WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service today announced a $750,000 grant competition aimed at supporting Department of Labor grantees that provide employment services to homeless veterans and veterans at risk of becoming homeless.

Washington – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) will host a free webcast June 3 to answer questions from employers, plan administrators and service providers about the Form 5500, EFAST2 and the new e-signature options for electronic filing requirements that began with the 2009 plan year.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced in a notice of proposed rulemaking published in today's Federal Register its plans to require improved worker protection from tripping, slipping and falling hazards on walking and working surfaces. A public hearing on the revised changes will be held after the public comment period for the NPRM.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1.8 million grant to assist around 450 workers affected by layoffs at Plum Creek Timber Co. Inc. and Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. in western Montana.

"Montana's timber and wood products industry saw a marked downturn during the recent recession," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Today's grant will help these workers enter training that will allow them to compete for and find jobs in new and emerging industries."

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia has ruled in MSHA's favor in a recent challenge to the agency's decision to conduct private interviews as part of its investigation of the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending May 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 471,000, an increase of 25,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 446,000. The 4-week moving average was 453,500, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 450,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.6 percent for the week ending May 8, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 3.6 percent.

JACKSON, Miss. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined VT Halter Marine Inc., a shipbuilder, for $1,322,000 following a November 2009 explosion and fire that killed two workers and seriously injured two other workers. The incident occurred in the inner bottom void of a tugboat that was being constructed at the company's Escatawpa, Miss., facility.

WASHINGTON – The materials supplement OSHA-required training workers must receive before they can be hired to engage in the cleanup. In addition to English, the safety guides and fact sheets initially will be printed in Spanish and Vietnamese in recognition of the diverse population inhabiting the Gulf Coast region. They will be made available by BP's education contractor, PEC, and OSHA officials at cleanup staging areas.The U.S.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today certified for release $26,015,055 in unemployment insurance modernization incentive funds to the state of New Mexico. New Mexico qualified for the remaining two-thirds of its share of the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by allowing certain part-time workers to claim UI benefits and by providing dependents' allowances for all UI beneficiaries.

RABAT, Morocco — The United States and Morocco on May 18 convened in Rabat the inaugural meeting of the Sub-Committee on Labor Affairs created under the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement. Representatives at the meeting reaffirmed their commitments under the agreement to recognize and protect the rights stated in the International Labor Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor will publish a final rule in the May 20 edition of the Federal Register requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to provide notice to their employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

SALT LAKE CITY — Teleperformance USA, a Salt Lake City-based call center, has paid $1,978,147 in back wages to 15,862 workers for overtime violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The settlement followed a nationwide investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division in Salt Lake City.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the publication of final regulations updating protections for young employees in non-agricultural work for the 21st century economy.

"Today's regulations protect young employees from dangerous machines and tools, excessive work hours and other hazards at work," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "These rules incorporate recommendations from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and take a common sense approach to keeping young workers safe from harm."

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today further defined its plans for a series of public hearings in the investigation of the April 5 explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County, W.Va. The public hearings will commence after the initial witness interviews are completed.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of more than $12 million in competitive funding to states through the Workforce Data Quality Initiative. Grants funded through this competition will be used to create longitudinal workforce databases and improve the quality and breadth of the data within existing systems.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced the transmittal of the Unemployment Compensation Integrity Act of 2010 to Congress. The draft legislation, if enacted, will help states fight employer fraud and reduce improper benefit payments.

Buffalo, New York – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a default judgment appointing an independent fiduciary to manage the abandoned 401(k) plan of defunct Franbilt Inc., which was a steel fabrication plant located in Lockport, New York. The court also has ordered the former owner of the company, Thomas Barnes, to pay $145,094 in restitution to the plan.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today certified for release $10,412,823 in unemployment insurance modernization incentive funds to the state of Alaska. Alaska qualified for the remaining two-thirds of its share of the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by extending unemployment benefits to individuals who leave jobs for compelling family reasons.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that approximately 8,500 workers from companies in 13 states – California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin – are eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending May 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 444,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 448,000. The 4-week moving average was 450,500, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised average of 459,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.6 percent for the week ending May 1, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 3.6 percent.