WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1,910,024 National Emergency Grant incremental award to continue temporary employment for eligible individuals assisting with the clean-up and recovery efforts following the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred in Mississippi on April 28. These funds are being awarded to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $169,771,960 in grants to expedite the employment of Americans struggling with long-term unemployment. The grants are part of the Ready to Work Partnership initiative to support and scale innovative collaborations between employers, nonprofit organizations and federal job training programs to help connect ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs.

WASHINGTON — WorkForce West Virginia received a $203,940 National Emergency Grant supplemental award today from the U.S. Department of Labor to continue temporary employment opportunities as West Virginia completes its clean-up efforts following severe storms and flooding that occurred on June 13, 2013.

Alert follows three fatalities over Oct. 4th weekend

ARLINGTON, Va. — Following three coal mine fatalities during Oct. 4-6, the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration is urging the mining industry to step up its compliance with safety and health regulations under the Mine Safety and Health Act and other applicable laws. Two fatalities occurred in underground mines in West Virginia and Illinois, and one fatality occurred at a surface mine in Wyoming.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Labor issued the following statement about the September 2013 Employment Situation report:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement about previously scheduled economic data:

"Due to the lapse in appropriations, the following releases, compiled by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, will not be issued as scheduled:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $944,839 National Emergency Grant incremental award to help communities in northern Colorado recover from the severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides that occurred on Sept. 11, 2013. These funds are being awarded to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to hire temporary workers to continue with cleanup and recovery efforts.

Company violates Sarbanes-Oxley Act whistleblower protection provisions

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today awarded $582,804 in grants through its Brookwood-Sago program to five organizations that provide education and training within the mining industry. The funding will be used to develop and implement training and related materials for mine emergency preparedness, as well as for the prevention of accidents in underground mines.

The recipients and the amount of funding they are receiving:

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today announced the release of a new report and updated list on child labor and forced labor and the award of $26 million in grants to combat child labor in four countries. The event at the department's headquarters included remarks by Secretary Perez, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa and former Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, as well as a video message from Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of five grants totaling $400,000 to California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Kentucky. The grants are part of the department's Reemployment Connections initiative, an effort to better integrate the Unemployment Insurance program with the broader workforce system in order to improve the re-employment outcomes for Unemployment Insurance claimants and other job seekers.

$450M in grants to nearly 270 community colleges partnering with more than 400 employers nationally

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today released a report regarding labor concerns in the Dominican sugar sector in response to a public submission filed under the Labor Chapter of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). The department also announced a $10 million project to reduce child labor and to improve labor rights and working conditions in the Dominican agriculture sector.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending September 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 305,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 310,000. The 4-week moving average was 308,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week's revised average of 315,000.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 213 citations, 23 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at nine coal mines and five metal/nonmetal mines last month.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced grants totaling $18,597,758 to eight states to provide education, training and employment opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities. The grants are part of the Disability Employment Initiative, a program jointly funded and administered by the department's Employment and Training Administration and Office of Disability Employment Policy.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced awards totaling approximately $176.4 million to 40 state workforce agencies for Unemployment Insurance program integrity, performance and system improvement projects. The grants are intended to: support the prevention and detection of UI improper benefit payments, improve state performance and address outdated information technology system infrastructures necessary to improve UI program integrity.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs today announced the final rule implementing amendments to the Black Lung Benefits Act passed by Congress in 2010. Commonly called the Byrd Amendments after their sponsor, the late Senator Robert C. Byrd, the amendments re-instate two provisions regarding coal miners' and survivors' entitlement to benefits that had been eliminated in 1981.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today the availability of a guide for miners' representatives, which will be available as a handbook and an online resource. The "Miners' Representative Guide" is a comprehensive tool that expands upon the "Guide to Miners' Rights and Responsibilities" released by the agency in June 2011.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the Federal Register published two final rules to improve hiring and employment of veterans and for people with disabilities. The rules were first announced Aug. 27, 2013, and more information is available at http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/ofccp/OFCCP20131578.htm.