WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $112 million to 50 state and territorial workforce agencies, including those in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, to operate reemployment services and eligibility assessments programs for those receiving unemployment insurance benefits. Estimates based on the budgets in the past 10 years show that the program has reduced individual use of UI services by approximately one-and-a-half weeks, saving on average $3 for every dollar spent in costs.

Employer name: Jay Management Inc.

Inspection site: 1060 Stuyvesant Ave., Irvington, New Jersey

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued one willful citation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s general duty clause to Jay Management Inc. on April 25, 2016.

MASSILLON, Ohio – Federal inspectors conducting a monitoring inspection found workers still exposed to falls and machine hazards at a Massillon steel mill operated by Republic Steel, despite the company’s promise to address safety hazards at its U.S. steel manufacturing sites.

The company is one of the nation’s leading suppliers for steel used for axles, drive-train assemblies, suspension and other critical vehicle components, as well as industrial equipment. 

Date of Action: April 26, 2016

Type of Action: Employee Retirement Income Security Act Lawsuit

Names of Defendants: Lori Jo Mueller, Edelweiss 401(K) Plan

Date of Action: April 22, 2016

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act and Migrant and Season Agricultural Worker Protection Act
consent judgment

Defendant: Miguel Rosales Ruiz

Who: U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration

What: The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today that federal inspectors issued 157 citations, one order and two safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and six metal and nonmetal mines in March.

Where: MSHA conducted special impact inspections at mines in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

ROSE HILL, Kan. ‒ Safety guards may have prevented a metal bar from striking and killing a 24-year-old lathe operator at a Rose Hill industrial cleaning equipment manufacturer, federal investigators found.

SAVANNAH, Ga. – A 17-year-old worker, who died when a car fell off a hydraulic lift and crushed him in November 2015,  was operating hazardous equipment in violation of federal law at a Savannah motor vehicle shipping facility, the U.S. Department of Labor has determined.

Employer name: Harcros Chemicals Inc.,
Kansas City, Kansas

Citations issued: April 19, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

MINNEAPOLIS – The U.S.

LADYSMITH, Wis. ‒ A machine operator who suffered fatal injuries as he serviced a high-speed conveyor belt in a Ladysmith paper mill in October 2015 might still be alive if his employer had ensured that equipment was powered down and locked out before the 46-year-old man entered the hazardous area.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs today issued a final rule to strengthen safeguards for the health of coal workers.

Employer name: General Electric, Circleville Lamp Plant, Circleville, Ohio

Citations issued: April 20, 2016

Employer name: Sanoh America Inc., 1849 Industrial Dr., Findlay, Ohio                  

Citations issued: April 18, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is conducting a building construction survey in New York’s Jefferson, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties to collect data on wages paid to workers on all active building construction projects in those counties between Jan. 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2015, New Hampshire between April 1, 2014, and March 31, 2015. This survey is not limited to federally funded construction projects.

Since the beginning of his Administration, President Obama has focused on creating an economy that works for every American. Under President Obama, our economy has added 14.4 million jobs over 73 straight months, the longest streak of job creation on record. The jobs available today, and the jobs of the future, are higher-skill jobs that require more education and advanced skills.

Employer name: Bobby Campbell Roofing Inc.

Inspection site: 558 Pullman Circle, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Citations issued: Citations were issued to the employer on April 16.

Employer’s names: Stephens Plumbing Inc.

Inspection site: 2050 Eastern Blvd., Montgomery, Alabama 36117

In the week ending April 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 247,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 253,000. This is the lowest level for initial claims since November 24, 1973 when it was 233,000. The 4-week moving average was 260,500, a decrease of 4,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 265,000.

Date of Action: April 19, 2016

Type of Actions: Employee Retirement Income Security Act Lawsuit

Defendants: The Leiter Group Attorneys and Counselors Professional Corporation and Thomas E. Leiter