WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $1 million competitive solicitation of applications for a cooperative agreement to develop a beneficiary monitoring toolkit for its international child labor elimination projects. ILAB currently runs 34 projects around the world to reduce incidences of child labor. The toolkit will support the design and implementation of systems to help these projects monitor the provision of services and the education and work status of children receiving services.

MINNEAPOLIS — The owner of a Subway sandwich franchise that failed to pay minimum wages and shaved hours from employees' time records will pay 16 workers a total of $9,800 in back wages and liquidated damages under terms of a consent judgment issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act by Subway of Buffalo Inc. and one of its owners and store manager, Marvin Baugus, which resulted in the lawsuit.

OMAHA, Neb. — Holder Construction Group LLC and the U.S.

WASHINGTON — Fort Myer Construction Corp. has agreed to settle charges that it violated Executive Order 11246 by failing to provide equal employment opportunities to employees and job applicants at 413 construction sites in the D.C. metropolitan area.

LAKE PRESTON, S.D. — A 51-year-old worker was fatally injured when he became engulfed in flowing grain in a railcar load-out elevator at Prairie Ag Partners. On March 15, 2014, the incident occurred when the worker attempted to remove a jam from a chute while the auger operated. The U.S.

MILLINGTON, Ill. — KVK Foundry Inc. has been cited for two willful and two repeat violations by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A March 2014 follow-up inspection found the Millington-based company failed to maintain requirements of OSHA's respiratory protection and hearing conservation standards. The foundry, which specializes in aluminum sand casting, was previously cited for these violations in December 2012.

SEATTLE — The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho against Sandpoint Gas ‘n' Go & Lube Center Inc., in Sandpoint, Idaho, and its owner Sydney M. Oskoui, individually, for violating the whistleblower protection provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The investigation determined that Sandpoint and its owner terminated a mechanic for raising safety and health concerns in the workplace.

HOUSTON — Shell Oil Co. and Motiva Enterprises LLC, which markets Shell gasoline and other products, have agreed to pay $4,470,764 in overtime back wages to 2,677 current and former chemical and refinery employees as a result of investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor that found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

RAPID CITY, S.D. — As a result of a three-year multiagency investigation, five South Dakota forestry contractors have been ordered by the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota to pay more than $541,000 to 66 workers as a result of significant violations of the Service Contract Act, Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor will host two town hall meetings: the first on Tuesday, Sept. 23, in Amherst, New York, and the second on Thursday, Sept. 25, in Rochester, New York, to notify current and former nuclear weapons employees who worked at 39 covered facilities in New York about the benefits available to them under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. These meetings are open to the public and preregistration is not required.

RAVENNA, Ohio — Portage Precision Polymers of Ravenna has been cited for 15 serious safety and health violations, carrying proposed penalties of $61,600, by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a complaint prompted an inspection. Many of the citations issued to the rubber products manufacturing plant were for exposing workers to combustible dust and amputation hazards.

WAYNE, W. Va. — Wayne Lumber and Mulch Inc. continues to expose employees to willful, repeat and serious safety and health hazards at the company's sawmill in Wayne. The employer faces $85,080 in proposed penalties following two investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

AUSTIN, Texas — Cut limestone manufacturer Mezger Enterprises Ltd. has been cited for 27 safety and health violations, including two willful, by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The company exposed workers to unguarded machines, unsafe electrical equipment, infrequent crane inspections and noise levels that could cause hearing loss at its Kempner facility.

Prohibits federal contractors, subcontractors from discriminating against workers who discuss pay

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced awards totaling more than $87 million to improve state unemployment insurance programs. The funding, awarded to 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, will allow state agencies to implement program integrity and system improvement activities, as well as implement or expand reemployment and eligibility assessment programs.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $10,225,183 to 19 states to implement or improve worker misclassification detection and enforcement initiatives in unemployment insurance programs.

Date of Action: Sept. 11, 2014

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendants: Polar Dry Ice Inc. and Polar Dry Ice Inc. 401(k) plan

Allegations: Based on an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Secretary of Labor filed a complaint alleging the following:

Date of Action: Sept. 10, 2014

Type of Action: Consent order and judgment

Name(s) of Defendant(s): David Kephart, Timothy Kephart, Kephart Trucking Co., and the Kephart Trucking Co. 401(k) plan

Allegations: Based on an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Secretary of Labor filed a complaint alleging the following:

HAMMOND, Wis. — After an unguarded laminating machine crushed a worker's hand and partially amputated his thumb, Loparex LLC has been cited for one willful safety violation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA initiated the inspection May 8, 2014, after receiving information about the injury at the Hammond facility, a manufacturer of polycoated and silicone-coated papers and films. Proposed penalties total $70,000.

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Central Transport LLC has been cited for five, including three repeat, one willful and one serious safety violation, at its trucking terminal in Rock Island following a formal complaint. OSHA's inspection in March 2014 found repeat and willful violations that involved defective powered industrial vehicles and lack of fall protection. Proposed penalties total $108,020.