Federal Minimum Wage To Increase

Congress approved an increase in federal minimum wage for nearly a decade on May 24.

It would raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour from $5.15 in three stages over two years. The bill includes $4.84 billion in tax breaks for small businesses.

The proposal to raise the federal minimum wage was attached to the $120 billion Iraq war-spending bill, which was vetoed by White House on May 1. The bill was rewritten, and passed both in the House and Senate. In a White House news conference Thursday, President Bush said he would sign the bill.

Workers earned federal minimum wage will get the first raise to $5.85 an hour, 60 days after the measure is signed by Bush. A year later, the minimum wage would rise to $6.55 an hour, and to $7.25 a year after that.

D&J Enterprises Agreed To Pay 847,216 in Back Wages

D&J Enterprises has reached an agreement with Department of Labor that it would pay 239 employees $847,216 in back wages for work performed during the Hurricane Katrina cleanup in southern Mississippi.

The company was cited by US Labor Department for failing to pay the prevailing wage rate and fringe benefits and the required overtime under a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleanup contract.

According to a statement released by DOL, D&J Enterprises was found failed to pay workers as required by federal law for work performed between September 2005 and September 2006.

The company has cooperated with the Wage and Hour Division to make sure all workers get their back wages.

D&J is one of Auburn's top paving contractors with over 250 employees.

Government Pays $40.5 Million to Nuclear Workers for Compensation

The US government has agreed to pay Pennsylvania workers $40.5 million in compensation.

Over 2,000 Pennsylvania workers claimed they were sick because of the work they did in nuclear weapons facilities, and 374 have been paid.

$900,000 was paid to 11 claims in Aliquippa and $575,000 was paid to 4 claims in Shippingport.

Other workers are still waiting for their compensation.

Cisco Accused of Racial Bias

Cisco, the world's largest networking equipment maker, has been accused of racial discrimination against minority job applicants.

Four African-American and one Asian American complained to EEOC (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) that they were denied sales positions because of their race, and less-qualified white applicants get the jobs.

EEOC has determined Cisco "demonstrated an ongoing pattern and practice of not hiring qualified minority candidates based on their race, color and national origin," according to EEOC letters released to the Mercury News.

The company denied the allegations. Cisco said it is "committed to maintaining and growing a diverse talent pipeline that we believe is required to compete successfully in the technology industry."

Construction Company Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

T.R. Orr Inc., a construction company in Arizona, has agreed to pay $60,000 to a male worker to settle a same-sex sexual harassment lawsuit.

A male construction worker filed the lawsuit, claiming he was subject to repeated physical sexual harassment by a co-worker at an Orr construction site.

After the investigation, EEOC found the company was aware of this issue but failed to take appropriate action.

Victim of same-sex sexual harassment will receive $60,000 for compensation.