WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded a $3 million National Emergency Grant to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security that will fund temporary jobs for cleanup and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Isaac, which resulted in widespread storm damage across the state.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against defendants Dietrich & Associates Inc., an insurance brokerage firm in Plymouth Meeting, and its chief executive officer and sole shareholder, Kurt E. Dietrich, to disgorge $522,047 plus interest gained from illegal activities related to the company’s role as fiduciary to a hospital pension plan. The department’s suit is based on an investigation conducted by its Employee Benefits Security Administration that found violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

AKRON, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Logan Machine Co. with 16 safety and health violations following a March inspection that was initiated upon receiving a complaint that alleged hazards. Proposed penalties total $66,600.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has reached an agreement with federal contractor Lund Boat Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brunswick Corp., that settles allegations of hiring discrimination. In a consent judgment approved by the department's Office of Administrative Law Judges, Brunswick Corp. and Lund Boat Co. have agreed to pay $295,000 in back wages and interest to 185 female job applicants who were rejected for entry-level positions at Lund's boat manufacturing plant in New York Mills, Minn.

VALENTINE, Neb. — The U.S. Department of Labor has assessed a total of $46,602 in civil money penalties against Valentine Livestock Auction Co. in Nebraska after a 15-year-old employee was crushed against a metal gate by a stampeding calf while herding cattle in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act's child labor provisions.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement today to commemorate Labor Day on Sept. 3:

"On the first Monday of September, we honor the workers who built the world's strongest economy. This Labor Day, as the U.S. Department of Labor approaches our centennial celebration, I take extra pride in the historic efforts of today's workers to drive our recovery by learning new skills and adapting to new challenges.

$10,000 in prizes awarded for 3 innovative apps helping to improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities

ARLINGTON, Va. – Stepped-up efforts by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration to educate miners about their safety and health rights, promptly and thoroughly investigate discrimination complaints, and take legal action with the help of department attorneys have led to a marked increase in the number of miners temporarily reinstated to their jobs after filing complaints of discrimination in the form of a suspension, layoff, discharge or other adverse action.

WASHINGTON — A $5 million competitive solicitation for cooperative agreements to combat child labor in Burkina Faso's cotton and artisanal gold mining sectors was announced today by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs.

ELMHURST, Ill. – Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration and resulting lawsuit, a federal court has issued a default judgment against Elmhurst-based A.B.D. Tank & Pump Co. to restore $2,767,051 to the company’s retirement plan.  Keith Davis, the company’s president and sole owner, allegedly depleted the assets of the plan through a series of withdrawals and transfers to himself and the company from Dec. 6, 2006, through Nov. 4, 2010, in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 262 citations, 19 orders and three safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at eight coal mines and five metal/nonmetal mines last month.

74 programs across 28 states and the District of Columbia receive funding

PAWTUCKET, R.I. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced more than $75 million in YouthBuild grants to help out-of-school youth earn a high school or General Educational Development diploma while learning critical occupational skills in construction, health care, information technology and other fields.

DAYTON, Ohio —— The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has found Cascom Inc. liable for back wages and liquidated damages totaling $1,474,266 owed to approximately 250 cable installers the Fairfield, Ohio, company misclassified as independent contractors in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement in recognition of Labor Rights Week, Aug. 27-31:

"This year's theme, 'Promoting Labor Rights is Everyone's Responsibility,' underscores the importance of partnerships between the Labor Department and other countries to educate migrant workers and their employers about U.S. labor laws.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement regarding an agreement reached by General Motors Colmotores and its current and former workers:

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending August 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 372,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 368,000. The 4-week moving average was 368,000, an increase of 3,750 from the previous week's revised average of 364,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending August 11, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate.

BOSTON – USI Advisors Inc. has agreed to pay $1,265,608.70 to 13 pension plans to resolve alleged violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Date of Action: Aug, 22, 2012

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendant: Ricky N. Coley of West Bloomfield, Mich.

ANDOVER, Mass. – Employees at a Haverhill residential construction site were exposed to potentially deadly or disabling falls of up to 16 feet from a roof and a scaffold that lacked fall protection. Conditions found during inspections by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration point to falls as the leading cause of death in construction work. As a result, OSHA is calling upon employers in Massachusetts and the Merrimack Valley to take effective action to reduce and minimize fall hazards.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics' "Employment and Unemployment Among Youth Summary" released Aug. 21:

"As young Americans all across the country prepare to head into a new school year, I'm excited to say that many more will take with them lessons learned through summer jobs.