Department of Labor News

US Trade Groups Sue Over Biden Rule on ‘Gig’ Work, Contracting

Major U.S. business groups on Tuesday filed the latest lawsuit challenging a Biden administration rule that would make it more difficult for companies to treat some workers as independent contractors rather than employees. The groups including the U.S. Chamber of …

Long Island Company Owes $252K for Back Pay, Damages

A awnings company based in Long Island and its owner will pay $252,370 in back wages and damages to nearly three dozen workers who were denied overtime wages over a three-year period, after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation. A …

Pennsylvania Restaurant to Pay $269K for Illegal Pay Practices, Child Labor Violations

A Collegeville, Pennsylvania restaurant and its owners must pay $268,660 in back wages, liquidated damages and punitive damages to satisfy a consent judgment obtained by the U.S. Department of Labor after an investigation into the employers’ illegal pay practices. According …

Texas Pipe Company Faces Department of Labor Lawsuit for Violating Whistleblower Protections

A Department of Labor lawsuit claims a Tyler, Texas pipe manufacturer violated federal whistleblower protections after the company fired an employee because they requested to use a respirator to protect them from smoke and fumes in the work area. The …

Meat Processor Agrees to Reform Hiring After Two Teens Found at a Minnesota Plant

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) __ A second company involved in meat processing has agreed to reform its hiring practices after investigators recently discovered teenagers working there. The Labor Department said Friday that Monogram Foods will pay a more than $30, 000 …

Injured Workers Pharmacy to Pay $10M for Improper Handling of ‘Red Flag’ Prescriptions

Andover, Massachusetts-based Injured Workers Pharmacy (IWP) has agreed to pay $10 million to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act by improperly filling prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids, and submitting false claims for payment to the Department …

Jury Awards $22M in Back Pay Verdict, Biggest Ever Win by Labor Department

A federal court jury has awarded back wages of more than $22 million to the U.S. Department of Labor for more than 7,500 employees working for East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc. — one of the largest battery manufacturers — after …

Judge Reinstates Trump Independent Contractor Rule Withdrawn by Biden

A federal judge in Texas has nixed the Biden Department of Labor’s withdrawal of a Trump administration rule governing whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. U.S. District Court Judge Marcia A. Crone reinstated the Trump independent …

Biden Labor Department Nixes Trump Rule Affecting Gig Workers

The U.S. Department of Labor announced it is withdrawing a rule by the previous Trump Administration affecting independent contractors that was set to go into effect Friday. The Trump rule would have favored app-services firms like Uber, DashDoor and Instacart …

Biden’s Choice for Labor Secretary — Boston’s Mayor Walsh— Signals Pro-Worker Policy

President-elect Joe Biden announced Thursday that he has named Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to be labor secretary. If confirmed by the Senate, Walsh would take control of a Labor Department that Biden has pledged to reorient toward workers, with a …