WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that it has signed an agreement with Amazon to establish a registered apprenticeship program to train veterans for in-demand technical careers at the online technology giant.

Deputy U.S. Secretary of Labor Chris Lu and Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition at Amazon Web Services Ardine Williams joined in a ceremony at the department’s national headquarters to mark the occasion.

In the week ending January 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 234,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 247,000 to 249,000. The 4-week moving average was 246,750, a decrease of 10,250 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since November 3, 1973 when it was 244,000. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 256,500 to 257,000.

Employer: Cintas Fire Protection Services

Sites: 2188 Del Franco St., #70
San Jose, California

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In less than 10 days in 2016, two employees at a Green Bay muffler component manufacturer suffered severe injuries as they operated machinery without adequate safety guards and procedures in place, federal workplace safety investigators have determined.

NEW YORK – A hotel management company and the company which supplied employees to nine of its New York City hotels have agreed to resolve an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division that found violations of the minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

BOSTON – The National Railroad Passenger Corp., better known as Amtrak, retaliated against a supervisory special agent in its inspector general’s office when he raised concerns about railroad safety, fraud and abuse involving an Amtrak contractor and when he supported a fellow agent’s safety concerns during an internal investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found.

State: Pennsylvania

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Award Amount Approved/Released: $238,049

Funding Awarded to: Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 39

State: Tennessee

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Award Amount Approved: $5,824,000

Initial Amount Released: $2,000,000

Funding Awarded to: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 200

Who: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration

What: The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced federal inspectors issued 132 citations and two orders during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and five metal and nonmetal mines in December 2016.

Where: MSHA conducted special impact inspections at mines in Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

COSHOCTON, Ohio – A follow-up inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found a casting and foundry facility operator continues to expose workers to machine and fall hazards at its Coshocton plant.

On Jan. 17, 2017, the agency issued SanCasT Inc. three repeated, and four serious safety violations carrying proposed penalties of $235,879. The agency cited the company for similar violations in both 2013 and 2014.

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Oracle America, Inc. alleging the leading technology company has a systemic practice of paying Caucasian male workers more than their counterparts in the same job title, which led to pay discrimination against female, African American and Asian employees.

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co., alleging that the financial institution systematically discriminated against female employees in certain professional positions by compensating them less than their male counterparts. The suit maintains that JPMorgan’s compensation policies and practices violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment on the basis of sex.

Date of Action: Jan. 17, 2017

Type of Action: Employee Retirement Income Security Act lawsuit

Names of Defendants: Sandor Szajkovics
Passages Hospice LLC
Passages Hospice LLC Dental Plan, Passages Hospice LLC Employee Benefits Plan

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today it will issue its Final Rule for Examination of Working Places in Metal and Nonmetal Mines. The new rule will be published in the Federal Register on Jan. 23, 2017, and go into effect on May 23, 2017.

The final rule improves miner safety and health in three primary areas, requiring that:

Employer name: County Concrete Corp.                                 

Inspection site: 64 Glenwood Pl.
East Orange, New Jersey

Employer name: BHC Northwest Psychiatric Hospital LLC, doing business as Brooke Glen Behavioral Hospital

Inspection site: 7170 Lafayette Ave.
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

Citations issued: On Jan. 11, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for four serious violations.

BRAINTREE, Mass. – A Bellingham used auto parts business’ failure to follow required workplace safety standards allowed an employee to suffer fatal head injuries, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found.

Participants: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Denver and Englewood Area Offices and the Rocky Mountain Education Center located at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado.

KINGSTON, Okla. – A complaint of unsafe working conditions led U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors to discover the safety and health of employees at a well-known Oklahoma truck bed fabricator being placed at risk amid nearly two dozen safety and health violations.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration today awarded $65 million to 52 state workforce agencies, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, to operate Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment programs for unemployment insurance beneficiaries.