Department of Labor press releases

US Department of Labor awards $5.6M to serve eligible individuals in Florida communities impacted by Spirit Airlines closure

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.

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

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.

US Department of Labor cites Maine hardwood pulp mill more than $700K for exposing workers to chemical hazards

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.

Federal court order requires 4 Detroit-metro Leo’s Coney Island franchises, owner to pay $515K in back wages, damages to 143 workers

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.

US Department of Labor recovers $613K for 46 workers denied minimum wage, overtime by Minnesota restaurant

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.

US Department of Labor advances partnership with Huntington Ingalls Industries to strengthen skilled-workforce pipeline, support maritime reindustrialization

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.

US Department of Labor files amicus brief supporting fiduciary discretion in use of forfeited funds under ERISA

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.

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

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.

Federal investigators cite Florida roofing contractor for willfully, repeatedly ignoring fall protection standards, propose $349K in fines

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.

US Department of Labor proposes rule to modernize electronic delivery for group health plans, lowering costs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration today issued a proposed rule that would modernize how group health plans deliver required disclosures, making communication faster, more efficient, and less costly. The proposed rule would establish a safe harbor allowing approximately 2.8 million group health plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act to provide required documents digitally. Group health plans currently print and mail up to 11 billion sheets of paper each year. The department estimates the proposal could save group health plans $3.9 billion over 10 years while giving participants and beneficiaries easier, more reliable access to their health plan information. “Today, the Department of Labor is helping employers save billions by modernizing how health plans communicate with Americans,” said Acting Secretary Keith Sonderling. “This proposal replaces outdated paperwork with clear, accessible digital tools that help families get the information they need, when they need it. It’s a commonsense change that delivers real savings and better service for workers across the country.”The department is proposing to add another method ERISA-covered group health plans can use to provide electronic communication to recipients. In 2002, the department issued a rule that provided a safe harbor for electronic communication to recipients in two categories: participants who can be considered “wired at work,” and participants, beneficiaries, and other individuals who consent to receive documents electronically. The new safe harbor created by the proposed rule is similar to the 2020 safe harbor rule for pension plans. Group health plans may continue to follow the 2002 safe harbor rule for electronic delivery or provide paper documents.“The Department of Labor is proposing to modernize communications between healthcare plans and the beneficiaries and participants they serve,” said Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security Daniel Aronowitz. “If finalized, this rule will make required disclosures more efficient, significantly reduce administrative costs, and make it easier for people to access and manage their health plan documents online.”EBSA ensures the security of retirement, health, and other job-based benefits for American workers and their families. The agency is responsible for protecting more than 155 million workers, retirees, and their families, who are covered by approximately 2.8 million health plans, 837,000 private retirement plans, and 521,000 additional welfare benefit plans. Together, these plans hold about $15.2 trillion in assets.Employers and workers can contact EBSA at askebsa.dol.gov or call 866-444-3272 toll-free for help with private sector job-based retirement and health plans.Read the notice of proposed rulemaking on electronic disclosure by group health plans under ERISA.

US Department of Labor issues a pair of opinion letters addressing commuter travel, remote work under FLSA

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today issued two opinion letters addressing how the Fair Labor Standards Act applies to the commuter travel of employees who work part of their workday at home. Opinion letters provide official written interpretations from the department’s enforcement agencies, including the Wage and Hour Division, that address real-world questions from individuals or organizations. The letters explain how the laws the division enforces, including the FLSA, apply to specific factual circumstances and that may also help the public understand their rights and responsibilities.“These opinion letters offer comprehensive guidance that allows employers to confidently make informed decisions regarding a wider variety of employee work arrangements,” said Wage and Hour Division Administrator Andrew Rogers. “By elucidating how the FLSA applies to various commuting situations, the division is enabling organizations to successfully implement compliant practices that support operational and employee needs, while ensuring that workers are properly compensated for all hours worked.”The two opinion letters issued today are:FLSA2026-9: Whether mid-day travel between an employee’s home and work office is worktime that an employer must record and pay for under the FLSA, where the employee performs work at both locations and the mid-day travel is offered as a voluntary alternative to unpaid commuter travel that would otherwise occur before or after the employee’s workday.FLSA2026-10: Whether time spent by an employee receiving pages, calling clients and other workers to schedule appointments, and driving from home to the first client appointment is worktime that an employer must record and pay for under the FLSA.In June 2025, the department announced the relaunch of the opinion letter program, which expands its longstanding commitment to providing meaningful compliance assistance that helps workers, employers, and other stakeholders understand how federal labor laws apply in specific workplace situations.The public is encouraged to visit the division’s opinion letter page to explore past guidance and to find information on how to submit a request for an opinion letter. The division will exercise discretion in determining whether and how it will respond to each request and will focus primarily on attempting to address matters where the application of existing regulations or guidance is unclear or issues of broad-based concern.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.Read opinion letters FLSA2026-9 and FLSA2026-10.

US Department of Labor files amicus brief clarifying use of pension risk transfers to annuity providers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, clarifying the business requirements for offloading defined benefit plan liabilities through pension risk transfers.In the brief, filed in Doherty v. Bristol-Myers Squibb, No. 26-1021, the department reiterates the appropriate standards for pension risk transfers, also known as “derisking.” The brief explains the plaintiffs in this case argue that Bristol-Myers Squibb's choice of annuity provider for its pension risk transfer was not the safest available and resulted in a breach of fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.ERISA gives employers the ability to manage their defined benefit pension obligations by transferring liabilities to an annuity provider, the department said. Noting that Congress intended for employers to rely on annuity providers to help manage the long-term obligations associated with defined benefit pension plans.Today’s brief is the second on this topic from the department this year. In January, the department filed an amicus brief in Konya v. Lockheed Martin, clarifying the proper constraints and liberties that apply when a business decides to derisk by transferring its pension plan liabilities to an annuity provider.The brief argues that pension risk transfers benefit both employers and beneficiaries when not disrupted and litigating business decisions can hinder or eliminate benefits. The department added that continued litigation could deter employers from derisking their plans and ultimately upset the balance Congress established between federal and state regulation.According to the department’s brief, the plaintiffs in this case lack standing under ERISA to sue because they have received all the benefits they are entitled to and there is no evidence that those benefits are at risk. The brief also makes clear that only the plan sponsor has the authority to enter into a derisking transaction and reiterates longstanding department guidance for the fiduciary process.Read the department’s amicus brief in Doherty v. Bristol-Myers Squibb.