at a Dollar General store or have a story to share?

Persons: —, They've, Alex Bitter, ProPublica, Corey Tarlowe Organizations: Service, Michigan, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, New York Times, Dollar, Midwest, Arizona, CNN, Wall, Walmart, Home, Jefferies Locations: Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Arizona

☆ 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

☆ A ‘pleasant’ surprise: Strong job numbers, low layoffs show no ‘major indicators’ of a recession, economists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Job openings were up and layoffs were down in April, shutting down fears that a recent rise in job cuts could be the start of a growing trend. Openings increased to 10.1 million last month, up from 9.6 million in March, according to the Department of Labor's latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover report. Opportunities are growing across retail trade; health care and social assistance; and transportation, warehousing and utilities. And 6.1 million people were hired into new jobs, on par with the previous month. It's still a favorable job market to applicants and workers, she says, with "very little to indicate the labor market is cooling off."

Persons: Elise Gould Organizations: Department, Labor, Economic, Institute, CNBC

☆ The Most Expensive and Most Affordable Cities for Childcare in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Jeremy Ney | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The most expensive counties generally have fewer childcare workers or the state doesn't provide enough financial support for low-income families. The US Department of Health and Human Services considers childcare "affordable" if it costs less than 7% of a family's income. The pandemic provided a perfect example of this dynamic: 2 million women left the workforce and haven't returned, citing childcare costs as the No. Counties with higher levels of poverty often lack affordable care as childcare workers themselves can't afford to live on the industry's low wages. In Canada, where childcare workers make more, that ratio is six to one.

Persons: haven't, It's, Joe Biden, doesn't, Annie Lowrey, Grant, Jeremy Ney Organizations: Department of Labor, US Department of Health, Human Services, New, Bay State, University of Massachusetts Amherst, US, Preschool, America, Federal Reserve Bank of New Locations: Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York City, America, Kings County, Brooklyn, Queens County, Bronx County, Bronx, Bay, While Massachusetts, California, . Mississippi, New York, Canada, Portland , Oregon, Portland, Michigan, The, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

☆ 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.

☆ Firefighters who risked their lives fighting wildfires were paid less than legal minimum by a federal contractor, investigators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A federal contractor paid firefighters as little as $2.85/hour, according to the Department of Labor. Since 2010, the Oregon-based company KL Farms/Fire LLC has been awarded 72 federal contracts worth more than $2.6 million, according to government records. On average, per federal investigators, these workers put in an average of 70 hours a week fighting blazes in 2020 and 2021. In total, the Department of Labor said it recovered just over $152,000 in unpaid overtime and fringe benefits for 57 firefighters and truck drivers, with one worker receiving over $14,700. Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.comMay 25, 2023: This story was updated to include comment from KL Farms/Fire LLC.

☆ A DoJ official said forced labor was 'heinous conduct' after a Louisiana man was jailed for making minors bake and sell brownies 7 days a week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Louisiana man was jailed for forcing minors to work long hours baking and selling brownies. The Department of Justice said Friday that Darnell Fulton was sentenced to 35 years in prison. A DoJ official said forced labor was "heinous conduct" and would not be tolerated. He was jailed Friday for 35 years for crimes including conspiracy to commit forced labor. "This sentence demonstrates the Justice Department's commitment to standing up for the survivors of forced labor schemes.

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