United States Department of Labor:Tackling misclassification, advancing worker rights and the future of work

 

U.S. Department of Labor

October 13, 2022

Proposed rule would offer guidance on classifying workers A proposed rule would help employers and workers determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The rule would provide guidance on classifying workers and help combat employee misclassification – a serious issue that denies workers’ rights and protections. Improving infrastructure, clean jobs and workforce training Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh visited Indiana this week to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to rehabilitating our nation’s infrastructure, expanding clean jobs and bolstering our workforce training. Read tweets from Secretary Walsh's trip. Future of Work series continues with conversation on fair scheduling for frontline workers Secretary Walsh joined Rep. Rosa DeLauro, workers, business owners and researchers last week to discuss the future of work. The conversation addressed scheduling instability and explored solutions for fair scheduling practices that benefit workers and businesses. Watch the Future of Work event Read a blog on the benefits of fair scheduling Roundtable focuses on support for immigrant workers Secretary Walsh and other department leaders met with immigrant workers and worker advocates last week to discuss the importance of protecting these workers and strengthening relationships among those committed to their well-being. Yes, WIOA can! The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act provides $3.6 billion a year in workforce development. A new campaign is showing how those funds can be used to further innovation, equity and job quality. 75 years of advancing worker rights globally  At 75, our Bureau of International Labor Affairs is ushering in a new era of global action on labor rights, including the rights to freely choose a union and to collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions. Improving grant outcomes  We’re broadening awareness of our grant programs, improving access, and ensuring programs and grantees advance equity, job quality and meaningful outcomes.  Find grants in your area with our new interactive grants map  Read about our efforts to improve grant programs    IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ExxonMobil whistleblowers ExxonMobil must reinstate two terminated employees suspected of leaking information to the Wall Street Journal and pay them more than $800,000. Fines for repeat violator An Ohio contractor with a long history of disregarding workplace safety now faces more than $1 million in fines after OSHA found new fall safety violations. Game-Changing Training Hundreds of mine safety experts from across the country are gathering this week at the National Mine Safety and Health Academy to improve their skills. Recovering back wages A home health-care company must restore $703,609 to 38 employees after denying them overtime pay and retaliating against workers for cooperating with investigators. Disability discrimination suit We’ve filed suit against a Virginia cybersecurity provider for allegedly firing an employee who requested a reasonable accommodation for a disability. Misclassification corrected A Virginia construction staffing agency that intentionally misclassified workers as independent contractors must pay 208 construction workers $278,073. Summit spotlights equity Our recent Equity in Focus Summit focused on the importance of gender and racial equity in the workforce. DATA SPOTLIGHT 10 million jobs We saw widespread job growth in September, adding 263,000 jobs, including notable job gains in leisure and hospitality, health care and manufacturing. Since President Biden took office, the economy has added 10 million jobs. TWEET OF THE WEEK September 2022 #JobsReport Facts:   Healthcare jobs have fully recovered.   Over the past 3 months, we’ve added 370,000+ jobs/month to our economy.   Since @POTUS took office, 10 million jobs have been created.   -@SecMartyWalsh