November 17, 2009

US Department of Labors OSHA schedules stakeholder meetings on combustible dust hazards

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will hold two stakeholder meetings on Dec. 14 to discuss combustible dust workplace hazards.

The meetings will be held at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST at the Marriott at Metro Center located at 775 12th St. NW in Washington, D.C.

OSHA will use comments from these meetings and responses to an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in developing a comprehensive standard addressing fire and explosion hazards of combustible dust.

November 17, 2009

US Department of Labors OSHA provides crowd control guidelines for protecting workers during retail sales events

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has prepared a fact sheet providing crowd control guidelines for retailers to protect workers during major sales events.

November 17, 2009

US Department of Labor files complaint to recover $1.5 million owed to workers contracted with TSA at Chicago OHare Airport

CHICAGO — The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a legal action with its Office of Administrative Law Judges against Total Enterprise Inc. and company President, Kyong M. Kim and Vice President, Frederick S. Kahl for alleged violations of the prevailing wage and fringe benefits provisions of the Service Contract Act (SCA).

"Government contractors need to know that agreements made on behalf of working Americans must be honored or the Labor Department will take appropriate legal action," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

November 16, 2009

US Department of Labors Womens Bureau to sponsor Green Resources and Opportunities for Women workshop Nov. 19 in Atlanta

ATLANTA The U.S. Department of Labor s Women s Bureau and the U.S. Small Business Administration will co-sponsor a workshop, Green Resources and Opportunities for Women (G.R.O.W.), on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 8:30 a.m. to12:30 p.m. EST at Morehouse College Executive Leadership Conference Center, Bank of America Auditorium in Atlanta.

November 16, 2009

US Department of Labor welcomes GAOs report on under-reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses

OSHA finds problems identified in report alarming

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) welcomes the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on the under-reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses and OSHA's audit process.

The report identifies a number of factors that may contribute to the inaccuracy of employer injury and illness records, as well as problems with the audits that OSHA conducts to ensure their accuracy.

November 16, 2009

US Department of Labors OSHA issues final rule, revises acetylene standard

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has revised its acetylene standard. A final rule replaces references to outdated industry standards with updated references reflecting current industry practices.

November 16, 2009

U.S. Labor Department further extends effective date of rules on investment advice

Washington – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) today announced publication of a notice further extending the applicability and effective dates of the final rule on investment advice under the Pension Protection Act to May 17, 2010. The notice is expected to be published in the November 17 edition of the Federal Register.

November 12, 2009

US Labor Departments OSHA levies $321,000 in fines against bridge and tower painter UCL Inc. in Cincinnati for exposing workers to lead

CINCINNATI – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited bridge and water tower painter UCL Inc. in Cincinnati with alleged willful, egregious and serious violations of federal workplace safety and health standards for exposing workers to lead. Proposed fines total $321,000.

OSHA began its inspection in May where UCL was abrasive blasting paint from two bridge overpasses on I-75 near Middletown, Ohio. The inspection revealed nine alleged willful and two serious violations.

November 12, 2009

US Department of Labors OSHA cites Loren Cook Co. of Springfield, Mo., for $511,000 following workers death

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Loren Cook Co. of Springfield with seven alleged willful and three alleged serious violations after a worker was killed by an ejected machine part on May 13.

November 12, 2009

US Labor Departments OSHA proposes $509,000 in fines against Cranesville Aggregate for significant hazards at Scotia, NY, bagging plant

ALBANY, N.Y. – Cranesville Aggregate Co., doing business as Scotia Bag Plant, Scotia, N.Y., faces a total of $509,000 in proposed fines from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The plant, which bags cement and asphalt, has been cited for 33 alleged willful, repeat and serious violations of workplace safety and health standards following comprehensive OSHA inspections over the past six months.

November 12, 2009

US Department of Labor certifies approximately 3,400 workers in 8 states as eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that approximately 3,400 workers from companies in eight states – Illinois, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wisconsin – are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).

November 12, 2009

ETA Press Release: Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending Nov. 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 502,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 514,000. The 4-week moving average was 519,750, a decrease of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average of 524,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.3 percent for the week ending Oct. 31, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 4.4 percent.

November 12, 2009

DAL Global Services in Denver agrees to pay $100,000 to 110 Asian, black, white and female job applicants to settle findings of hiring discrimination

DENVER — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) today announced that DAL Global Services LLC in Denver has agreed to settle findings of hiring discrimination against 110 rejected Asian, black, white and female job applicants. The agreement resolves the department's allegations that the employer discriminated against applicants for the position of ramp agent at Denver International Airport.

November 12, 2009

Grandville, Mich., restaurant operators ordered to pay more than $2 million in back wages and damages following US Labor Department investigation

GRANDVILLE, Mich. — Li Jin Yang and Dong Lin, a wife and husband operating five Oriental Forest restaurants, headquartered in Grandville with locations across the western part of Michigan, have been ordered by a federal court judge to pay $2,030,430 in minimum wage and overtime pay and damages owed to 129 workers following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.

November 12, 2009

Owner of Marietta, Georgia, insurance agency sentenced for diverting 401(k) assets

Marietta – The Superior Court of Cobb County Georgia in Marietta has sentenced the owner of the Hoyla Insurance Group to serve five years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of probation, after his plea of guilty to 19 counts of theft, including theft of $65,000 from the company's 401(k) plan.

November 10, 2009

Deputy secretary of labor testifies before Senate subcommittee on paid sick leave for workers and families

WASHINGTON – Deputy Secretary of Labor Seth Harris today testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families regarding workplace flexibility and paid leave in the context of the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic. Harris expressed the administration's strong support for the Healthy Families Act as a way to provide workplace flexibilities and increased economic security.

November 9, 2009

US Department of Labors OSHA provides workplace H1N1 influenza precaution and protection information for workers and employers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued commonsense fact sheets that employers and workers can use to promote safety during the current H1N1 influenza outbreak.

The fact sheets inform employers and workers about ways to reduce the risk of exposure to the 2009 H1N1 virus at work. Separate fact sheets for health care workers, who carry out tasks and activities that require close contact with 2009 H1N1 patients, contain additional precautions.

November 9, 2009

US Department of Labor announces grant exceeding $394,000 to assist workers affected by boat manufacturer layoffs in Maine

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $394,617 grant to assist about 60 workers affected by layoffs at The Hinckley Co., a leading producer of pleasure boats and yachts, in Trenton, Maine.

"This grant will provide the retraining and job search assistance necessary for these Mainers to enter new careers in promising regional industries," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

November 6, 2009

Statement of US Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on October employment numbers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the October 2009 Employment Situation report released today:

"This past October, the economy lost 190,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate increased to 10.2 percent.

"We have known for some time now that the unemployment rate could reach this level, and it is an unacceptable situation. We are working hard to reverse these circumstances for the millions of Americans who need and want work but cannot find it.

November 5, 2009

US Department of Labor certifies more than 5,500 workers in 16 states as eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that approximately 5,500 workers from companies in 16 states – Alabama, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin – are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).