WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced the launch of its first disability-related application challenge, which is designed to generate innovative tools that will improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $400,000 National Emergency Grant to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts in the wake of the severe storms, flooding and landslides that hit the Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Maui between March 3 and 11.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced its intent to establish a Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee. The committee will advise, consult with and make recommendations to the secretary of labor and the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health on ways to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of OSHA's administration of whistleblower protections.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending May 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 370,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised figure of 370,000. The 4-week moving average was 375,000, a decrease of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average of 379,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending May 5, unchanged from the prior week's revised rate.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration has filed a complaint with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission against Ferraiolo Construction Inc. to reinstate a worker to his former position and provide compensation for wages lost as a result of his being unlawfully fired.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $7.2 million National Emergency Grant increment to continue providing re-employment assistance to approximately 3,200 workers in Florida who were affected by layoffs resulting from the termination of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $947,841 National Emergency Grant to provide re-employment services to about 125 workers affected by the closure of Clearwater Paper Corp.'s sawmill in Lewiston, Idaho.

On Nov. 22, 2011, many workers were laid off as a result of the sawmill's closure. Clearwater Paper manufactures products including consumer tissue and bleached paperboard and pulp at 15 locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Online site now opened for veterans to apply for education benefits

WASHINGTON – Unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 can now apply for new benefits to cover education costs for up to one year through a joint U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Labor program that focuses on retraining 99,000 veterans for high-demand jobs.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho against Matthew D. Hutcheson alleging that he violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The complaint alleges that, toward the end of 2010, Hutcheson used more than $3.2 million representing the retirement plan savings of workers from multiple employers for his own personal expenses and in an attempt to purchase an interest in the Tamarack Resort — a failed ski and golf resort in Idaho.

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $7,842,250 National Emergency Grant to assist more than 1,200 workers affected by layoffs that resulted from the closure of the Hovensa oil refinery on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hovensa was the largest private employer in the U.S. Virgin Islands and operated one of the largest oil refineries in the Western Hemisphere.

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Department of Labor has reached an agreement with a California fruit and nut company to restore a total of $1,287,901 to the company's pension plan. In a consent judgment entered this month in the U.S. District Court's Central District in Los Angeles, officers of Los Angeles-based Western Mixers Inc. agreed to restore $802,901to participants' accounts within 10 days. During the course of the investigation leading up to the lawsuit, the company repaid to the plan $485,000 of the total funds identified as missing.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending May 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 367,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 368,000. The 4-week moving average was 379,000, a decrease of 5,250 from the previous week's revised average of 384,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5 percent for the week ending April 28, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 2.6 percent.

WASHINGTON – Unique, handcrafted awards honoring the service and dedication of U.S. Department of Labor employees nationwide have been created by students from the Gary Job Corps Center in San Marcos, Texas, with the first presentation of the awards made today by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis during a ceremony at the department's headquarters in Washington.

WEST CALDWELL, N.J. The U.S. Department of Labor has cited Wilmington, Mass.-based UniFirst Corp., a uniform and laundry service, for three willful and four serious safety and health violations, including some involving bloodborne pathogen and lead exposure hazards, at its West Caldwell facility. A complaint alleging hazards prompted OSHA's inspection. Proposed penalties total $186,000.

Educational materials and mobile application available

HONOLULU – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited GM Logistics in Guam for five alleged serious and one other-than-serious safety violation following an inspection that was prompted by a Nov. 16, 2011, workplace fatality.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced the official theme for October's National Disability Employment Awareness Month: "A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?" The theme promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce that includes workers with disabilities, who represent a highly skilled talent pool.

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a National Emergency Grant supplement of $448,197 to provide re-employment services to about 713 workers affected by layoffs at Electrolux in Jefferson and Webster City, Iowa, and three of its suppliers in Ames and Webster City, Iowa.

Educational materials and mobile application available

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has kicked off a national outreach initiative to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in hot weather. The outreach effort builds on last year's successful summer campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of too much sun and heat.

Increased funding to help speed job seekers return to work while maintaining integrity of UI system

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded nearly $65.5 million in grants to 40 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to implement and/or continue re-employment and eligibility assessments for Unemployment Insurance beneficiaries.

Enterprisewide settlement with US Labor Department follows legal actions