May 25, 2006

U.S. Department of Labor Sues 401(k) Plan Fiduciaries of Nu Alpha Manufacturing

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Parsons, Kansas - The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) sued the fiduciaries of the Nu Alpha Manufacturing Inc. 401(k) plan for failing to forward employee contributions to the plan, failing to segregate the contributions from corporate assets and abandoning the plan without distributing the assets to plan participants.

May 24, 2006

Labor Department Obtains Judgment Against Pharmaceutical Care Network To Restore Health Plan Assets

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

May 22, 2006

Farm Labor Firm Ordered to Pay $292,445 in Back Wages, Fines

Thai agricultural workers employed at Hawaiian farms

SAN FRANCISCO — A Los Angeles-based firm employing overseas workers at two Hawaii farms has been ordered to pay $156,995 in back wages plus $135,450 in civil money penalties following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The department found that Global Horizons Manpower Inc., owned by Mordechai Orian, owes backwages to 88 temporary non-immigrant agricultural workers from Thailand.

May 18, 2006

Bridgeport, Conn., Employer Ordered to Repay Over $401,000 to Employee Benefit Plans to Settle U.S. Labor Department Lawsuit

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Boston, Massachusetts - The president of West End Lumber Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has been ordered to repay over $401,000 to two company employee benefit plans to resolve a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

May 18, 2006

U.S. Labor Department Sponsors New York Seminar on Retirement Solutions for Small Businesses under Federal Employee Benefits Law

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

U.S. Labor Department Sponsors New York Seminar on Retirement Solutions for Small Businesses under Federal Employee Benefits Law

May 18, 2006

Palm Springs Clinic Owner Ordered to Pay Nearly $34,000 to Employee Profit Sharing Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

San Francisco, California - The former owner of the now-defunct Palm Springs Orthopaedics Medical Clinic has been ordered to pay $33,600 to two employees covered by an employee profit sharing plan. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor found that Glenn D. Cunningham, who was the sole owner of the clinic and the plan fiduciary, illegally withdrew funds and failed to deposit participant loan repayments into the plan.

May 17, 2006

DisabilityInfo.Gov Receives American Association of Webmasters
Gold Award

WASHINGTON — DisabilityInfo.gov, a comprehensive one-stop federal Web site for disability-related information and resources, has received the American Association of Webmasters (AAWM) 2006 Gold Award for outstanding design and quality of content. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) manages the Web site, which can be found at www.DisabilityInfo.gov.

May 16, 2006

U.S. Labor Department Sues Texas Firm and Executives for Failing to Remit $65,337 to Retirement and Health Plans

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

El Campo, Texas - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued El Campo-based Mark’s Machine Co. Inc. and its owners for failing to timely remit $65,337 in employee contributions to the company’s retirement plan and employee premiums to the health plan insurance carrier as required by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

May 15, 2006

U.S. Labor Department Sues Former Nashville, Tennessee, Company to Restore Assets to Employee Benefit Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Atlanta, Georgia - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the former Lakeside Machine Co., Nashville, Tennessee, along with owner Robert Beach, to restore more than $17,000 to participants in the company’s SIMPLE IRA plan.

May 15, 2006

U.S. Labor Department Sues to Recover Assets for Former Birmingham, Ala. Law Firm's 401(k) Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Atlanta - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued to restore more than $6,500 in assets to the 401(k) plan of the former Stewart Law Group, Birmingham, Ala.

"Trustees of a 401(k) plan have a responsibility to ensure that the assets of the plan are used solely to benefit participants," said Howard Marsh, director of the department's Atlanta regional office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA).

May 10, 2006

Labor Department Sues Trustees of Fairfax, Virginia 401(k) Plan Over Delinquent Employee Contributions and Loan Repayments

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Alexandria, Virginia, against the trustees of Columbia Services Groups Inc. for failure to remit employee contributions and loan repayments to the company’s 401(k) plan. Columbia was a government contractor that provided information technology assistance to the federal government.

May 9, 2006

U.S. Labor Department Obtains Settlement Barring Pocono Pines, Pa. Company From Overseeing Employees’ Benefit Plans

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - The U.S. Department has obtained a settlement permanently barring Austin James Associates, Inc. (AJA) and its president, Curtis M. Herman from serving as fiduciaries to employee benefit plans governed by the Employment Retirement Income Security Inc.

May 9, 2006

Administrator of Maine Pension Plans Ordered to Pay Over $125,000 to Resolve U.S. Labor Department Lawsuit

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Boston, Massachusetts - A major owner of Payroll Benefits Inc., Auburn, Maine, agreed to make restitution of more than $125,000 to 18 pension plans administered by the firm. Robert Montgomery, who owned 49% of the company, agreed to the court order to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor.

May 8, 2006

Georges Processing Has Agreed to Pay More Than $1.2 Million in Back Wages Due 5,482 Cassville, Missouri Plant Workers

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced today that George's Processing Inc. has agreed to pay $1,235,000 in back wages to 5,482 current and former employees of its Cassville, Mo., poultry processing plant for uncompensated overtime hours. The employees were not paid for time spent putting on (donning) and taking off (doffing) protective clothing and other gear, and walking to and from the changing area to their work stations. The judgment was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Springfield.

May 4, 2006

U.S. Labor Department Recovers More Than $1 Million in Back Overtime Wages for Nearly 3,000 Compass Bank Employees

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Compass Bank, headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., has agreed to pay 2,961 employees $1,036,236 in back overtime wages after an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division determined the company had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

May 4, 2006

Americans with Disabilities: Ready for the Global Workforce is 2006 National Disability Employment Awareness Month Theme

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao this week announced that "Americans with Disabilities: Ready for the Global Workforce" will be the official theme for October's National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is celebrated nationwide.

May 3, 2006

Labor Department Sponsors Sacramento Workshops on Federal Pension Law

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

San Francisco, California - The U.S. Department of Labor will hold free workshops May 16 to help employers and pension plan administrators better comply with federal pension law. The workshops will be held at the Sacramento Federal Building, 2800 Cottage Way.

April 28, 2006

Labor Department Secures Pension Funds for Former T&J Fixturing and Contracting Inc. Workers in Franklin, Indiana

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Cincinnati, Ohio - The federal district court in Indianapolis has granted a default judgment to the U.S. Department of Labor, which allows the government to restore retirement savings funds and distribute benefits owed to former workers of T&J Fixturing and Contracting Inc. of Franklin, Indiana, according to the department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA).

April 28, 2006

U.S. Labor Department Sues Officers of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Company to Restore Employee Contributions to 401(k) Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Chicago, Illinois - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the officers of Systems Transport Inc., Elk Grove Village, Illinois, to restore losses suffered by the company’s 401(k) plan when they allegedly failed to remit employee contributions, used plan assets for general company expenses, and failed to administer the plan.

April 27, 2006

Labor Secretary Urges Champions of Workplace Accessibility to Apply for 2006 New Freedom Initiative Award

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today urged corporations, small businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals who have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in enhancing employments opportunities for workers with disabilities to apply for the 2006 New Freedom Initiative award. Nominations must be submitted by May 31.