AUSTIN, Texas — The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment and order resolving a lawsuit against Austin-based HBMG Inc. and Manuel Zarate, the company's president. The suit alleged that the defendants violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

CLEVELAND – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent order and judgment requiring Harry Fishleigh III, president and part owner of defunct North Coast Wood Products Inc. in Mentor, to restore a total of $114,176.86 to the company’s profit-sharing plan, for which he was the trustee. The order and judgment, entered in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland, resolve a lawsuit filed by the department alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $738,179 grant to assist about 320 workers affected by layoffs from Evergreen Solar Inc. in Devens and Marlborough, Mass., and two staffing companies, Advantage Technical Resourcing and Kelly Services.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an $857,225 National Emergency Grant increment to provide employment-related assistance to Massachusetts residents affected by layoffs and closings at 11 companies in Massachusetts and one company in Connecticut representing a variety of industries. This increment will continue services for approximately 330 workers served by an initial increment as well as provide services for an additional 100 workers.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $618,597 incremental award of a National Emergency Grant to provide job placement, skills training and other re-employment services for workers affected by layoffs at ATK Launch Systems in Corrine, Utah.

"The federal grant announced today will provide continued job placement assistance, skills training and other re-employment services to these Utah workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has approved a consent judgment and order to restore $34,310 in plan assets to the employee 401(k) plan of Monocacyfabs Inc. in Bethlehem. The action resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor against the company and plan trustees Michael Poole and Jean Shipley.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the December 2011 Employment Situation report released today:

"Our nation's strengthening labor market posted broad-based growth in the month of December. Nonfarm payroll employment added 200,000 jobs, exceeding expectations, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, its lowest level in nearly three years.

Partnership supports executive order on increasing federal hiring of individuals with disabilities

WASHINGTON — Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathleen Martinez and U.S. Customs and Border Protection acting Commissioner David V. Aguilar today signed an alliance agreement to advance President Obama's executive order to increase the hiring of people with disabilities by federal agencies.

Date of Action:  Dec. 22, 2011

Type of Action:  Complaint and Consent Judgment

Names of Defendant: Paul W. Andringa and Integrity Builders, Inc., individually and as fiduciaries to the Integrity Builders, Inc. 401(k) Safe Harbor Plan and the Integrity Builders, Inc. 401(k) Safe Harbor Plan.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration released today reveal that 37 miners died in work-related accidents at the nation's mines in 2011. There were 21 coal mining and 16 metal/nonmetal mining fatalities last year, compared with 48 and 23, respectively, in 2010, making 2011 the year with the second-lowest number of mining deaths since statistics were first recorded in 1910.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending December 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 372,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 387,000. The 4-week moving average was 373,250, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of 376,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.8 percent for the week ending December 24, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs has issued a final rule implementing the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act's exclusion for recreational vessel workers. The rule defines what constitutes a "recreational vessel" when applying the exclusion.

Date of Action:  Dec. 29, 2011

Type of Action:  Complaint for breach of the Employment Retirement Investment Security Act and Injunctive Relief

Names of Defendants: Kurt Ver Helst, D.C., P.C., an Iowa Corporation; Kurt Ver Helst individually and as a fiduciary to the Kurt Ver Helst DC Employee Stock Ownership Plan; Mark Eldridge, individually and as a service provider to the Kurt Ver Helst DC Employee Stock Ownership Plan; and the Kurt Ver Helst DC Employee Stock Ownership Plan, an employee benefit plan.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the recess appointment of Sharon Block to the National Labor Relations Board. Block currently serves as the U.S. Department of Labor's deputy assistant secretary of labor for congressional affairs.

WINESBURG, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Case Farms Processing Inc., which operates Case Farms Chicken in Winesburg, for 61 safety and health violations. Violations related to OSHA's process safety management standards allegedly resulted in an ammonia release at the facility on June 30. Proposed fines total $288,000.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending December 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 381,000, an increase of 15,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 366,000. The 4-week moving average was 375,000, a decrease of 5,750 from the previous week's revised average of 380,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.9 percent for the week ending December 17, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited government contractor Huntington Ingalls Industries International Shipbuilding Inc. and five subcontractors for a total of 50 safety and health violations. OSHA opened its inspection after receiving a complaint in June about safety hazards at the Pascagoula shipyard.

Piping Technology and Products misled OSHA about amputation hazards

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Piping Technology and Products Inc. for 13 willful and 17 serious violations for exposing workers to the risk of amputations and other serious injuries from dangerous machinery, as well as other hazards, at the company's Houston facility. Proposed penalties total $1,013,000.

WASHINGTON Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the agreement to extend the payroll tax cut and Unemployment Insurance benefits:

I m delighted, particularly as Americans look forward to spending the holidays with family and loved ones, that members of Congress have put partisan politics behind and reached an agreement on extending the payroll tax cuts and Unemployment Insurance benefits.

Grants will enhance innovative employment and training programs

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the availability of approximately $98.5 million through the Workforce Innovation Fund to support employment and training services. The fund invests in programs that support, evaluate and enhance workforce investment strategies, particularly for vulnerable populations. A solicitation for grant applications will be published in the Dec. 23 edition of the Federal Register.