February 2, 2005

Labor Department Protects Employee Health Premium Payments Against Bankruptcy Claims with Default Judgment

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Detroit, Michigan - The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan has entered a default judgment against Jeffrey M. Grenke, owner of defunct American Tool & Mold Inc., St. Joseph, Michigan. The judgment removes from bankruptcy proceedings Grenke’s liability for failing to forward employee premium withholdings and employer contributions to the company’s health plan insurance carrier.

February 2, 2005

U.S. Labor Department Sues Trustees of West Virginia 401(k) Plan Over Delinquent Contributions

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Charleston, West Virginia - Trustees of the defunct Gordon Gasket & Packing Co. 401(k) plan in Charleston, West Virginia, were sued by the U.S. Department of Labor for failure to forward or timely remit employee contributions to the plan. The department also sued trustee Beverly Louise Bowman to prevent her from discharging $34,108.11 in debts owed to the plan in bankruptcy proceedings.

February 1, 2005

Labor Department Obtains Court Judgment Restoring Assets to Minneapolis 401(k) Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Minneapolis, Minnesota - The U.S. Department of Labor today obtained a consent judgment requiring Liberty Tool and Engineering Corp., Minneapolis, and its president to restore $14,387.47 to the company’s 401(k).

January 28, 2005

U.S. Labor Department Extends Annual Reports Deadline After Severe Winter Storms Hit Indiana

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) today announced an extension of the deadline for filing Form 5500 and Form 5500 EZ annual report/returns due to damages from severe winter storms and flooding in Indiana.

January 26, 2005

Labor Department Obtains Settlement with California Company of 401(k) Plan Reporting Violations

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor reached an agreement with Perris, California-based Modtech Holdings Inc. in which the company will pay a $75,000 civil penalty for failing to file required annual reports for its 401(k) plan for two plan years and for filing a deficient annual report for a subsequent year. This settles the department’s reporting compliance enforcement action against the company for plan years 2000 through 2002.

January 25, 2005

U.S. Labor Department Sues President of Nashville Leasing Firm Over Misuse of Health Plan Assets

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Nashville, Tennessee - The U.S. Department of Labor sued the president of Nashville-based Midland Services, Inc. for misusing commissions and refunds owed to a health plan sponsored by the firm. Midland was a staff-leasing firm that operated a multiple employer welfare arrangement for employees leased to client employers.

January 25, 2005

U.S. Labor Department Obtains Agreement with Fremont, California Firm Restoring Employees’ 401(k) Assets

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

San Francisco, California - The U.S. Department of Labor obtained an agreement with the former owners of defunct Russett Diesel, a Fremont-based trucking company, to restore assets to the company’s 401(k) plan.

January 19, 2005

U.S. Labor Department Sues Westwood, Massachusetts Resident to Restore Funds to Defunct Company’s Pension Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Boston, Massachusetts - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Joseph P. Zoppo of Westwood, Massachusetts, seeking to compel him to restore misused funds to the pension plan of his now-defunct company, I/O Desktop Specialists Inc.

January 12, 2005

Labor Department Sues Chicago Metallurgical and Profit Sharing Plan Trustee For Failure to Make Employer Contributions to Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Chicago, Illinois - The U.S. Department of Labor sued Chicago Spectro Service Laboratory and its profit sharing trustee for failing to remit $158,000 in employer contributions to the plan and misrepresenting to the plan’s participants that the contributions were made to their individual accounts.

January 11, 2005

Statement of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao On Energy Employees Occupational Injury Compensation Program Act

WASHINGTON—The Department of Labor is committed to helping the energy workers and families who have sacrificed for America 's freedom.

Four years ago, Congress passed the Energy Employees Occupational Injury Compensation Program Act. This program called EEOICPA compensates workers for the illnesses many suffered from working in Federal nuclear facilities. The Department of Labor took the lead in helping these workers and their families quickly.

January 11, 2005

Department of Labor Expedites 100 Claims
Under New Energy Workers Compensation Program

More than $1 Billion in Compensation and Medical Benefits Already Paid by Labor Department

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Labor is moving swiftly to pay claims and benefits under a program established by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act's (EEOICPA) new Part E passed by Congress last year. The department announced today that nearly 100 claims will be approved for payment and distributed within the next month.

January 5, 2005

Labor Department Sues to Distribute More Than $600,000 To Participants of Abandoned 401(k) Plan of Defunct Indianapolis Company

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Indianapolis, Indiana - The U.S. Department of Labor sued the former president of Segno Communications, Inc., Indianapolis, to obtain appointment of an independent fiduciary to terminate the defunct company’s 401(k) plan and distribute $618,463.36 in assets to the 51 remaining participants.

January 5, 2005

Court Rules Indiana Marketing Firm and Executives Must Restore Losses to Health Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

January 5, 2005

Labor Department Sues to Appoint Independent Fiduciary For Abandoned Colorado 401(k) Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Denver, Colorado - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued to obtain the court appointment of an independent fiduciary to manage the abandoned 401(k) plan of Denver-based Maximum Team Moving Services Inc. and distribute the assets to 15 participants.

December 30, 2004

Bush Administration Announces Final Rules On Portability of Health Coverage

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - Today final rules were issued under the 1996 law on health insurance portability that gives workers greater access to group health plan coverage. The rules were drafted by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Treasury.

December 23, 2004

U.S. Labor Department Lawsuit Restores over $35,000 to Worcester Pension Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Boston, Massachusetts - A lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor against the plan sponsor and the trustee of the Northeast Display Inc. 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan of Worcester, Massachusetts, has resulted in the restoration of over $35,000 to the plan.

December 20, 2004

Labor Department Publishes 2004 Form M-1 For Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements -- Online Filing Is Available

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

December 20, 2004

Owner of Central Michigan Trucking Company Sued To Recover Employee 401(k) Contributions

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Detroit, Michigan - The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the owner of Great Lakes Trucking Company, Inc., Perry, Michigan, to recover employee contributions that he failed to forward to the workers’ 401(k) plan.

December 17, 2004

Department of Labor Announces Proposal for Online Process
To Provide Wage Determinations

New Website Detailed in Proposed Rulemaking Published Today

December 17, 2004

U.S. Labor Department Publishes Youth Employment Rules

Rules Become Effective in 60 Days

WASHINGTON—The Labor Department published today in the Federal Register final regulations implementing changes to employment rules for youth. The new rules expand protections for youth working in restaurant cooking, roofing, and driving, among other changes.