Interested parties may submit comments through March 12

WASHINGTON – Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis has issued the following statement on congressional action today on the extension of Unemployment Insurance benefits and the payroll tax cut:

"I am pleased that congressional leaders have extended both unemployment insurance benefits for the long-term unemployed, and the payroll tax cut that is critical to so many working families.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of approximately $30 million in grants through its Training and Service Learning program for projects to help young adult ex-offenders gain valuable jobs skills while giving back to their communities through service.

WASHINGTON – The Government Accountability Office recently released and testified today on its report titled Workforce Investment Act: Innovative Collaborations Between Workforce Boards and Employers Helped Meet Local Needs (GAO-12-97). Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis has issued the following statement:

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending February 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 348,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 361,000. The 4-week moving average was 365,250, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average of 367,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.7 percent for the week ending February 4, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a $3,145,776 National Emergency Grant increment to continue providing re-employment assistance to about 600 workers impacted by layoffs at 21 Houston-area companies. The layoffs primarily resulted from the termination of the Space Shuttle Program by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Many of the workers were contractors for the program at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that overall compliance with safety and health regulations is improving among the nation's more than 12,000 metal and nonmetal mining operations. Preliminary data indicate a 14 percent decrease in citations and orders issued at these mines – 74,373 in 2010 compared to 64,186 in 2011. Furthermore, the percentage that are significant and substantial citations and orders decreased from 33 percent in 2010 to 28 percent in 2011.

WASHINGTON – As part of America Saves Week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration and the America Saves campaign of the Consumer Federation of America will host a free webcast on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, from 2 to 4 p.m. EST, for small businesses, their accountants and service providers. Topics include choosing a retirement savings plan and the advantages of direct deposits to small businesses and their employees.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration has issued a final rule implementing the YouthBuild Transfer Act of 2006, which establishes the program within the Labor Department.

Budget reflects fiscal responsibility while investing in job training and worker protection

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today outlined its part of the president's fiscal year 2013 budget request to Congress, which focuses on efficiently achieving the department's goals while exercising fiscal restraint.

Summer workers repackaged Hershey candies at Palmyra, Pa., facility

MARIETTA, Ga. – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued By Design Consulting Corp. and its owner, Randall Williamson Smith, to restore $25,978.39 in assets to the defunct company’s 401(k) retirement plan after an investigation by the department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration found violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Date of Action:  Feb. 10, 2012

Type of Action:  Judgment by Default

Name(s) of Defendant: William H. Kiser and Mary Sue Kiser, Irotas Manufacturing Company, LLC 401(k), and Irotas Manufacturing Company, LLC

Allegations: Between June and August 2008, William H. Kiser and Mary Sue Kiser, as trustees to the Irotas Manufacturing Company, LLC 401(k) Plan, transferred $487,138.08 of plan assets out of the plan to benefit the company.

Rule aims to make jobs more accessible to US workers and strengthen worker protections

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration and its Wage and Hour Division today announced a final rule to improve the H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker program. The rule, to be published in the Feb. 21 edition of the Federal Register, includes changes to several aspects of the program to ensure that U.S. workers receive greater access to jobs and strengthens worker protections.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending February 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 358,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 373,000. The 4-week moving average was 366,250, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week's revised average of 377,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.8 percent for the week ending January 28, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration is seeking public comment on data collection relating to miners' rights in the workplace. The agency is performing a pilot study to determine how to survey miners' understanding of their rights under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 and the degree to which they believe they are free to exercise those rights at work.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced the release of "Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success," a collection of career development exercises and activities designed to help sharpen the communication and other "soft" skills of young workers, including those with disabilities.

WASHINGTON — Nancy J. Leppink, deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, and California Secretary of Labor Marty Morgenstern have entered into a memorandum of understanding regarding the improper classification of employees as independent contractors. Leppink and California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su hosted a press teleconference Feb. 9 during which they discussed how the U.S.

BETHESDA, Md. ‒ The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Bethesda-based Dynasty Construction Inc. and owner John J. Barrett III for breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the company’s 401(k) plan. According to the suit, more than $775,000 from the 401(k) plan was invested in a fraudulent scheme in 2006, in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. This amount represented nearly all of the assets in the accounts of the 19 plan participants as of the end of 2005.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced a reorganization designed to centralize its oversight of certain cross-cutting, compliance-related actions. MSHA's Office of Assessments, Accountability, Special Enforcement and Investigations will incorporate the management, support and coordination of both routine and special assessments, as well as agency headquarters accountability functions and special enforcement strategies.