WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement regarding the withdrawal of a proposed rule dealing with children who work in agricultural vocations:

SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Judge Susan Richard Nelson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota has entered a consent judgment against Hawkins Tree and Landscaping Inc., a Shakopee company, and its owners, Michael Hawkins and Dawn Hawkins, individually. The judgment orders payment of back wages and liquidated damages in the amount of $478,000 to 57 current and former laborers, drivers, crew leaders and foremen of the company for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

WASHINGTON — Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathleen Martinez and National Industry Liaison Group Chair Valerie J. Vickers have signed an alliance agreement to promote the hiring of individuals with disabilities by the federal contractor community.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today released a first quarter summary of mining deaths across the country. Ten miners died in work-related accidents at the nation's mines during the first three months of 2012.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has made an audio message available from Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, in honor of Workers Memorial Day.

Workers' Memorial Day, which is observed each year on April 28, honors the lives of those who have been injured or killed on the job. In the United States, 12 workers die on the job every day, down from 38 per day when the Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed in 1970.

MUSCAT, Oman — The U.S. Department of Labor and the Oman Ministry of Manpower convened the first meeting of the Subcommittee on Labor Affairs on April 24 in Muscat. Representatives at the meeting reaffirmed their commitments under the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement to recognize and protect the rights stated in the International Labor Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking to recover losses suffered by participants in the Parrot Cellular Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP. The department's suit is based on an investigation conducted by its Employee Benefits Security Administration that found violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint in federal court seeking to restore a total of $63,582.14 in health care premiums and retirement plan contributions withheld from the paychecks of employees at several companies that are part of the JJD Industries group in Schiller Park, Ill.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a $7,733,360 National Emergency Grant increment that will continue funding approximately 700 temporary jobs for eligible dislocated workers to assist with ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts following the severe storms and floods that struck southeastern Ohio between April 4 and May 15, 2011.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending April 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 386,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 388,000. The 4-week moving average was 374,750, an increase of 5,500 from the previous week's revised average of 369,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending April 7, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 2.6 percent.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced guidance for state demonstration projects to identify innovative strategies that quickly connect unemployed workers with good jobs. Today's announcement is a key component of the first major overhaul of the Unemployment Insurance system in decades, made possible by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 signed by President Obama in February.

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a $2,736,650 National Emergency Grant increment to continue providing re-employment and job training services to approximately 900 military spouses and civilian defense workers in Washington state who were impacted by decisions of the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. The commission consolidated Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base to create Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which serves the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration will hold a free retirement savings forum on Saturday, April 28, from 12:30–3:30 p.m. EDT at Spelman College Albro-Falconer-Manley Science Center, Room 134, 350 Spelman Lane SW, Atlanta, Ga. 30314. Hosted in coordination with the Economics Department at Spelman College, the "African-Americans and Retirement: What You Should Know Before It's Too Late" forum is open to the public and the media.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today published in the Federal Register a proposed tribal consultation policy, creating a formal process through which the department will engage in consultation with federally recognized tribes on actions or policies that will have a significant impact on tribal nations. This policy would apply to any department action that affects federally recognized Indian tribes and requires that the department's government-to-government consultation involve both appropriate tribal and department officials.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding Equal Pay Day:

"It has been nearly half a century since the Equal Pay Act was signed to abolish wage discrimination on the basis of sex. In that time, women from all walks of life have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, patriotism, scientific and artistic vision, and great personal sacrifice – both at home and in the workplace. Still, women continue to earn less than men. As a nation, we continue to work toward the fundamental promise of equal pay for equal work.

WASHINGTON – Delta Air Lines Inc. has signed a corporatewide settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration in order to protect workers who operate baggage handling vehicles.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of approximately $20 million in grants to fund cooperative agreements that will improve educational, training and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

These grants represent the third round of funding through the Disability Employment Initiative, a joint program of the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration and its Office of Disability Employment Policy.

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Benefits.gov Program and its track record of success in serving the American public. Benefits.gov, formerly GovBenefits.gov, has increased public access to critical information regarding government benefits and consequently has reduced the cost to taxpayers of the processes required to obtain the same information.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Morgan Keegan and Co. Inc. has agreed to pay $633,715.46 to 10 pension plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. This agreement follows an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration that found the full-service brokerage company violated federal law when it recommended certain hedge funds of funds as investments to its ERISA-covered employee benefit plan clients. These recommendations resulted in the hedge funds of funds paying Morgan Keegan revenue-sharing and other fees.