DENVER – U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer continued her America at Work Tour in Denver on May 7, meeting with leaders from the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters and the Southwest Mountain States Carpenters Training Fund at an apprentice training facility.

During Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s meeting with leaders from both groups, she gained insight into WSRCC’s hands-on workforce development programs and learned more about the Southwest Carpenters Training Fund, which is responsible for training over 11,000 apprentices in 12 states. 

In the week ending May 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 228,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 241,000. The 4-week moving average was 227,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 226,000.

TUCSON, AZ – U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer joined Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Tucson yesterday to see Pima Community College’s state-of-the-art workforce development programs in action. Pima Community Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Nasse, Provost Ian Roark, President and CEO of the Chamber of Southern Arizona Joe Snell, and local business leaders joined the Secretary and Rep. Ciscomani to discuss collaborate efforts to build a stronger workforce pipeline. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded incremental funding of $3.5 million to support disaster-relief jobs and continue employment training for Florida residents affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024. 

SAN JOSE, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered more than $1.4 million in back wages for more than 2,600 employees after finding a large, San Jose-based electrical engineering and construction company failed to pay them proper overtime rates, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

HONOLULU – The U.S. Department of Labor is actively seeking hundreds of workers who are owed their share of more than $3.8 million in unpaid overtime withheld deliberately by a Kilauea staffing agency and Lihue cleaning contractor after a federal investigation and litigation that followed.  

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is encouraging construction industry employers and workers, across the nation, to take part in its 12th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction from May 5-9, 2025. This nationwide event spotlights preventing falls, the construction industry’s leading cause of worker deaths. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded incremental funding of $3.5 million to support disaster-relief jobs and continue employment training for Tennessee residents affected by Tropical Storm Helene. 

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm and quickly moved across the Southeast, weakening to a tropical storm that inundated eastern portions of Tennessee with floodwaters. The flooding led to deaths and damaged and destroyed businesses, homes and critical infrastructure.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer issued the following statement regarding the release of President Donald Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer issued the following statement regarding the April 2025 Employment Situation Report:

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division today issued a field assistance bulletin providing guidance on how to determine employee or independent contractor status when enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $2.7 million in grant funding to support disaster-relief jobs and employment and training services for Georgia residents suffering from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded incremental funding of $4 million to support disaster-relief jobs and continue employment training for North Carolina residents harmed in September 2024 when Hurricane Helene brought the worst flooding in a century to the area. 

In the week ending April 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 241,000, an increase of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 222,000 to 223,000. The 4-week moving average was 226,000, an increase of 5,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 220,250 to 220,500.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer celebrated National Apprenticeship Day today by welcoming the International Association of Fire Fighters for a ceremonial signing event highlighting the importance of apprenticeships and ways the program can unlock a multitude of possibilities for the American worker.

WASHINGTON – To mark President Donald Trump’s successful first 100 days in office, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer traveled to California’s Central Valley to meet with local businesses and workers who are benefiting from the new Administration’s America First policies. The Secretary joined Rep. Vince Fong for a workforce development roundtable and a tour of a California Resources Corporation’s energy facilities.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division encourages employers, stakeholders, and others in Southeast Texas’ building and heavy construction industries to help establish accurate prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits for workers on federally funded and assisted projects.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer issued the following statement regarding the death of former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman:

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration today released a detailed report analyzing the financial performance and operational costs of the Job Corps Program, the federally funded residential career training and education program for eligible low-income young adults ages 16 to 24. 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer is urging governors to comply with President Trump’s directives ensuring tax dollars are not spent on encouraging or rewarding illegal immigration. In a letter sent today, the Secretary reminds all states that failing to fulfill existing legal obligations will result in the loss of federal funding through the Title III UI administrative grant.