Companies failed to protect workers, warn product users of hazards

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited J & S Plumbing Inc. in Elk Grove Village for one willful and two repeat alleged safety violations involving failing to protect workers from cave-ins while performing repairs to a sewer line in Arlington Heights. Proposed penalties total $57,860.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending September 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 414,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 412,000. The 4-week moving average was 414,750, an increase of 3,750 from the previous week's revised average of 411,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0 percent for the week ending August 27, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 3.0 percent.

Companies failed to protect workers, warn product users of hazards

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has released $9,278,599 in unemployment insurance modernization incentive funds to the state of Vermont. Vermont qualified for its remaining share of funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by including in its law provisions that assist part-time workers and people who are upgrading their skills.

Date of Action:  Sept. 6, 2011

Type of Action:  Consent order and judgment

Names of Defendant: Thommes and Thomas Land Clearing, Inc., Thomas Benick and John Thommes, individually and as a fiduciaries to the Thommes and Thomas Land Clearing, Inc. SIMPLE IRA Plan

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the August 2011 Employment Situation report released today:

"The private sector added 17,000 jobs in August, but those gains were offset by the loss of 17,000 government jobs. Total non-farm unemployment, therefore, was unchanged last month. The unemployment rate also remained unchanged at 9.1 percent.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending August 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 409,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 421,000. The 4-week moving average was 410,250, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average of 408,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0 percent for the week ending August 20, unchanged from the prior week's revised rate of 3.0 percent.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $277,617 National Emergency Grant supplemental award to continue providing training and re-employment services to about 200 workers affected by layoffs resulting from the closure of the Dell Inc.'s call center in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Back wages and job offers sought for African-American, Asian and Hispanic applicants; debarment from future government contracts recommended

LEMOORE, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs today filed a complaint with the department's Office of Administrative Law Judges against federal contractor Leprino Foods Co. for discriminating against qualified African-American, Asian and Hispanic applicants for on-call laborer positions at the company's Lemoore West facility.

Aims to improve safety of young workers employed in agriculture and related fields

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing revisions to child labor regulations that will strengthen the safety requirements for young workers employed in agriculture and related fields. The agricultural hazardous occupations orders under the Fair Labor Standards Act that bar young workers from certain tasks have not been updated since they were promulgated in 1970.

Date of Action:  Aug. 30, 2011

Type of Action:  Consent order and judgment

Name of Defendant: Joseph M. Phelan, individually and as a fiduciary to the Phezer
Enterprises Inc. Health Plan and the Phezer Enterprises Inc. Health Plan

Allegations: Phelan, in his capacity as a fiduciary to the Phezer Enterprises Inc. Health Plan, failed to ensure that $10,470 in employee health premium contributions for the period of May 3, 2008, through July 12, 2008, were forwarded to the plan.

Date of Action:  Aug. 29, 2011

Type of Action:  Consent order and judgment

Names of Defendants: Alliance Excavating, Inc. and James Sowers, individually and as a fiduciary to the Alliance Excavating, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan

Allegations: Sowers, in his capacity as a fiduciary to the Plan failed to ensure that qualified participants were able to obtain distributions of their individual account balances after the company ceased operations in 2007.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina:

"I will never forget visiting New Orleans' Ninth Ward as a member of Congress in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath and seeing the poor families and terrified children that time forgot. Katrina was a wake-up call to this country about the plight facing our most vulnerable families and the critical role that Washington can and must play to support local communities before, during and after a major disaster.

Ceremony coincides with start of Labor Rights Week

Omaha, Neb.-based company ordered to pay more than $615,000 to 3 employees terminated, suspended for reporting safety issues and injuries

WASHINGTON – Preliminary results from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries released today show little change in the number of workplace fatalities in 2010 compared with 2009. Last year, 4,547 workers died from work-related injuries, down from a final count of 4,551 fatal work injuries in 2009. In response, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement:

"No worker should have to sacrifice his or her life to earn a living.

Special Factor: As a result of a labor dispute between Communications Workers of America and Verizon Communications, at least 12,500 initial claims were filed in the week ending 8/13/2011 and at least 8,500 initial claims were filed in the week ending 8/20/2011 .

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today released the following statement to commemorate Women's Equality Day:

"It has been a long journey, but each day brings America closer to the kind of true equality that our heroines like Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul imagined for us when they led the fight for women's suffrage generations ago.

Date of Action: Aug. 24, 2011

Type of Action:  Consent order and judgment

Names of Defendants: Brenda Duncan and Proto Craft, Inc. as fiduciaries to the Proto Craft, Inc. Profit Sharing and 401(k) Plan.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced enhancements to its online enforcement database designed to improve public access to and understanding of the department's enforcement actions. The updated website includes a number of new features, including map displays of inspection and violation data from the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and its Mine Safety and Health Administration, as well as the ability to view individual inspection records and the enforcement history of a particular company or mine.