WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding National POW/MIA Recognition Day:

"Our freedom comes at a very high price. Throughout our nation's history, the brave men and women of America's military have made incredible sacrifices to defend our liberty, protect our security and uphold our democratic values. Too many of them never come home, or have been held as prisoners of war whose fate has never been resolved.

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found Bond Laboratories Inc. and former CEO Scott Landow in violation of the whistleblower protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for improperly firing an employee. The company and Landow have been ordered to re-hire the employee and pay approximately $500,000 in back wages, interest and compensatory damages. The findings follow an investigation by OSHA's San Francisco Regional Office, which was initiated after receiving a complaint from the employee.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today awarded $10.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to 37 new and 32 returning recipients, including nonprofit and community/faith-based groups, business and trade associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, and colleges and universities.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced awards totaling $191.5 million to 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico for unemployment insurance program integrity and technology infrastructure systems. The grants are intended to accelerate actions to reduce UI improper payment rates; provide an opportunity for modernizing UI tax and benefits systems; and enable the design of technology-based tools to prevent, detect and recover improper UI payments.

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America Corp. in violation of the whistleblower protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for improperly firing an employee. The bank has been ordered to reinstate and pay the employee approximately $930,000, which includes back wages, interest, compensatory damages and attorney fees.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has certified for release $41,247,756 in unemployment insurance modernization incentive funds to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico qualified for its full share of the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by including in its law provisions that assist recent entrants to the workforce, part-time workers and individuals who become unemployed because of compelling family reasons.

BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Bostik Inc. for 50 alleged violations of workplace safety standards following a March 13 explosion at the company's Middleton plant in which four workers were injured. The adhesives manufacturer faces a total of $917,000 in proposed fines.

Conference will provide Davis-Bacon and Service Contract Act compliance assistance

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division will host a free online conference for federal, state and local contracting officials to provide information on federal rules concerning prevailing wages and other labor law requirements. The conference will be webcast live from 10 a.m. — 3 p.m. EDT on both Tuesday, Oct. 4, and Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Date of Action:  Aug. 8, 2011

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants:  Odell Jones, III; Cecily Hoagland; and Jomar Building Company 401(k) Plan located in Detroit, Mich.

Companies failed to protect workers, warn product users of hazards

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending September 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 414,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 412,000. The 4-week moving average was 414,750, an increase of 3,750 from the previous week's revised average of 411,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0 percent for the week ending August 27, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 3.0 percent.

Companies failed to protect workers, warn product users of hazards

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited J & S Plumbing Inc. in Elk Grove Village for one willful and two repeat alleged safety violations involving failing to protect workers from cave-ins while performing repairs to a sewer line in Arlington Heights. Proposed penalties total $57,860.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has released $9,278,599 in unemployment insurance modernization incentive funds to the state of Vermont. Vermont qualified for its remaining share of funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by including in its law provisions that assist part-time workers and people who are upgrading their skills.

Date of Action:  Sept. 6, 2011

Type of Action:  Consent order and judgment

Names of Defendant: Thommes and Thomas Land Clearing, Inc., Thomas Benick and John Thommes, individually and as a fiduciaries to the Thommes and Thomas Land Clearing, Inc. SIMPLE IRA Plan

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

"The private sector added 17,000 jobs in August, but those gains were offset by the loss of 17,000 government jobs. Total non-farm unemployment, therefore, was unchanged last month. The unemployment rate also remained unchanged at 9.1 percent.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending August 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 409,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 421,000. The 4-week moving average was 410,250, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average of 408,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0 percent for the week ending August 20, unchanged from the prior week's revised rate of 3.0 percent.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $277,617 National Emergency Grant supplemental award to continue providing training and re-employment services to about 200 workers affected by layoffs resulting from the closure of the Dell Inc.'s call center in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Back wages and job offers sought for African-American, Asian and Hispanic applicants; debarment from future government contracts recommended

LEMOORE, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs today filed a complaint with the department's Office of Administrative Law Judges against federal contractor Leprino Foods Co. for discriminating against qualified African-American, Asian and Hispanic applicants for on-call laborer positions at the company's Lemoore West facility.

Aims to improve safety of young workers employed in agriculture and related fields

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing revisions to child labor regulations that will strengthen the safety requirements for young workers employed in agriculture and related fields. The agricultural hazardous occupations orders under the Fair Labor Standards Act that bar young workers from certain tasks have not been updated since they were promulgated in 1970.

Date of Action:  Aug. 30, 2011

Type of Action:  Consent order and judgment

Name of Defendant: Joseph M. Phelan, individually and as a fiduciary to the Phezer
Enterprises Inc. Health Plan and the Phezer Enterprises Inc. Health Plan

Allegations: Phelan, in his capacity as a fiduciary to the Phezer Enterprises Inc. Health Plan, failed to ensure that $10,470 in employee health premium contributions for the period of May 3, 2008, through July 12, 2008, were forwarded to the plan.