WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor took a range of actions to aid American workers and employers as our nation combats the coronavirus pandemic.

 Reopening America’s Economy:

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published frequently asked questions and answers to help protect workers from exposure to the coronavirus.

WILMER, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), MBlock and Sons Inc. – operator of a warehouse in Wilmer, Texas – has agreed to pay $857 in back wages after failing to provide an employee paid sick leave after their doctor ordered the employee with potential coronavirus symptoms to self-quarantine.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced $4.1 million in grants available to community organizations to recruit, mentor, train and retain more women in quality apprenticeship programs, and to help those women pursue successful careers in manufacturing, infrastructure, cybersecurity, healthcare and other industries.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) in Salt Lake City, Utah, will hold a webinar on July 8, 2020, to help Salt Lake City-area employers and employees understand the benefits and protections provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

BOTKINS, OH – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Boomerang Rubber Inc. – based in Botkins, Ohio – with two willful and six serious violations for exposing employees to machine and electrical hazards. The company faces penalties of $330,269.

BILLINGS, MT – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the conclusion of a two-year strategic partnership agreement with Langlas & Associates Inc., the general contractor that completed construction of a new high school in Billings, Montana.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement on the June 2020 Employment Situation Report:

In the week ending June 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 1,427,000, a decrease of 55,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 1,480,000 to 1,482,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,503,750, a decrease of 117,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 1,620,750 to 1,621,250.

WASHINGTON, DC – Because of the observance of the Independence Day holiday on Friday, July 3, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will release its monthly Employment Situation Report on Thursday, July 2, at 8:30 a.m. EDT. The BLS release coincides with the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims release, which occurs each Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to mark the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s (USMCA) entry into force. Secretary Scalia participated in a roundtable discussion with JobsOhio, where he highlighted the USMCA’s benefits to American workers and manufacturers and discussed the safe reopening of the economy. The USMCA will create as many as 500,000 or more jobs for workers at a time when many Americans have been forced out of work due to the coronavirus.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor awarded $81,046,170 in grants intended to support activities that improve states’ ability to serve, improve and expand the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) model by strengthening the national apprenticeship system, promoting system alignment and partnership, and improving data sharing and data integrity. 

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today the award of over $53 million in Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) grants to 157 recipients that will provide employment services to more than 21,000 homeless veterans seeking to reintegrate into the workforce.

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States today named panelists for the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism, a key tool for the enforcement of the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) labor protections. The U.S. national panelists are Janice Bellace, Lance Compa, Peter Hurtgen, Ira Jaffe, Kevin Kolben and Ed Potter.

“The U.S. Department of Labor is pleased that some of the best and brightest in the labor field have been appointed to this vital enforcement panel of the USMCA,” said Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) entered into force today as the U.S. Department of Labor affirmed its commitment to upholding the agreement’s labor provisions.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) will publish the Final Rule, “Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Obligations of Federal Contractors and Subcontractors: TRICARE Providers” in the Federal Register.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor awarded $80,639,041 in grants intended to support activities that improve states’ ability to serve, improve, and expand the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) model by strengthening the national apprenticeship system, promoting system alignment and partnership, and improving data sharing and data integrity. 

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) today announced the award of $42,296,247 in Youth Apprenticeship Readiness grants to 14 organizations to increase participation by youth, ages 16 to 24, in new or existing Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs).

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of three Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) totaling $6,268,512 to help address the workforce-related impacts of the coronavirus. Funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided $345 million for DWGs to prevent, prepare for and respond to the coronavirus. This latest award follows six previous waves of funding, bringing the total amount awarded to states and territories to $245,249,950.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $6,225,000 in grants to seven organizations for demonstration projects to provide work-based job training for low-income, unemployed older Americans as part of the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).