Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - The U.S. Labor Department has sued Austin James Associates Inc. (AJA), Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania, and its president, Curtis M. Herman, for failing to forward or timely remit employees’ contributions to the company’s 401(k) savings plan.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Cleveland, Ohio - The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a settlement permanently barring Harold Hopkins and Linda Hopkins, Hudson, Ohio, former trustees of the Vista Financial Group Inc. 401(k) Plan, from serving as fiduciaries to employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labors Administrative Review Board has upheld fines against the farm labor contractor who employed 14 migrant forestry workers killed Sept. 12, 2002, in a tragic accident in northern Maine.

The unsuccessful appeal, filed by Evergreen Forestry Services of Sandpoint, Idaho, and Peter Smith III, the companys president and owner, contested a $17,000 civil money penalty. The fine was assessed following a Wage and Hour Division investigation conducted under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA).

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Alexandria, Virginia - The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment requiring Therapy Management Services Inc. of Alexandria, Virginia, and its president, Brenda Hunt, to restore $32,899 to the company’s 401(k) plan.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

San Francisco, California - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued three former senior executives of Irvine-based Esynch Corporation for failing to collect delinquent employer contributions and failing to forward employee contributions to the company’s 401(k) plan. The business currently operates under the name of Mergence Corporation, also headquartered in Irvine.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - A federal district court in Philadelphia has granted a motion by the U.S. Department of Labor to incarcerate John J. Koresko of Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, for failing to produce documents requested by administrative subpoenas.

WASHINGTON — Deputy Labor Secretary Steven J. Law pointed out at a Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing today the enormous challenges that China faces as the worlds most populous country in combating human trafficking. Law was appointed to the Commission by President George W. Bush in 2004.

Given the enormous size of Chinas population, there is an urgent need to deal with human trafficking issues now, Law said. As migration within and outside the country expands, the problem of human trafficking has the potential to escalate immensely.

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

Boston, Massachusetts - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the president of now-defunct e-tel Corp., West Warwick, Rhode Island, seeking restoration of funds to the company’s 401(k) plan.

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

St. Louis, Missouri - The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to appoint an independent fiduciary to administer the abandoned 401(k) plan originally sponsored by Dave Godat Auto Body Inc. of Manchester, Missouri.

Awards Recognize Exemplary Efforts to Employ Workers With Disabilities

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

San Francisco, California - The U.S. Department of Labor has reached agreement with a now-defunct Reno company and its bonding firm to restore $167,530 owed to the bankrupt firm’s 401(k) plan. The action resolves all complaints by the Labor Department against Lodging & Gaming Systems Inc. (LGS), which develops software for casinos and hotels.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao addressed a crowd of delegates representing the retirement savings and financial communities today to kick off the 2006 National Summit on Retirement Savings.

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San Francisco, California - A U.S. District Court in Los Angeles ordered two former owners of Chatsworth, California-based, Simon Brothers Precision Machining to restore nearly $70,000 in delinquent employee contributions and loan repayments to the company’s 401(k) and health plans. The action resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Labor Department last June to restore assets for 50 former employees of the company.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor has announced an agreement with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that will result in payment of more than $6.5 million in back wages to almost 900 pilots, co-pilots and flight engineers. The employees worked on several USPS contracts and subcontracts to transport mail by air between January 1996 and August 2001. Wages paid were subject to requirements of the Service Contract Act (SCA).

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Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is again extending the deadline for filing the Form 5500 series annual returns/reports to Aug. 28, 2006. This additional reporting relief is being granted to filers in 31 parishes in Louisiana, 46 counties in Mississippi and 11 counties in Alabama.

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Washington, DC - U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced the agenda of the 2006 National Summit on Retirement Savings that will be held March 1-2, at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC. The Summit will focus on “Saving for Your Golden Years: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities.”

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Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor Ann L. Combs spoke to members of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, today to highlight the Bush Administration’s priorities to make healthcare more affordable for American workers, retirees and their families.

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Lionville, Pennsylvania - The U.S. Labor Department has obtained a consent judgment that will require the Harold E. Trego Construction Company Inc., Lionville, Pennsylvania, and its president, to restore $271,652 to the company’s retirement plan. The judgment settles a lawsuit alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

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

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

Kearny, New Jersey - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued to appoint Jacqueline Carmichael as an independent fiduciary authorized to manage the 401(k) plan of Universal Freight Systems, a defunct corporation headquartered in Kearny, New Jersey. The plan has been without oversight since the company ceased doing business in February 2002.