http://www.dol.gov/ en http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20260804 SAN ANTONIO – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered thousands in back wages and assessed penalties after a federal investigation revealed child labor, minimum wage, and overtime violations by the operators of three La Panaderia Bakery & Café locations in San Antonio.The department’s Wage and Hour Division investigated the pay practices of Tequila Almond Croissant LLC, Pan Dulce LLC, and SA Bakery Co. LLC. All three do business as La Panaderia Bakery & Café in San Antonio with locations at 301 E. Houston Street; 17030 Fiesta Texas Drive; and 8305 Broadway.Division investigators found the employers violated child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Specifically, they employed a 13-year-old minor who was under the legal age for employment and permitted a 15-year-old minor to work overnight, which is prohibited for 14- and 15-year-olds. The division assessed a $25,706 civil money penalty for the child labor violations.The division’s investigation also revealed minimum wage violations due to the employers’ failure to pay one worker for two overnight shifts at the La Cantera café location on Fiesta Texas Drive. The employers also failed to combine hours for employees who worked at multiple café locations and paid the employees straight-time rates instead of the required time-and-one-half overtime rates. Employers and workers can contact the division with questions and requests for compliance assistance at its toll-free helpline, 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers are also encouraged to use the agency’s industry-specific compliance assistance toolkits to learn about their responsibilities under the laws enforced by the division. The agency’s PAID program offers employers an opportunity to self-report and resolve potential minimum wage and overtime violations under the FLSA, as well as certain potential violations under the Family and Medical Leave Act.Download the agency’s free timesheet app for iOS and Android devices to track hours and pay. Tue, 04 Aug 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20260804 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260730-0 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $5.6 million to the Florida Department of Commerce to support employment and training services for eligible individuals in communities impacted by the closure of Spirit Airlines. The abrupt closure of Spirit Airlines Inc. on May 2, 2026, displaced more than 5,000 workers in Florida and triggered related layoffs at aircraft cleaning, fueling, ramp services, concessions, food service, retail, ground transportation, airport logistics, and security service providers. To date, an additional 223 workers have received Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices, with further layoffs expected as aviation-dependent businesses continue to adjust operations.“The National Dislocated Worker Grant to support Floridians in the wake of the Spirit Airlines closure empowers dislocated workers with rapid, employer-driven reskilling pathways to quickly secure new, high-wage jobs,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “This critical funding will support the Florida Department of Commerce’s ongoing efforts to ensure all impacted workers have a smooth pathway back into a mortgage-paying career.”Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, this National Dislocated Worker Grant will allow the Florida Department of Commerce to provide retraining and skills development services for dislocated workers seeking assistance in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Orange counties.Authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, National Dislocated Worker Grants provide a state or local board with funding for direct services and assistance in areas experiencing a major economic dislocation event that leads to workforce needs exceeding available resources. Explore Labor Department resources for job seekers.To connect with former Spirit Airlines employees or contractors who have found new employment or upskilling opportunities, reach out to one of the media contacts listed below. Thu, 30 Jul 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260730-0 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260730 AUGUSTA, ME – A federal investigation into the release of a deadly gas at a Baileyville-based wood pulp mill found that the employer exposed workers to safety and health hazards that resulted in the death of two workers.The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that on Jan. 27, 2026, Woodland Pulp LLC workers were performing a cold weather shutdown causing exposure to high concentrations of deadly, uncontrolled, hydrogen sulfide gas. Two employees died from the exposure.OSHA also investigated a March 7, 2026, chemical fire at Woodland Pulp that started after the employer released 4,400 gallons of 50 percent hydrogen peroxide that mixed with wood pulp that had accumulated on the ground. Woodland Pulp received four willful citations for exposing workers to deadly hydrogen sulfide gas levels without proper alarms or breathing devices and allowing overflow wood pulp to build up in storage areas. The employer also received eight serious citations for lack of worker training on hydrogen peroxide risks; failure to conduct medical evaluations and fit tests for respirator users; and neglecting to label chlorine and acid lines, or control hydrogen sulfide exposure risks. OSHA proposed $794,456 in penalties.The employer has been inspected 13 times since 2017 resulting in 13 serious and one other-than-serious citation, including an inspection started in 2017 when 14 employees were taken to the hospital after a chemical exposure in the same area covered by the current inspections.The company has 15 business days from receipt of their citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Hydrogen sulfide, also known as H2S and sewer gas, is a colorless gas known for its powerful rotten egg odor. It is extremely flammable and highly toxic. Used or produced in several industries, hydrogen sulfide also occurs naturally in sewers, manure pits, well water, and oil and gas wells. Visit OSHA’s website for more information on how hydrogen sulfide can affect your health, and how to prevent harmful exposures.Visit OSHA’s website for information on developing a workplace safety and health program. Employers can also contact the agency for information about OSHA’s compliance assistance resources and for free help on complying with OSHA standards.  Thu, 30 Jul 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260730 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20260730 DETROIT – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment requiring the owner of four Leo’s Coney Island franchises in Clarkston, Dearborn, Livonia, and Sterling Heights to pay more than $500,000 in owed overtime wages and damages to 143 employees. The consent judgment resolves the department’s case alleging that the four Leo’s Coney Island franchise locations and owner Kiriakos Vlahadamis paid workers straight-time rates for all hours worked when they were legally obligated to pay them time-and-one-half their regular rate of pay for all hours over 40 in a workweek as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division alleged that the defendants maintained two sets of timecards for employees to separate regular hours worked up to 40 per week from any overtime hours worked each week. The division’s investigators also alleged that the timecards tracking overtime hours were regularly destroyed. Entered May 26, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, the judgment requires Vlahadamis and the four Leo’s franchises – Sterling Ponds LLC, doing business as Leo’s Coney Island #61; Clarkston Restaurant Inc., doing business as Leo’s Coney Island #22; Dearborn Plaza Coney Island Inc., doing business as Leo’s Coney Island #41; and Stass Restaurant Inc., doing business as Leo’s Coney Island #38 – to pay 143 employees $515,857 in overtime wages and damages.The consent judgment also requires the defendants to pay $73,784 in penalties. Finally, the defendants paid $10,000 in attorney fees to resolve a contempt petition alleging Vlahadamis and Sterling Ponds LLC violated a 2018 consent judgment requiring compliance with the FLSA.Workers and employers can call the division with questions and requests for compliance assistance at its toll-free helpline, 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers are encouraged to use the agency’s industry-specific compliance assistance toolkits to learn about their responsibilities under the laws enforced by the division. The agency’s PAID program offers employers an opportunity to self-report and resolve potential FLSA minimum wage and overtime violations, as well as certain potential violations under the Family and Medical Leave Act.Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool that workers can use if they think they may be owed back wages collected by the division. Download the agency’s free timesheet app for iOS and Android devices to track hours and pay. Thu, 30 Jul 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20260730 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260730 In the week ending July 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 197,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 187,000 to 188,000. The 4-week moving average was 202,750, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 207,500 to 207,750. Thu, 30 Jul 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260730 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20260728 MINNEAPOLIS – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $613,037 in back wages for 46 workers after a federal investigation found a Minnesota restaurant failed to pay minimum and overtime wages as required by law. Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division investigated four of the employer’s nine Minnesota locations, and found that Rehman LLC, IN LLC, IQ LLC, and MOON LLC – all operating as NY Gyro – failed to maintain records of hours worked, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s recordkeeping provisions. In addition, the employer violated wage laws when it paid workers straight-time pay for all hours worked, including those over 40 per workweek, resulting in overtime violations. The division also found a minimum wage violation when NY Gyro paid an employee less than the required $7.25 per hour federal minimum wage.Workers and employers can call the Wage and Hour Division with questions and requests for compliance assistance at its toll-free helpline, 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers are encouraged to use the agency’s industry-specific compliance assistance toolkits to learn about their responsibilities under the laws enforced by the division. The agency’s PAID program offers employers an opportunity to self-report and resolve potential minimum wage and overtime violations under the FLSA, as well as certain potential violations under the Family and Medical Leave Act.Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool that workers can use if they think they may be owed back wages collected by the division. Download the agency’s free timesheet app for iOS and Android devices to track hours and pay. Tue, 28 Jul 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20260728 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260727 SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Department of Labor recently advanced a workforce-development partnership with military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries to expand pre-apprenticeship opportunities, strengthen the nation’s maritime workforce and support Trump administration efforts to rebuild America’s industrial base. “Strengthening our maritime talent pipeline has a two-fold benefit,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “It gives hope to young men and women enrolled in pre-apprenticeship programs while helping restore America’s maritime workforce and reanimating critical domestic supply chains.”Part of the partnership includes a proposal to leverage the geographic proximity of the San Diego Job Corps Center, overseen by the Employment and Training Administration, to create a maritime-focused Job Corps Center – a site exclusively devoted to providing career and technical education critical to shipbuilding occupations at nearby shipyards.Jim Loeblein, vice president of customer affairs at Huntington Ingalls, acknowledged the importance of the partnership, saying, “This dialogue demonstrates that both industry and government understand the mission, that supporting jobs in the shipbuilding industry is necessary. With the international threats we face today, we must be the best we can be, which is why we at HII support the work of the Department of Labor and Job Corps.”Department officials on July 22 met with Huntington Ingalls executives in San Diego to discuss workforce-development opportunities across southern California, including the possibility of folding three other southern California Job Corps Centers into the plans to more quickly build up the pipeline of skilled workers.Those three additional sites include the Los Angeles, Inland Empire and Long Beach Job Corps Centers with the San Diego location serving as an Advanced Training Transition Hub for program graduates not only from southern California but around the country to receive relocation assistance, complete their training, and begin work in high-wage shipbuilding careers in the area.The partnership advances two executive orders—namely “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future” and “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance,” which call for expanding Registered Apprenticeship, strengthening career and technical education, and rebuilding our workforce.Through partnerships with employers, industry, and education providers, the department is working to ensure America’s workforce is prepared to meet the growing need for a skilled workforce that will propel the next generation of domestic manufacturing and maritime innovation.  Mon, 27 Jul 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260727 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ebsa/ebsa20260724-0 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today filed an amicus brief urging the Fourth Circuit to affirm a district court’s decision dismissing the claims in Stana v. SAS Institute Inc., No. 26-1305, that the employer breached its fiduciary obligations by not using forfeited funds for plan expenses.In the amicus brief, the department asserted that the district court appropriately determined the plan fiduciary did not violate its duty of loyalty to plan participants. The plaintiffs’ argument that forfeitures should be allocated to pay plan expenses does not allow for the fact that the plan at issue gave the fiduciary that allocated the forfeitures discretion over them under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.The department has primary authority to interpret and enforce provisions of Title I of ERISA to ensure fair and impartial administration and compliance with its requirements.The plaintiffs in the case were employed by the SAS Institute and participated in its retirement plan that allowed employees to be fully vested after five years of employment. If a participant left the company before completing five years of employment, the employee would forfeit the balance of the company’s unvested matching contributions. As the plan manager, SAS has the power to determine how forfeited funds are distributed, the brief said.Between 2018 and 2023, SAS generally opted to use the forfeited funds to reduce its matching contributions. However, in 2022, SAS chose to allocate $222,320 in forfeitures toward plan expenses. Plaintiffs claimed that unless the plan was on the verge of insolvency, SAS should have used all forfeitures to pay plan expenses to reduce costs for participants.Under ERISA, retirement plan administrators must act loyally. They do not act disloyally by choosing to use forfeitures for employers’ plan contributions rather than plan expenses, the department said. The brief also contended that continued litigation of this type could have the unintended effect of disincentivizing employers from creating retirement plans. Read the department’s amicus brief in Stana v. SAS Institute. Fri, 24 Jul 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ebsa/ebsa20260724-0 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260723 ORLANDO, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Florida roofing company for willfully putting workers at risk of falling at residential construction sites. Investigators with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that on Jan. 21, 2026, Orchids Builders LLC exposed workers to a 10-foot fall hazard when it failed to provide them with fall protection while they installed sheathing on a sloped roof at a Rockledge worksite. On March 10, 2026, OSHA investigators found the employer exposed a worker to a 9-foot fall hazard while installing metal hurricane clips at another Rockledge worksite. OSHA also found that Orchids Builders failed to prepare and maintain written fall protection training certificates for employees at both worksites, did not ensure workers had eye protection while using nail guns,  exposing them to eye injuries, and allowed workers to use ladders with side rails that did not extend at least 36 inches above the roof landing, increasing the likelihood and risk of a fall.OSHA cited the employer for two willful and four repeat violations and proposed $349,754 in penalties. Orchids Builders LLC has been inspected seven times since 2023 and all the cases included fall protection violations.It has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Please check the OSHA establishment search page periodically for any changes in the inspection or penalty status.  OSHA’s fall prevention webpage includes a free and downloadable fall protection guide. Employers can contact the agency for free compliance assistance and resources. Thu, 23 Jul 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260723 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260723 In the week ending July 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 187,000, a decrease of 22,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 208,000 to 209,000. The 4-week moving average was 207,500, a decrease of 7,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 214,250 to 214,750. Thu, 23 Jul 26 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260723