Greensboro staffing agency pays $107K in back wages to 450 assembly-line workers after federal investigation
Key Resources, Inc. violated minimum wage and overtime laws
Employer name: Key Resources Inc.
Investigation site: 3703 West Market St.
Greensboro, North Carolina 27403
Investigation findings: Investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division’s Raleigh District Office found the employer violated overtime and minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Division investigators examined compliance for the company’s temporary staff performing warehouse assembly line work. They determined that Key Resources:
- Failed to pay employees at least the legally required federal minimum wage for all hours worked. The employer failed to pay employees when they clocked in and waited at the start of their shifts to be assigned to an assembly line, and for cleaning their work areas at the end of their shifts.
- This practice also resulted in overtime violations when employees worked more than40 hours in a work week while this pre and post-shift time remained unpaid.
Resolution: Key Resources will comply with the FLSA and will pay 450 employees $107,684 in back wages. As part of its adjustments to its operations to facilitate compliance with the law, the employer moved its time clock closer to the warehouse, reducing the amount of time workers need prior to their shifts, and will no longer use the time clock only for keeping attendance; it will now use the time clock to record and compensate workers for actual hours worked. In addition, employees with clean-up duties at the end of their shifts will remain on the clock until their duties are completed.
Quote: “Violations of federal minimum wage and overtime provisions have a tremendous economic impact on low-wage workers and their families. The law is very clear about what must be considered work time. It is the employer’s responsibility to know and comply with the regulations,” Richard Blaylock, the Wage and Hour Division’s district director in Raleigh. “We offer plenty of compliance assistance and are available to help both workers and employers to ensure every worker gets a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.”
Background: Based in Greensboro, Key Resources is a staffing agency specializing in distribution, product, clerical and skilled labor.
Information: For more information about federal wage laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the agency's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243); the Raleigh District Office at 919-790-2742 or visit http://www.dol.gov/whd/.
WHD News Brief:
10/05/2016
Updated 6 mins ago
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A worker was killed in a freak accident after the car he was working on crushed him to death, authorities confirmed to Eyewitness News.
Authorities were called to the shop, located at 2446 W. Mount Houston Road, just after 6:30pm Tuesday.
Investigators have not released the worker's identity.
One person dead in Hitchcock plane crash
KHOU.com , KHOU 10:17 PM. EST October 04, 2016
GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas- One person is confirmed dead after a small plane crashed in Hitchcock on Tuesday night.
According to the Department of Public Safety, at least two people were on board. One person was killed in the crash, and emergency crews are trying to pull another passenger from the wreckage.
The crash occurred at the intersection of FM 2004 and FM 646. Check back for more updates
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GALVESTON COUNTY (KTRK) -- One person is dead after a small plane crash in Hitchcock Tuesday night.
Authorities were called to the area near FM 2004 and FM Road 646 just after 6:50pm, investigators said.
Another person on board the plane was removed by emergency officials. He was transported to the hospital by Life Flight.
"At this time we are trying to put all the pieces together," DPS Sgt. Stephen Woodard said.
DPS officials believe the plane took off from Pearland Regional Airport.
No other details have been released.
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Date:
04-OCT-2016
Time: Night
Type: Airplane
Owner/operator:
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Unknown
Location: Galveston County, Hitchcock, TX - 
United States of America
Phase: Unknown
Nature: Unknown
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative:
The aircraft impacted the terrain at or near Freyer Field Airport (37TE), Hitchcock, Texas. The airplane sustained unreported damage. One of the two occupants onboard was fatally injured and one received undetermined injuries.
Sources:
http://www.khou.com/news/local/one-person-dead-in-hitchcock-plane-crash-/329068133
http://abc13.com/news/authorities-respond-to-plane-crash-in-hitchcock/1539321/
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3197275,-95.0857704,18z/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en-us
Alabama water utility suing 32 Dalton carpet & chemical makers
By Katherine Marchand Monday, October 3rd 2016
Gadsden Water alleges the carpet companies discharged toxic chemicals (perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate) upstream of their water intake site. (Image: MGN)
GADSDEN, Ala. — NewsChannel 9 has learned that the Gadsden, Alabama Water Authority is suing 32 Dalton carpet makers and chemical suppliers, saying the companies are contaminating their water supply.
Read the lawsuit below.
Gadsden Water alleges the carpet companies discharged toxic chemicals (perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate) upstream of their water intake site.
The utility claims the chemicals cannot be removed by their water treatment processes and their customers are now turning to alternate drinking sources, resulting in lost sales.
NewsChannel 9 reached out to all 32 companies named in the lawsuit. Not all of them have responded back, but those who have said they don’t comment on active litigation.
A few told us that they think they’ll be dismissed from the case, because their companies don’t even handle those chemicals or discharge them into the water.
For example, Home Carpet Industries said they were disappointed the Gadsden Water Authority and their attorneys “didn’t do their homework and find out who the responsible parties are. Now we’re hiring attorneys and it’s frustrating.”
Mohawk Industries responded, “While Mohawk Industries policy is not to comment on pending litigation, the company will vigorously defend itself against this and any related actions. Mohawk’s position as an industry leader in sustainable products and processes is undisputed and is a cornerstone of the company’s values.”
Susan Farris, spokesperson for Shaw Industries, said “Shaw employs safe and environmentally sound methods of protecting our carpet products. We are reviewing the complaint in order to better understand the claims.”NewsChannel 9 is working to get more details on this story. Depend on us for updates as we get them.
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Health Department responds to Gadsden Water Works and Sewer Board’s recent perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) levels
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: John Guarisco, Ph.D. (334) 206-5971 (ADPH)
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) continue to coordinate with the Gadsden Water Works and Sewer Board to monitor for two PFCs, perfluorooctane sulfate (PFOS) and perfluorooactanoic acid (PFOA), in the community’s local water system. This monitoring has been taking place since May 2016 as a result of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) health advisory.
As part of the monitoring put in place in May, the ADPH has been notified that the two most recent water testing results from Gadsden showed levels of 84 and 82 parts per trillion. Concentrations confirmed to be consistently above 70 parts per trillion are subject to the EPA recommendations listed in the final health advisory. Over the last 18 weeks, including these two samples, the average of the Gadsden water samples for the levels of PFOA and PFOS is 70 parts per trillion. Because these two recent samples represent an elevation in the levels, monitoring of the water system will continue.
State Toxicologist, Dr. John Guarisco, of the Alabama Department of Public Health states, “The health department, in coordination with ADEM, is monitoring the situation and providing information regarding the EPA health advisory and recent reported levels.” Dr. Guarisco reminds affected consumers that the EPA advisory suggests that sensitive populations such as pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and formula fed infants served by identified water systems consider using alternate sources of drinking water. Other people served by these systems may also consider these steps.
According to ADEM records, as of September 2016, the following systems are currently purchasing water from Gadsden Water Works and Sewer Board: Highland Water Authority, Northeast Etowah County Water Co-op, Rainbow City Utilities Board, and Whorton Bend Water & Fire Protection Authority.
EPA defines PFCs as a diverse group of compounds resistant to heat, water and oil. For decades, they have been used in hundreds of industrial applications and consumer products such as carpeting, apparel, upholstery, food paper wrappings, fire-fighting foams and metal plating. PFCs have been found at very low levels both in the environment and in the blood samples of the general U.S. population.
As additional monitoring data becomes available, ADEM will provide that information to ADPH for appropriate recommendations, and will continue to make the data available on its publicly accessible eFile system.
Any questions regarding monitoring should be directed to ADEM at (334) 271-7955, and questions regarding health-related matters should be directed to ADPH at (334) 206-5971.
9/16/16
Woman, toddler found on Florida Turnpike died from hydrogen sulfide inhalation, autopsies find
By Emilee Speck - Web Editor Posted: 4:31 PM, October 04, 2016 Updated: 4:36 PM, October 04, 2016
A woman and her 3-year-old daughter who were found on the Florida Turnpike in June died after inhaling hydrogen sulfate, according to partial autopsy reports released Tuesday.
Latifa Lincoln, 46, and her daughter were found unconscious inside their stilling-running SUV along the Florida Turnpike.
The autopsies found that both deaths were caused by hydrogen sulfide gas intoxication likely caused by a malfunction in the vehicle’s battery, according to the Orange County medical examiner’s office.
The battery that authorities found inside the vehicle was not the SUV's original battery. Investigators determined the incorrect battery was installed in the car and had stopped working properly.
The Porsche Cayenne SUV and its battery will be examined by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
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A woman and her three-year-old daughter, found dead in their still-running SUV on Florida's Turnpike in June, died after inhaling hydrogen sulfide, the medical examiner's office has ruled.
The pungent, colorless gas may have come from the car battery in the Porsche Cayenne SUV, though officials will need to do more tests to know for sure, said Carrie Proudfit, a spokeswoman for the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner's Office.
Latifa Lincoln, 46, and Maksmilla Lincoln, 3, were found dead on June 2, after the SUV bumped into a guardrail on Florida's Turnpike and came to a full stop north of mile marker 224 in Osceola County. They were driving to Miami, according to a voicemail Lincoln left before her death.
Their deaths remained unexplained for months as officials investigated and waited for toxicology results.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper and two Osceola County deputies walked up to the SUV and saw that the two didn't seem to be breathing, according to their reports. The engine was still running. Lincoln was in the driver's seat, and her daughter was buckled into a child's seat in the back.
The trooper walked to the passenger's side and broke the window to try and get into the car. As soon as he did, the three smelled "a foul, caustic chemical odor," Osceola County Sheriff's Master Deputy Robert Stockman later wrote in a report.
Hydrogen sulfide typically smells like rotten egg in low concentrations, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The gas caused 60 deaths between 2001 and 2010, all of them on-the-job fatalities in fields like mining, oil and gas refining, and manufacturing.
County officials could not find another case of fatal hydrogen sulfide poisoning caused by a car battery, Proudfit said.
"This case is unprecedented," she said. "Despite the large numbers of lead acid batteries in use worldwide, no other fatalities of this type have been reported."
The SUV's battery was not the original part, Proudfit said.
"The battery was not the original battery for the vehicle, nor the correct battery and is believed to have malfunctioned," Proudfit said. "In this particular SUV, the battery is located underneath the driver's seat. Both vehicle and battery will undergo additional examination by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration."
The manner of death has not been determined, Proudfit said. In addition to finding the causes of death, medical examiners classify deaths in one of five possible manner categories: Natural, accident, suicide, homicide or undetermined.
