INNOCENT NORTH CAROLINA MAN FREED AFTER 37 YEARS IN PRISON

Joseph Sledge was released from prison on Friday after the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission proved he was innocent.

Read more here. 

AFTER MORE THAN 20 YEARS, INNOCENT ILLINOIS MAN'S SENTENCE IS COMMUTED

On his last day in office today, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn commuted the 50-year sentence imposed on Tyrone Hood for a 1993 murder that evidence shows he did not commit.

Read more here. 

FLORIDA POLICE USE PHOTOS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS FOR TARGET PRACTICE

The North Miami Beach police department was caught last month using pictures of African Americans for sniper practice at a firing range.

Read more here.

Gender Wage Gap For Union Members Is 40 Percent Smaller Than For Non-Union Workers, NWLC Analysis Shows

January 23, 2015

(Washington, D.C.)  The gender wage gap among union members is 40 percent smaller than for non-union workers, according to new analysis by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) of data released this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Read more here. 

House Fails to Garner Support for Harmful Abortion Ban, Instead Passes Dangerous and Misleading Abortion Restriction that Threatens Women's Health

January 22, 2015

(Washington, D.C.) Today, the House of Representatives passed House Resolution 7 (H.R. 7), which seeks to take insurance coverage of abortion away from women. The bill replaced H.R 36, which would have banned abortion nationwide at 20 weeks without a health exception, only a narrow life exception and a cruel sexual assault exception. House Leadership dropped H.R. 36 after members objected to the sexual assault exception, which would have required rape survivors to file a report.

Read more here.

NWLC Calls on Congress to Act on State of the Union Proposals

Community college, paid leave and tax initiatives will strengthen economic security for women, families

January 20, 2015

(Washington, D.C.) President Obama has outlined several initiatives in advance of this evening’s State of the Union speech that will increase economic security for women and their families and boost the overall economy.

Read more here. 

NWLC Applauds the President’s Initiative to Provide Paid Sick Days and Family and Medical Leave to Workers

January 14, 2015

(Washington, D.C.) This evening, the White House announced steps it will take toward ensuring that all workers have the right to earn paid time off for family and medical leave to care for their families. It will call on Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act, which would allow workers to earn up to seven paid sick days, and call on cities and states to pass similar laws. It also announced new funding to help states create their own paid leave programs and plans to increase the paid sick days and leave benefits available to federal employees.

Read more here. 

NWLC Decries Federal District Court Decision Denying Basic Labor Protections for Home Care Workers

January 14, 2015

(Washington, D.C.) This afternoon, Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a ruling in Home Care Association of America v. Weil vacating a central provision of a new Department of Labor regulation extending Fair Labor Standards Act protections to nearly two million home care workers. 

Read more here. 

US Labor Department proposes critical updates to sex discrimination guidelines for federal contractors and subcontractors

Revisions address discrimination based on gender identity and pregnancy, sexual harassment

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposal to clarify federal contractors' requirements to prohibit sex discrimination. The recommended changes would revise the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' guidelines to align with laws, court decisions and societal changes since they were originally issued in 1970.

Read more here. 

Most discrimination complaints filed on behalf of miners in 2014

ARLINGTON, Va. — Not long after a miner who maintained a dust collector machine at a cement facility in San Bernardino County, California, contacted the Mine Safety and Health Administration about safety hazards, he was suspended and then terminated in April 2014. MSHA filed a motion for temporary reinstatement of the miner, and the mine operator, Riverside Cement Co., agreed to temporary economic reinstatement. Ultimately, the company agreed to fully reinstate the miner and pay back wages in the context of a settlement. In December, an administrative law judge with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission approved a settlement resolving the discrimination complaint brought by MSHA.

Read more here. 

EEOC Sues Stack Bros. Mechanical Contractors for Age Discrimination and Retaliation

Company Fired Employees When They Turned 62 and Punished One for Resisting, Federal Agency Charges

MADISON, Wis. - Stack Bros. Mechanical Contractors, Inc., of Superior, Wis., a major heating and plumbing contractor in northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota, violated federal law by firing two employees when they reached age 62 and by retaliating against one of those employees for resisting the company's plan to discriminate against her, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

Read more here. 

Kmart Will Pay $102,048 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

Major Retailer Refused to Hire Applicant Because Kidney Disease Precluded Urine Sample, Federal Agency Charged

 BALTIMORE - Kmart Corporation, a leading national retailer, will pay $102,048 and provide significant equitable relief to settle a federal disability discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employ­ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today.

Read more here. 

Cleaning Authority of Plainfield to Pay $15,000 to Resolve EEOC Disability Suit

House Cleaning Service Subjected Employee to Unlawful Inquiries and Harassment Based on Abnormal Gait, Federal Agency Charged

CHICAGO - Mont Brook, Inc., doing business as The Cleaning Authority of Plainfield, will pay $15,000 to a former employee as part of a three-year consent decree resolving a civil rights suit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency announced today.

Read more here. 

EEOC Names Robbie Dix Director of Agency’s Federal Appellate Review Programs/EEOC Nombra a Robbie Dix Director del Programa de Revision de Apelaciones de la Agencia

WASHINGTON - Jenny Yang, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has appointed Robbie Dix III as the EEOC's Associate Director of Appellate Review Programs, the EEOC announced today.

Read more here. 

WASHINGTON - Jenny Yang, presidenta de la Comisión Para la Igualdad de Oportunidades en el Empleo (EEOC), ha nombrado a Robbie Dix como director asociado de la EEOC de programas de revisión de apelaciones, la EEOC anuncio hoy.

Lee más aquí. 

Ruby Tuesday Sued by EEOC for Sex Discrimination

Chain Restricted Coveted Resort Assignments to Females-Only, Federal Agency Charges

EUGENE, Ore. - International restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday, Inc. discriminated against male employees for temporary assignments to a Utah resort, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

Read more here. 

Few States Utilize Available Federal Dollars to Support Gender Diversity in Construction Jobs

Institute for Women's Policy Research Dec 11, 2014

Washington, DC—A new report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and Jobs for the Future finds that although federal transportation dollars can be used to fund training and support services to improve gender diversity in construction, few states are taking advantage of this opportunity. Jobs in highway, street, and bridge construction—jobs that typically provide family-supporting wages with good benefits—are projected to grow by more than 20 percent until 2022. The report, Untapped Resources, Untapped Labor Pool: Using Federal Highway Funds to Prepare Women for Careers in Construction, identifies case studies in Maryland and Oregon for using federal highway funding to build sustainable pathways for women to skilled construction work.

Read more here.

Mims Distributing Company to Pay $50,000 Lawsuit to Settle EEOC Religious Discrimination Lawsuit

Beer Distributor Unlawfully Refused to Hire Rastafarian Because He Refused to Cut His Hair, Federal Agency Charged 

RALEIGH, N.C. - Mims Distributing Company, Inc. will pay $50,000 and furnish other relief to resolve a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.  Mims operates a beer distribution business in Raleigh.

Read more here. 

Jury in EEOC Suit Says Old Dominion Freight Line Must Pay Former Driver $119,612 for Disability Bias

Trucking Company Fired Pickup and Delivery Driver Who Self-Reported Alcohol Abuse, Federal Agency Charged

FORT SMITH, Ark. -- A federal jury has found that Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., a trucking company headquartered in Thomasville, N.C., violated federal disability discrimination law when it denied a reasonable accommodation to a truck driver who self-reported alcohol abuse and then fired him, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today.

Read more here. 

Workplace Harassment Still a Major Problem Experts Tell EEOC at Meeting

EEOC Chair Announces Task Force to Develop Strategies to Prevent and Correct Harassment

WASHINGTON-Workplace harassment is alleged in approximately 30 percent of all charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), according to EEOC Chair Jenny R. Yang, who presided over the first commission meeting of her tenure today. Newly sworn in Commissioner Charlotte Burrows was present at the meeting, bringing the EEOC back to full strength of five commissioners.

Read more here. 

EEOC Sues Triangle Catering for Religious Discrimination/EEOC Demanda A Triangle Catering por Discriminación Religiosa

Raleigh Company Unlawfully Fired Rastafarian Because He Refused to Remove His Religious Head Covering, Federal Agency Charges

RALEIGH, N.C. - Triangle Catering, LLC, a catering and event planning company based in Raleigh, violated federal law by failing to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs and fired him because of his religion, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in a lawsuit filed today.

Read more here. 

Compañía de RaleighDespidió Ilegalmente a Rastafari Por Negarse a Quitar su Gorro Religioso, Acusa Agencia Federal

RALEIGH, N.C. - Triangle Catering, LLC, una empresa de servicio de comidas y bebidas y organización de eventos con sede en Raleigh, violó la ley federal al no dar cabida a las creencias religiosas de un empleado y lo despidió a causa de su religión, la Comisión Para la Igualdad de Oportunidades en el Empleo (EEOC) alegó en una demanda presentada hoy.

Lee más aquí. 

EEOC Sues DHD Ventures and Affiliated Companies for Racial Harassment and Retaliation/EEOC Demanda a DHD Ventures Y Empresas Afiliadas por Acoso Racial y Represalias

Real Estate Management Company Fired Employees After Complaining About Harassment, Federal Agency Charges

GREENVILLE, S.C. - DHD Ventures Management Company, Inc., a New York-based real estate management company, violated federal law when it subjected two black employees to a racially hostile work environment, then terminated them in retaliation for their complaints of discrimination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in a lawsuit filed yesterday.

Read more here.

Compañía de  Administración de Bienes y Raíces Despidió a Empleados Después de Quejarse de Acoso,  Acusa Agencia Federal

GREENVILLE, S.C. - DHD Ventures Management Company, Inc., una  empresa de administración de bienes y raíces con sede en Nueva  York, violó la ley federal cuando  sometió a dos empleados negros  a un ambiente de trabajo racial hostil y después los despidió en represalia  por sus quejas de discriminación,  la Comisión Para la Igualdad Oportunidades  en el Empleo (EEOC) alegó en una demanda presentada ayer. 

Lee más aquí. 

EZEFLOW USA, Inc. Will Pay $65,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit/EZEFLOW USA, Inc. Pagará $65,000 Para Resolver Demanda por Discriminación A Base De Discapacidad Por La EEOC

Pipe Fittings Manufacturer Fired Disabled Veteran Instead of Providing a Reasonable Accommodation, Federal Agency Said

PITTSBURGH - EZEFLOW USA, a pipe fitting manufacturer located in New Castle, Pa., will pay $65,000 and provide significant equitable relief to resolve a federal disability discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today.

Read the article here. 

Fabricantede Accesorios de Tubería Despidió a Veterano Discapacitado en Lugar de Proporcionarle un Ajuste Razonable, Agencia Federal Dijo

PITTSBURGH- EZEFLOW USA, un fabricante de accesorios de tubería ubicado en New Castle, Pa., pagará $65,000 y proporcionará otros alivios equitativos significativos para resolver una demanda federal de discriminación por discapacidad, la Comisión Para la Igualdad de Oportunidades en el Empleo (EEOC) anunció hoy.

Lee el artículo aquí. 

Carolina Metal Finishing Will Pay $40,000 to Settle EEOC Racial Harassment Lawsuit/Carolina Metal Finishing Pagará $40,000 para Resolver Demanda de Acoso Racial por La EEOC

Bishopville Plant Subjected African-American Employee to Racial Abuse and Fired Him for Complaining, Federal Agency Charged

COLUMBIA, S.C. -   Carolina Metal Finishing, LLC, a Bishopville, S.C. based metal finishing company, will pay $40,000 and furnish significant remedial relief to settle a race harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Read the entire article here. 

Planta En BishopvilleSometía A Empleado Afroamericano Al Abuso Racial Y Lo Despidió Por Quejarse, Agencia Federal Acusa

COLUMBIA, S.C. -   Carolina Metal Finishing, LLC, una compañía de acabado de metales basada en Bishopville, Carolina del Sur, pagará $40,000 y proporcionará alivio correctivo significativo para resolver una demanda de acoso a base de raza presentada por la Comisión Para la Igualdad de Oportunidades en el Empleo (EEOC), la agencia anunció hoy.

Lee el artículo aquí. 

Kaufman Children’s Center Sued by EEOC for Disability Discrimination

Disabled Employee Barred from Returning to Work after Medical Leave, Federal Agency Charges

DETROIT - Kaufman Children's Center violated federal law when it terminated an employee with a disability returning to work from a medical leave absence, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged in a lawsuit filed today.

Read full article here. 

Non-Profit Social Service Agency to Pay $309,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center Refused To Accommodate Long-Term Employee With Multiple Sclerosis And Denied Her Rehire, Federal Agency Charged

ST. LOUIS -- Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center (CBHC), a non-profit social service agency in East St. Louis, Illinois, will pay $309,000 to a former employee and provide other relief to settle an U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit, the agency announced today.

Read entire article from the EEOC here. 

Baker Wellness Center Illegally Fired Employee Because of Disability

Company Openly Stated in Termination Letter That It Fired Employee Due to'Medical Problems' After Learning of Her Diabetes, Federal Agency Charges

NEW ORLEANS -- Baker Wellness Center, Inc., a Baton Rouge, La., area adult day care and wellness center, illegally fired a Direct Service Worker (DSW) because she had a disability--diabetes, and in retaliation for her not giving prohibited medical information on its application, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in a lawsuit filed today.

Read entire article from the EEOC here. 

Bureau of International Labor Affairs invests $11M to strengthen oversight and effectiveness of programs to combat child labor and forced labor

WASHINGTON — With an estimated 215 million children engaged in child labor and nearly 21 million victims of forced labor worldwide, it's critical that investments in projects to improve their lives employ the most effective and efficient interventions. Strong project monitoring and rigorous evaluations are necessary to determine which of many possible approaches will most effectively secure and protect the rights of these children and adults. The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced $11 million in grants for monitoring and evaluation activities that will help ILAB answer the crucial question: What are the most effective tools for eliminating child labor and forced labor and providing vulnerable children and adults with opportunities for a better standard of living?

Read more here. 

Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory settles race and sex discrimination case with US Labor Department

Two former employees will receive nearly $360K in back wages and damages

BALTIMORE — The Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University will pay $359,253 to settle allegations of discrimination made by two African American women who were employed at its Laurel, Md. facility. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs determined that the lab violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment on the basis of race or sex.

Read more here. 

US Labor Department and Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development sign agreement to reduce misclassification of employees

Participants: Wage and Hour Division, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Description: Officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development signed amemorandum of understanding with the goal of protecting the rights of employees by preventing their misclassification as independent contractors or other nonemployee statuses. Under the agreement both agencies will share information and coordinate law enforcement.

Read more here. 

US Department of Labor awards $1.3M to help implement Mexican employment discrimination laws

WASHINGTON — Mexico's Federal Labor Law Reform of 2012 protects workers from various forms of discrimination: female workers fired or never hired for being pregnant; LGBT workers retaliated against for their sexual orientation; and men and women sexually harassed in the workplace.

Read more here. 

US Labor Department signs agreement with Florida Department of Revenue to reduce misclassification of employees

WASHINGTON — Officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Florida Department of Revenue today signed a memorandum of understanding with the goal of protecting the rights of employees by preventing their misclassification as independent contractors or other nonemployee statuses. Under the agreement, both agencies will share information and coordinate law enforcement. The MOU represents a new effort on the part of the agencies to work together to protect the rights of employees and level the playing field for responsible employers by reducing the practice of misclassification. The Florida Department of Revenue is the latest state agency to partner with the Labor Department.

Read more here. 

MSHA: Coal mining deaths at historic low

Agency releases preliminary fatality data for 2014

ARLINGTON, Va. — Preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration indicates that 40 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation's mines in 2014, two fewer than in the previous year.* Coal mining deaths dropped from 20 in 2013 to 16 in 2014, the lowest annual number of coal mining deaths ever recorded in the United States. The previous record low was 18 in 2009.

Read more here. 

Additional funding awarded for Lummi Nation fishermen affected by fishing industry layoffs in Washington State

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an $882,032 National Emergency Grant supplemental award to provide continued employment-related services to approximately 630 workers affected by fishing industry layoffs in the Lummi Nation, a tribal government with more than 5,000 members in Bellingham, Wash.

Read more here. 

MSHA announces results of its 16 November impact inspections

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 199 citations and 19 orders during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and six metal and nonmetal mines in November.

Read more here. 

World Vision receives $10M US Labor Department grant to combat exploitative child labor in Ethiopia

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced the award of a $10 million cooperative agreement with World Vision to implement a project to address exploitative labor among youth in Ethiopia.

Read more here. 

Funds to help build the capacity of labor inspectorates in Peru and the Philippines announced by US Labor Department

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced two grants to help strengthen workers' rights in Peru and the Philippines through technical assistance projects to build capacity at the labor inspectorates in those countries

Read more here. 

Metro-North Commuter Railroad Co. violates rights of Connecticut worker who reported injury and filed OSHA complaint

Railroad ordered by U.S. Labor Department to pay maximum punitive damages

HARTFORD, Conn. — Metro-North's actions against an injured worker have resulted in the largest punitive damages ever in a retaliation case under the Federal Railroad Safety Act. A recent investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration uncovered these details and revealed that the worker, who is employed as a coach cleaner for the commuter rail carrier, was retaliated against after reporting the knee injury he suffered on Nov. 17, 2011. As a result, the company has been ordered to pay the employee a total of $250,000 in punitive damages, $10,000 in compensatory damages and to cover reasonable attorney fees.

Read more here. 

Fiduciaries of national multi-employer benefit plan based in Cherry Hill, N.J., ordered to pay $4.7 million in assets and interest

US Labor Department found defendants operated plan for fake union

CHERRY HILL, N.J. — A federal judge has found the fiduciaries of a defunct national multi-employer benefit plan based in Cherry Hill, are liable for approximately $4.7 million in assets that were improperly diverted. James Doyle and Cynthia Holloway, fiduciaries to the Professional Industrial Trade Workers Union Health and Welfare Fund, must make restitution to the plan, with interest, for violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Read more here. 

Paying Tribute to the Miners

   U.S. miners had and still have some of the most dangerous jobs, little opportunity to branch out and pursue other lines of work, and are usually subjected to manual labor for most or all of their lives. The Mine Safety and Health Administration has marked National Miners Day to show respect and appreciation for the work that has been done by this labor force.

Read the Department of Labor's news release here.

Federal Law Protecting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

  The fight for LGBTQ rights has been a long and hard one. A major victory for the LGBTQ community was when the President signed Executive Order 13672, protecting individuals against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in all federally contracted companies and organizations. After years of fighting by many groups, the most well known of which is the Human Rights Campaign, there was a law passed that affected twenty five percent of the United States workforce.

Click here to read the Department of Labor's news release by the OFCCP written December 3rd, 2014.

Child Labor Goods

There are many goods in the United States that are known to be made by child labor in foreign countries. Cell phones are one of the most obvious, well-known objects that are made over seas by children. The Department of Labor has created an updated list of all of the objects and goods produced by child labor, forced labor.

Click here to read the Department of Labor News Release from the first of December of 2014.