Rebecca Rainey

The US Department of Labor’s rare inclusion of meatpacking giants Tyson Foods Inc. and Perdue Farms Inc. in its investigations of subcontractor child labor violations signals a significant escalation in its fight to protect minors from dangerous working conditions.

A nationwide meat and cheese producer has agreed to pay more than $140,000 in penalties for allowing at least 11 children to work in illegal conditions at its facility in Minnesota.

The US Department of Labor has declined requests to extend the comment period on its closely-watched proposal to update overtime pay requirements, arguing the public has enough time to weigh in.

Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su was lauded for her role in bringing together a newly minted tentative agreement between Kaiser Permanente and 75,000 health-care workers, the latest example of her being credited with aiding contract talks in major labor disputes that threatened to sideline critical sectors of the economy.

Republicans have launched another legal grenade against Julie Su’s powers as acting labor secretary, this time, pressing President Joe Biden to remove her from the presidential line of succession.

The US Department of Labor found nearly 6,000 minors working in illegal conditions in the US in fiscal year 2023, a nearly 50% increase from FY 2022.

President Joe Biden is asking Congress for $100 million for enforcement of child labor laws in the wake of Republican calls to do more about the rise in minors working illegally.

Monday morning musings for workplace watchers.

The US Labor Department’s new overtime rule is facing three legal challenges in Texas district courts, as businesses, the state of Texas, and industry lobbying groups try to vacate the rule ahead of its implementation next month.

Firefighters with the Maryville and Alcoa Fire Departments responded to a structure fire on Bethany Court in Maryville around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14. Maryville Fire Chief Tony Crisp said