Southern Indiana mining company to pay $110K for penalties related to safety violations
A southern Indiana mining company must pay $110,000 for unpaid civil penalties related to worker safety violations committed in Owen County.
Department of Labor
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Attorneys, businesses await impact of proposed rule to extend OT to more salaried workers
It’s been more than six months since the U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposed new rule to the Fair Labor Standards Act that would extend overtime pay to 3.6 million salaried workers. More concrete action could come by April, but even then the new rule is expected to face legal challenges.
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COVID-19 religious exemption concerns on shaky ground
Attorneys representing employers and employees alike have seen swells and lulls in incoming calls concerned about COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
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Scrounging for change: DOL pauses proposed tip-pooling, tip credit rules changes
Proposed changes to the country’s tipped employee regulations have caused a stir among some states and worker advocates, prompting a temporary halt of further movement from the U.S. Department of Labor.
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Are noncompetes overly broad?
This year, a group of unions, employment law attorneys and other labor organizations petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to ban noncompete agreements. But while there are some instances where a restrictive covenant can be too restrictive, experts say there are also instances where noncompete clauses are legitimate.
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Articles
Evansville diner owner ordered to pay $390K in illegal tip pool, intimidation case
An Evansville diner owner must pay $390,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to employees after the U.S. Department of Labor discovered his restaurant operated an invalid tip pool and that he retaliated against the employees who cooperated with the investigation.
Labor Department wants Indy health care owner held in contempt on overtime issues
The U.S. Department of Labor is asking a federal judge to hold the owner of eight Indianapolis-area health care services companies in contempt for allegedly ignoring a 2022 court judgment requiring him to pay overtime to his employees.
Labor department seeks court action against Granger business
The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against a Vishav Inc., which does business as Mega Liquor & Smoke, for allegedly retaliating against and intimidating employees who were owed back wages.
Hollis, Nickels and Roth: New DOL rule for determining independent contractors
On Jan. 9, the U.S. Department of Labor released its highly anticipated Final Rule, which revises the criteria for determining whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
States seek to let teens as young as 14 serve booze in restaurants
There’s a growing trend among states to propose and enact legislation allowing teens — as young as 14 — to serve alcohol in restaurants, among laws rolling back other child labor limits.
U.S. inflation jumped 7.5% over past year, a 40-year high
Inflation soared over the past year at its highest rate in four decades, hammering America’s consumers, wiping out pay raises and reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s decision to begin raising borrowing rates across the economy.
US hiring rebounded in October, with 531,000 jobs added
America’s employers stepped up their hiring in October, adding a solid 531,000 jobs, the most since July and a sign that the recovery from the pandemic recession is overcoming a virus-induced slowdown.
US jobless claims hit a pandemic low as hiring strengthens
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week for a fourth straight time to a pandemic low, the latest sign that America’s job market is rebounding from the pandemic recession as employers boost hiring to meet a surge in consumer demand.
Indiana getting $1 million to help deal with opioid use
The federal government is awarding Indiana more than $1 million to train workers in 25 counties to help deal with widespread opioid use, addiction and overdoses.
Union leaders decry Indiana’s high rate of worker deaths
Indiana labor union leaders are calling for improved workplace safety enforcement with the state’s rate of deaths while working about one-third higher than the national average.
Holcomb to reinstate job-seeking rule for unemployed, study whether to ax federal benefit
Gov. Eric Holcomb is set to reinstate a requirement that those applying to collect unemployment benefits actively seek jobs and be available for work — a requirement that the state has waived since the beginning of the pandemic.
Biden repeals Trump-era rule on gig workers
The Biden administration nullified a Trump-era rule Wednesday that would have made it easier to classify workers as independent contractors, blocking a change supported by delivery and ride-hailing services.
Biden touts $28.6B restaurant relief program, orders tacos
Setting foot in a restaurant for his first time as president, Joe Biden made a Cinco de Mayo taco and enchilada run to highlight his administration’s $28.6 billion program to help eateries that lost business because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Michelle Allen named Director of Office of Administrative Law Proceedings
Michelle Allen, deputy director and general counsel of the Office of Administrative Law Proceedings, has been selected as the office’s new director, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Thursday.
Intentional misclassification of construction workers causing concern
Workers on construction sites across Indiana can be found nailing plywall from atop scaffolds, scaling roofs or painting newly built homes. But what isn’t evident is whether those workers are part of a shady trend construction industry experts say is a serious concern — payroll tax fraud.
SCOTUS seems ready to rule against unions in farm case
The United States Supreme Court appeared ready Monday to side with two California agriculture businesses that want to bar labor organizers from their property, a case that could be another blow to unions.
Unemployment benefits may extend to workers facing unsafe conditions
As workers faced furloughs and layoffs during COVID-19 pandemic, many relied on unemployment checks for their needed source of income. But some also face a dilemma – choosing between returning to work in potentially unsafe conditions posed by the coronavirus or risk losing their job and going without pay. President Joe Biden in a Jan. 22 executive order requested a solution to that quandary.
Biden more bullish on vaccines, open to 1.5M daily shot goal
President Joe Biden appeared to boost his goal for coronavirus vaccinations in his first 100 days in office, suggesting the nation could soon be injecting 1.5 million shots on an average per day.
Making the distinction: Labor Department proposes new test for defining independent contractors
To aid in the distinction between employees and contractors, the Department of Labor has proposed a new “economic realities” test. Already there’s a test in place, but the new proposal reduces the factors to be considered and assigns weight to those factors.