WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a grant of $186,000 to assist about 40 workers affected by layoffs from CCI Systems Inc. in Iron Mountain, Mich. Layoffs at this facility, which provides design, engineering, and implementation services for communication network equipment, occurred from August 2010 through August 2011.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and Deputy Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris today commemorated the Office of Disability Employment Policy's 10th anniversary by celebrating the positive impact of its policies and program initiatives with major leaders in the community. Featured speakers included Sen. Tom Harkin (Iowa); Rep. Steny Hoyer (Maryland); Kareem Dale, special assistant to the president for disability policy; Kathleen Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for ODEP and past assistant secretaries for the office.

Date of Action: Dec. 5, 2011

Name(s) of Defendant(s): Robert Lewis Berkopec and McIntyre Construction Inc.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today made available a $3,390,230 National Emergency Grant increment to continue providing re-employment services to approximately 2,500 workers of 79 companies, predominantly in the manufacturing sector, who have been affected by layoffs and plant closures in Wisconsin.

OSHA urges salon owners to implement protective measures

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is continuing its efforts to protect workers from the dangers of formaldehyde exposure.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending December 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 381,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 404,000. The 4-week moving average was 393,250, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 396,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.8 percent for the week ending November 26, a decrease of 0.2 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing a new rule that would require federal contractors and subcontractors to set a hiring goal of having 7 percent of their workforces be people with disabilities, among other requirements. The department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs invites public comment on this proposal, which will be published in the Dec. 9 edition of the Federal Register.

Date of Action:  November 28, 2011

Type of Action:  Civil Complaint & Consent Order and Judgment

Names of Defendants: Gary L. Goble, Stephens’ Drugs Inc. and the Stephens’ Drugs 401(k) Retirement Plan located in Louisville, Ky.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. has settled allegations made by the U.S. Department of Labor that the company and one of its employees violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by failing to prevent the fiduciaries of pension plans of two Alabama-based companies from engaging in prohibited transactions. The out-of-court settlement requires Merrill Lynch to restore a total of $170,854 to the plans and provide additional training to its investment advisers serving as fiduciaries of employee benefit plans.

Massey issued 369 citations and orders with $10.8 million in civil penalties

CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached an agreement with Haasbach LLC in Mount Carroll, resolving 25 citations issued by the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and child labor civil money penalties assessed by its Wage and Hour Division. The resolution follows the deaths of Wyatt Whitebread, 14, and Alex Pacas, 19, at the company's Mt. Carroll grain bin facility in July 2010. A 20-year-old worker also was seriously injured in the incident.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A federal court has removed Amtren Corp. and former president Charles Kirk Lamberth as fiduciaries from the Amtren Corp. Profit Sharing Plan and ordered them to restore $114,255 to the defunct company’s pension plan after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration found evidence of an improper loan that violated provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

WASHINGTON — Nancy J. Leppink, deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, and Ellen Golombek, executive director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, signed a memorandum of understanding Dec. 5 regarding the improper classification of employees as independent contractors. Following the signing, Leppink and Golombek hosted a press teleconference during which they discussed how the U.S.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration today announced two proposed rules under the Affordable Care Act to protect businesses and workers whose health benefits are provided through a multiple employer welfare arrangement. MEWAs frequently have been used by scam artists and criminals to defraud consumers, resulting in an inability to pay medical claims. When such MEWAs become insolvent, they may leave consumers with substantial unpaid medical bills.

Date of Action: November 30, 2011

Type of Action: Default Judgment

Name(s) of Defendant: Truck It, Inc., Steven R. Ligon, individually and as a fiduciary to the Employee Benefits Plan of Truck It, Inc.; and the Employee Benefits Plan of Truck It, Inc.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the November 2011 Employment Situation report released today:

"Our nation's unemployment rate experienced a significant drop to 8.6 percent in November, a full 1.2 percentage points lower than this time last year. Nonfarm payroll employment added 140,000 private sector jobs last month. This means we've added 1.9 million private sector jobs over the past year – an average of 157,000 a month.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration will begin implementing pre-assessment conferencing procedures in January 2012 to help reduce any backlog of future violations before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. Under the procedures in most MSHA districts, a mine operator and miners' representative may request a conference regarding a contested citation or order only after MSHA proposes a penalty assessment, and any settlements require approval by the commission.

WASHINGTON – In commemoration of World AIDS Day, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis released the following statement highlighting the U.S. Department of Labor's ongoing efforts in the global fight against HIV/AIDS:

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending November 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 402,000, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 396,000. The 4-week moving average was 395,750, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average of 395,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0 percent for the week ending November 19, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate.

More than 200 women applicants affected; complaint seeks back wages, job opportunities