ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration will convene a meeting of mine industry stakeholders in the wake of a dramatic increase in metal and nonmetal mining deaths. The meeting will address the causes of recent deaths, identify actions needed to prevent them and work to reverse the trend.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been nine fatalities in the metal and nonmetal sector. Nine of the 22 metal and nonmetal deaths that occurred in 2013 happened in the fourth quarter.

ARLINGTON, Va. — As part of its efforts to assure smooth implementation of the new coal mine respirable dust rule, the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration is forming a cooperative partnership with coal mine operators and miners.

Date of Action: April 29, 2014

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: Ditch Witch Equipment of Tennessee Inc., Aubrey Needham and the Ditch Witch Equipment of Tennessee Inc. Profit-Sharing Plan

DALLAS — A series of severe storms has been raging through parts of the Midwest, South and Eastern United States since Sunday. The violent weather devastated a number of communities in Arkansas and Oklahoma. As residents recover from these events, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges recovery workers, employers and the public to be aware of the hazards they can encounter and take necessary steps to stay safe.

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking to obtain a judgment against strawberry grower Fernandez Farms Inc., based in Watsonville, Calif., and its president, Gonzalo Fernandez, requiring payment of nearly $1 million in back wages to approximately 400 farm workers for minimum wage and overtime violations.

WASHINGTON — A series of severe storms has been raging through parts of the Midwest, South and Eastern United States since Sunday. The violent weather stretched from Iowa and Oklahoma to states across the south, including deadly tornadoes in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Due to ongoing heavy rain, flash flood watches have been issued from Northern Florida up to New England. As residents recover from these events, the U.S.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the 2014 official theme of National Disability Employment Awareness Month: "Expect. Employ. Empower." Observed in October, NDEAM is a nationwide campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and honors the many diverse contributions of America's workers with disabilities.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez released the following statement after the Senate's vote on the Harkin-Reid-Merkley legislation that would have raised the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour:

"Today, a minority of U.S. senators blocked a minimum wage increase that a strong majority of the American people supports. In so doing, they have rejected a long bipartisan tradition of rewarding hard work with a fair wage.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 152 citations, 14 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and three metal and nonmetal mines in March.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1,576,221 National Emergency Grant to assist approximately 250 workers affected by layoffs at five companies in Hampden County.

EDISON, N.J. — Plant, tree and shrub firm Barton Nursery Inc. has signed a consent judgment agreeing to pay $27,056 in back wages to 12 nonimmigrant foreign workers hired under the H-2A visa program of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Investigators from the Wage and Hour Division's Southern New Jersey District Office found the Edison-based company failed to pay workers the proper wages and failed to retain adequate and accurate records for three years. The business will pay $36,615 in civil monetary penalties because of the H-2A violations.

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Following injuries to seven workers at Cooper Power Systems LLC, including chemical burns to the skin and irritation to their respiratory tracts requiring urgent medical treatment, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the company for six violations, including two willful violations. The workers were injured after exposure to an acid mixture while cleaning a spill that occurred at the facility on Oct. 30, 2013.

AURORA, Ill. — R.C. Wegman Construction Co. and the Fox Valley Building and Construction Trades established a strategic partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect workers during the construction project for the New Main Aurora Public Library. The Illinois On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program is also a partner in the project.

CANTON, Ohio — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced that Republic Steel has agreed to settle alleged health and safety violations at the company's facilities in Lorain, Canton and Massillon, Ohio, as well as Blasdell, N.Y. The comprehensive settlement, in which the company agrees to abate all cited hazards and implement numerous safeguards to prevent future injuries, addresses more than 100 safety and health violations found by OSHA at the company's facilities during inspections conducted in the fall of 2013.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of up to $150 million in funding through a new Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program to train workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own for jobs in high-demand industries.

SEATTLE — The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a court order from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington that temporarily freezes the account balance of Brenda Lukas-Jones, former president of Lukas Machine Inc., in the company's 401(k) profit sharing plan and trust. On April 14, the department filed a complaint against Lukas Machine Inc., Lukas-Jones and others, alleging that they had violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act between April 2008 and October 2011, causing more than $41,000 in losses to the 401(k) plan.

MINNEAPOLIS — A U.S. Labor Department investigation has resulted in the debarment of Garcia Forest Service LLC, and its president, Samuel Garcia, from eligibility for further service contracts with any U.S. government agency for three years.

Roeder Construction ignores safety requirements at residential jobsite

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — A 42-year-old worker fell 16 feet to his death and a 25-year-old co-worker suffered serious injuries after their employer, Roeder Construction, failed to provide either man with fall protection as they worked on a roof, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has determined.

FORT DODGE, Iowa — Canadian National Railway, doing business as Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad, has been found in violation of the Federal Railroad Safety Act by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for disciplining an employee at its Fort Dodge Yard complex for taking doctor-ordered time off.

DALLAS — To enhance workplace safety and health for workers in North Texas, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration signed two alliance agreements today with the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association and the Workers Defense Project in Dallas to commemorate Workers' Memorial Day.