WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and their Government of Jordan counterparts met and issued a joint statement regarding the second Labor Subcommittee meeting under the U.S-Jordan Free Trade Agreement in Amman, Jordan.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced grants totaling $154,757,547 awarded to 32 states, Puerto Rico and the Cherokee tribal nation through the Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program. The funding will be used to train workers who lost a job through no fault of their own for jobs in high-demand industries.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today announced grants totaling $36,710,368 awarded to 156 organizations nationwide to provide more than 12,000 veterans with training to help them succeed in civilian careers. The grants are being awarded under the department's Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program, administered by the Veterans' Employment and Training Service.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced the availability of $1,850,000 to fund a cooperative agreement to manage and operate the National Employer Policy, Research and Technical Assistance Center on the Employment of People with Disabilities.

The center will increase the commitment and capacity of employers to recruit, hire, retain and advance people with disabilities by:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced the availability of $2,083,300 for two cooperative agreements to improve post-secondary education and employment opportunities for youth with disabilities through the Pathways to Careers: Community Colleges for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Demonstration Project.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 172 citations, 21 orders and two safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and two metal and nonmetal mines in May.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced grants totaling $154,757,547 awarded to 32 states, Puerto Rico and the Cherokee tribal nation through the Job-Driven National Emergency Grant program. The funding will be used to train workers who lost a job through no fault of their own for jobs in high-demand industries.

WASHINGTON — From George Chauncey's "Gay New York" to Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass," work-related lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender literature and authors whose books focus on work are being highlighted for LGBT Pride Month as part of the U.S. Department of Labor's Books that Shaped Work in America.

PHENIX CITY, Ala. — Industrial Insulation Group LLC was cited for five serious safety and health violations following an inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The violations include failing to protect workers from the dangers of caustic chemicals. The agency began the inspection after receiving a complaint in January 2014 concerning these hazardous working conditions. Proposed penalties total $41,800.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $157,430 in supplemental funding to continue the provision of employment-related services to workers affected by layoffs at the Maine Military Authority, located in Limestone, Maine.

"The workers who were laid off from the Maine Military Authority continue their efforts to secure new employment," said Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Portia Wu. "Access to employment services through Labor Department funding is crucial to helping them succeed in today's challenging labor market."

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $68,745,912 to 37 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia to implement or continue re-employment and eligibility assessments for Unemployment Insurance beneficiaries.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a total of $1,938,182 in grants to help women through the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations program, an initiative designed to recruit, train and retain women in high-skill occupations in advanced manufacturing, transportation, energy, construction, information technology and other industries.

AMARILLO, Texas — Big Texan Steak Ranch has agreed to pay $650,000 in minimum wage back wages and $150,000 in liquidated damages to 279 current and former wait staff following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, which found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage and record-keeping provisions. Violations stemmed from an illegal tip pooling arrangement by the restaurant.

OMAHA, Neb. — Habitat for Humanity-Omaha and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration have established a partnership to provide a safe and healthful work environment for employees, volunteers and subcontractors involved in residential construction projects. The partnership will include a requirement for any person working on a construction site to receive a site-specific construction safety orientation addressing hazards and safety procedures.

SIKESTON, Mo. — Construction Trailer Specialists has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 21—including four repeat— safety and health violations for failing to protect workers from amputation, electrical and other hazards. OSHA has proposed penalties of $82,390 for the company based in Sikeston.

DENVER — The residential roofing industry in Denver and area communities, including Pueblo and Colorado Springs, is being cited in record numbers for failing to keep workers safe by providing necessary fall prevention equipment and training. In addition to its own outreach effort on fall prevention, the U.S.

BIRDSBORO, Pa. — After a follow-up inspection that began in December 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Birdsboro Kosher Farms Corp. for failing to correct previously cited serious safety violations found at the kosher poultry processing facility in Birdsboro. Following the inspection, the company faces $59,400 in proposed penalties.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced today a proposed rule extending the protections of the Family and Medical Leave Act to all eligible employees in legal same-sex marriages regardless of where they live. The proposal would help ensure that all families will have the flexibility to deal with serious medical and family situations without fearing the threat of job loss. Secretary Perez is proposing this rule in light of the Supreme Court's decision in United States v.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor will host two town hall meetings on Tuesday, June 24, and Wednesday, June 25, in Moab, Utah, to provide the public with information about the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act and the medical benefits available under the program. The EEOICPA provides compensation and medical benefits to workers who became ill as a result of working in the nuclear weapons and uranium mining industries.

SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. — Sonic Creations Inc., of Destin, has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for three repeat and two serious safety violations for failing to provide workers who were framing houses with required protection from falls. Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry and are responsible for thousands of serious injuries each year. Following an inspection in January 2014, OSHA issued citations at the Water Color subdivision in Santa Rosa Beach. Penalties total $53,020.