Department of Labor Coverage

How they voted: NC congressional votes for the week ending March 21

A look at how North Carolina members of Congress voted during the previous week.

Targeted News Service

How they voted: NC congressional votes for the week ending Jan. 18

A look at how North Carolina members of Congress voted during the previous week.

Targeted News Service

How they voted: NC congressional votes for the week ending Jan. 11

A look at how North Carolina members of Congress voted during the previous week.

Targeted News Service

How they voted: NC congressional votes for the week ending Nov. 30

A look at how North Carolina members of Congress voted during the previous week.

Targeted News Service

Records: NC State knew of toxic chemical concerns inside Poe Hall months before closing building

New records obtained by WRAL 5 On Your Side reveal that NC State was aware of concerns regarding cancer-causing toxic chemicals inside Poe Hall over a month and a half before the university decided to evacuate the building.

Keely Arthur, WRAL consumer reporter

Going down: Elevator pictures of NC labor commissioners

For nearly two decades North Carolina's labor commissioner has had his or her picture on the inspection forms tacked inside elevators. Commissioner Josh Dobson, who isn't running for re-election next year, has ended the practice. The 'Elevator Queen' objects.

Travis Fain, WRAL state government reporter

Dozens of rides inspected before NC State fair opens this week

Dozens of rides at the State Fair were inspected on Tuesday ahead of the fair opening this week.

Shelle Jackson, WRAL reporter

Thousands of elevators overdue for safety inspections in NC

Nearly 5,000 elevators, escalators and lifts in North Carolina are past due for their annual safety inspections, according to information WRAL Investigates obtained through a public records request. Nearly 2,000 of those are in Wake County alone.

Sarah Krueger, WRAL investigative reporter

Biden to nominate Julie Su as labor secretary

President Joe Biden will nominate Julie Su to serve as labor secretary, the White House confirmed on Tuesday, which would make her the first Asian American to serve in secretary-level role in Biden's Cabinet.

By Manu Raju, Phil Mattingly, Kevin Liptak and Maegan Vazquez, CNN

December job gains outpace expectations, again, as U.S. economy added 233,000 jobs last month

The U.S. economy added 223,000 jobs in December, according to the latest data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday morning.

America capped off an extraordinary year for job growth, adding 223,000 positions in December

The US economy added 223,000 jobs in December, according to the monthly employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, capping a year of extraordinary job growth and marking the second-best year for the labor market in records that go back to 1939.

By Alicia Wallace, CNN

NC Chick-fil-A fined $6,450 for paying workers with meal vouchers as part of 'volunteer' program

A Chick-fil-A franchise operator in western North Carolina is under fire for illegally paying workers with meal vouchers instead of money.

Krispy Kreme agrees to pay more than $1.1 million to 516 workers for overtime pay violations

Krispy Kreme has agreed to pay $1,187,757 in back wages and liquidated damages to 516 workers to resolve overtime violations in multiple locations as the result of an investigation by the Department of Labor.

US inflation report looks grim as food and gas prices soar in NC

One of the factors keeping the inflation numbers high is the soaring cost of gas.

Nia Harden, WRAL reporter

Duke professor: Federal Reserve made 'serious error' for failing to act sooner as prices rise

Prices continue to increase for the things that families need most - among them gas and groceries.

Matt Talhelm, WRAL reporter

NC labor commissioner: Federal vaccine mandate could cost businesses

State Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson said Thursday that he's concerned about rules the Biden administration has laid out requiring private-sector workers to be vaccinated against coronavirus, saying the mandate could hurt North Carolina businesses.

Joe Fisher, WRAL reporter, & Adam Owens, WRAL anchor/reporter

Mount Olive company fined for worker's electrocution death

A North Carolina agency has cited a company after a worker was electrocuted and two others were injured in April.

Fact check: Biden wrong about inflation-adjusted minimum wage

If the government connected inflation to the minimum wage when it hit $7.25 an hour, President Biden said the minimum wage would be "$20 an hour right now." The U.S. Labor Department's data doesn't support his claim.

Paul Specht, PolitiFact reporter

US job market shows signs of gradual recovery

Data released by the Labor Department on Thursday revealed that first-time unemployment filers fell below one million for the second time since the beginning of the pandemic.

Grocery prices reach 50-year high amid COVID-19 pandemic

According to the Labor Department, costs went up 2.6 percent in April 2020.

Labor Department rule aims to extend overtime to more US workers

The Trump administration has issued a rule that will make overtime pay available to 1.3 million additional workers, though the proposal replaces a more generous one advanced by former President Barack Obama.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, AP Economics Writer, & Sloane Heffernan, WRAL anchor/reporter

Workplace safety investigators looking at companies in Durham explosion

Two companies are under investigation by the state Department of Labor in connection with a fatal gas explosion in Durham two weeks ago.

State investigating two companies in Durham explosion

Two companies are under investigation by the state Department of Labor in connection with a fatal gas explosion in Durham two weeks ago.

Cullen Browder, WRAL anchor/reporter

Advocates call for better workplace safety oversight

A bell tolled 174 times Friday morning outside the State Capitol to honor each of the people who lost their lives on the job in North Carolina in 2016.

Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol Bureau chief

NC prison where workers died in escape attempt fined for safety violations

The state Department of Labor has proposed fines of $7,000 each against Pasquotank Correctional Institution and Corrections Enterprises for workplace safety violations found in the wake of an October escape attempt that left four prison workers dead and several others injured.

Matthew Burns, WRAL.com senior producer/politics editor