ATLANTA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration will host a retirement plan compliance assistance seminar in North Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 11. The seminar is designed to help small business owners understand their fiduciary responsibilities when operating private sector retirement plans. It is free and open to the first 100 registrants.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration's final rule "Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety Standards," which was published April 6, 2012, in the Federal Register, becomes effective today.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $10 million competitive solicitation for cooperative agreements to combat child labor in Cambodia's agriculture, fishing and fisheries/aquaculture, and domestic service sectors.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the July 2012 Employment Situation report released today:

"Our nation's labor market added 163,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in July, which exceeded all forecasts and represented the country's strongest July job growth since 2006.

"The unemployment rate remained essentially unchanged at 8.3 percent, while the share of long-term unemployed fell to its lowest level since 2009. The Latino unemployment rate dropped nearly a percentage point last month to 10.3 percent.

Date of Action:  Aug. 3, 2012

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendant:Dayton Imaging Solutions, Inc., Bryan Belden, and the Dayton Imaging Solutions, Inc. SIMPLE IRA Plan located in Dayton, Ohio.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending July 28 the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 365,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 357,000. The 4-week moving average was 365,500, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average of 368,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending July 21, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced the availability of a $1.1 million grant to establish the National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Advancement of People with Disabilities, a national technical assistance center that will focus on improving employment outcomes and promoting the economic advancement of people with disabilities.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced the availability of approximately $950,000 to fund a cooperative agreement to establish and operate the Accessible Technology Action Center, a new national resource that will facilitate and promote the use of accessible technology in the hiring, employment, retention and career advancement of individuals with disabilities.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council, will meet Aug. 28-30 at Labor Department headquarters, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20210, in Room C5521-4. The meeting will run from 9 a.m. to approximately 5 p.m. on Aug. 28 and 29, and from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 30.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor is notifying former employees of the Feed Materials Production Center in Fernald, Ohio, about a new class of employees added to the Special Exposure Cohort of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. The EEOICPA provides compensation and medical benefits to workers who became ill as a result of working in the nuclear weapons industry. Survivors of qualified workers also may be entitled to benefits.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 177 citations, 22 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at nine coal mines and three metal/nonmetal mines last month.

Date of Action: July 27, 2012

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: Gary Merritt, as fiduciary to the Bemcore, Inc. Incentive Plan, Bemcore, Inc. and Bemcore, Inc. Incentive Plan in Dayton, Ohio

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding the death of Lupe Ontiveros:

"Lupe Ontiveros' great talent extended far past television, stage and motion pictures. Indeed, she was a fine actress, but more than that, she was a woman of great action. And she was my friend for more than 20 years.

"Growing up in East Los Angeles in the 1970s, I never saw a family like mine on television, except portrayed as maids or farmworkers. And then Lupe came along and helped to change that.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending July 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 353,000, a decrease of 35,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 388,000. The 4-week moving average was 367,250, a decrease of 8,750 from the previous week's revised average of 376,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending July 14, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a $795,076 National Emergency Grant that will fund temporary jobs to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts following severe storms that struck a number of eastern Minnesota counties June 14-21. The funds are being awarded to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement saluting University of California – Los Angeles professor Ra l Hinojosa Ojeda, who will be honored by the White House on July 27 as a "Connecting the Americas Champion of Change" for his work linking immigrant diasporas to their home countries. The Champions of Change program, part of President Obama's Winning the Future initiative, highlights individuals whose work has strengthened communities and impacted the lives of people throughout the Americas.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of nearly $260 million in grants to 15 nonprofit organizations across the country to provide critical job training and related services through Senior Community Service Employment Program jobs.

Landmark enhanced compliance measures also secured covering company and its subcontractors on federal prevailing wage construction projects

Date of Action: July 20, 2012

Type of Action: Consent order and judgment

Names of Defendants: James H. Trotter, Sr.; Sylvia Trotter; Trotter Construction Company, Inc.; Trotter Development Group NC, LLC, and The Trotter Construction Company, Inc. 401(K) Plan, located in Indianapolis, Ind.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $2 million grant to assist about 450 workers who will be affected by the closure of the General Motors assembly plant in Shreveport, La. Layoffs at General Motors and by three of its suppliers – Android Industries LLC, Johnson Controls and Voith Industrial Services Inc. – will begin in August and continue through December.