Labor Department Official Resigns Amid Possible Ethics Probe (1)

A Labor Department official who continued legal work against an Ironworkers’ union after joining the agency has stepped down from his post.

Associate Deputy Labor Secretary Michael Avakian resigned effective April 5, a Labor Department official told Bloomberg Law. The move comes less than one month after Bloomberg Law reported that Avakian was briefly suspended following an ethics inquiry.

“He moved back into the private sector,” the official said.

Avakian’s resignation also comes after House Democrats requested information about his work on the lawsuit for more than three months after joining the DOL last year. Lawmakers have voiced concern that ...