DOL Newsletter

Complaint targets oppressive child labor by 3 companies, including Hyundai manufacturer

We filed a complaint to prevent three Alabama companies, including a Hyundai U.S. assembly and manufacturing plant, from employing children illegally. The complaint also requests that the court require the companies to surrender profits related to the use of oppressive child labor. The action follows an investigation by our Wage and Hour Division that found a 13-year-old working up to 50-60 hours per week on an assembly line, operating machines that formed sheet metal into auto body parts.

Achieving a clean energy future without child labor

Research shows an increase in the estimated number of children engaged in child labor worldwide, including in hazardous tasks, and climate change is exacerbating the problem. On June 5, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee led a panel discussion with experts on what it will take to build a clean global economy that is free of child and forced labor. She also announced the 2024 recipients of the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor: Wadi El Nil Association, an Egyptian civil society organization, and Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe, a trade union leader from Ghana.

Nail salons ordered to pay $753K

Three Rhode Island nail salons and their owner will pay $753,500 in back wages and damages and take corrective actions after violating wage and retaliation laws. The department sued New VIP Nail Spa Inc., VIP Neo Nails Inc., VIP Spa & Nails Inc. and owner Steven Xingri Cao in August 2022 for alleged violations identified during investigations. This is one of the few joint cases we have ever filed involving retaliation claims under two different laws.

Discrimination agreement

A Southern California waste collection and recycling company has agreed to pay $104,658 to resolve alleged gender-based hiring discrimination.

Pathway to success

The Pathways program’s holistic approach to student care helps participants overcome common barriers to success and achieve their education and career goals.

Union leaders reinstated

Labor rights issues at a mine in Mexico have been resolved — including the reinstatement of workers dismissed for protected union activity — following a petition filed under the USMCA.

United Airlines citation upheld

A federal judge has affirmed the airline violated the general duty clause, following OSHA’s investigation into a technician’s debilitating injury at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Safety Month

Tragedies often remind us of what is important and the simple steps that could have been taken to prevent them. Practice safety today and every day at work.

Grocery partnership

How a labor-management partnership between the United Food and Commercial Workers union and employers in the retail food industry helps keep stores running and shelves stocked.

Empowering LGBTQI+ workers

Our agency champions LGBTQI+ rights, ensuring workplace safety and respect with protections like FMLA leave, nondiscrimination policies, and resources on restroom access and mental health.

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