Who: U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
Texas Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend

What: Falfurrias Border Patrol Station Symposium and Job Fair

When: April 20, 2017
Symposium: 9-11a.m. CDT
Job Fair: 1-3p.m. CDT

State: California

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Award Amount Approved: $7,000,000

Initial Amount Released: $3,500,000

Funding Awarded to: California Employment Development Department

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 350

NEW YORK – A federal judge, presiding over a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit, has found that First Bankers Trust Services Inc. breached its duties of prudence and loyalty to the participants of an employee stock ownership plan sponsored by a New Jersey paving and building site preparation company when it caused the plan to overpay $9.4 million for shares of the company’s stock.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has settled a case that arose from a 1993 compliance review of NationsBank, N.A., that found systematic hiring violations involving African-American applicants for entry-level jobs and led to more than two decades of litigation. NationsBank merged with the Bank of America, N.A. in 1998.

BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a consent judgment in federal court ordering two Gloucester-based fish processors – Zeus Packing Inc. and Cape Ann Seafood Exchange Inc. – and the companies’ owner Kristian Kristensen to pay over $200,000 in liquidated damages to more than 100 employees to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Excavating rock from the Mt. Marion Pit and Mill, a common shale operation in Ulster County, New York, involves drilling blast holes and packing them with explosives. After detonation, the loose material is loaded into haul trucks, transported to a processing plant and turned into construction aggregate.

In the week ending April 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 234,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 234,000 to 235,000. The 4-week moving average was 247,250, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 250,000 to 250,250.

Participants: U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Great Lakes Construction Association
Lake County Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will begin taking actions to develop a comprehensive agency reform plan, as directed by guidance from the Office of Management and Budget. The goal is to create a more efficient and accountable department that works for job seekers, workers, employers and retirees across the U.S.

BOSTON – Robert Higgins and Kelvin Mattocks died on Oct. 21, 2016 in Boston, when the approximately 12-foot deep trench in which they were working collapsed, breaking an adjacent fire hydrant supply line and filling the trench with water in a matter of seconds.

PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Department of Labor and a Philadelphia commercial printer have entered into a consent judgment that requires the company to pay $273,892 in back wages and liquidated damages to a group of temporary employees to resolve past violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

ATLANTA – Fatalities among workers in the landscaping industry are a growing concern in the Southeast. From 2012 to 2016, 64 people employed in the industry in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi died as a result of workplace injuries. In Florida, industry fatalities have nearly tripled since 2012.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a delay in enforcement of the crystalline silica standard that applies to the construction industry to conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance for employers.

In the week ending April 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 234,000, a decrease of 25,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 258,000 to 259,000. The 4-week moving average was 250,000, a decrease of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 254,250 to 254,500.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. General Services Administration today canceled the solicitation for the Frances Perkins Building exchange project (to include the Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) for sites and the Request for Proposals (RFP) Phase I). After reviewing the preliminary phases of the project, GSA determined that the exchange mechanism was not the optimal means to maximize the government’s return on the Perkins building, which is located at 200 Constitution Avenue NW in Washington.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a 60-day extension of the applicability dates of the fiduciary rule and related exemptions, including the Best Interest Contract Exemption. The announcement follows a Feb. 3, 2017, presidential memorandum which directed the department to examine the fiduciary rule to ensure that it does not adversely affect the ability of Americans to gain access to retirement information and financial advice.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced plans today to protect U.S. workers from H-1B program discrimination by providing greater transparency and oversight.

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio – A federal judge has ordered Cathedral Buffet and its owner to pay $388,507 in back wages and damages to 235 “volunteers” who worked at the Cuyahoga Falls restaurant. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage, overtime, recordkeeping and other provisions.

WASHINGTON – Coordination between workforce and education programs at the state level is an integral part of building a better workforce system. To support this continued cooperation, the U.S. Department of Labor announced today the availability of approximately $5.7 million in grants in the sixth round of its Workforce Data Quality Initiative.

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Wells Fargo Bank N.A. to compensate and immediately reinstate a former bank manager who lost his job after reporting suspected fraudulent behavior to superiors and a bank ethics hotline.