Date of Action:  May 12, 2011

Type of Action:  Complaint

Name(s) of Defendant: Thomas Keating, individually and as a trustee to the Mitchellace Inc. Employee Flexible Benefits Plan located in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Allegations: During the period of Nov. 5, 2008, to June 10, 2009, defendant Keating caused Mitchellace to withhold $14,615.94 from employees’ pay in employee health premium contributions and failed to forward them to the Plan.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $463,083 National Emergency Grant to provide training and re-employment services to about 75 workers affected by layoffs at Maine Military Authority in Limestone, Maine.

"This grant will provide affected workers in Maine with access to services that will help them in preparing for good jobs in the state's growing industries," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a $6,498,100 National Emergency Grant to assist clean-up and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the tsunami waves that struck California's Crescent City in Del Norte County and coastal areas of Santa Cruz County on March 11, following the magnitude-9 earthquake in Japan.

WASHINGTON — Sandra Polaski, deputy undersecretary of labor for international affairs, today testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance to discuss labor rights and conditions in Colombia, the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement's labor provisions and the Colombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights.

WASHINGTON Malcolm-Jamal Warren, a student at the Guthrie Job Corps Center in Guthrie, Okla., created a unique picture that depicts the beauty of the Gulf Coast, which has been used as part of an award honoring the service and dedication of U.S. Department of Labor employees during the aftermath of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster.

WASHINGTON – Unique, handcrafted awards honoring the service and dedication of U.S. Department of Labor employees following the Upper Big Branch mining disaster in West Virginia last year were created by students from the Westover Job Corps Center in Chicopee, Mass.

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $5 million National Emergency Grant to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts in the wake of the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that struck Georgia last month.

"We've all seen the pictures on television of devastation in Georgia," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Today's grant will help affected communities to clean up and repair the damage."

New timesheet app to help ensure workers receive all wages earned

MADISON, Wis. – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Jendusa Engineering Associates Inc., an architectural company headquartered in Hartland, Wis., owner James Jendusa and fiduciary Carrie Jendusa to recover $10,441.53 in voluntary employee contributions and interest owed to the company's 401(k) plan. The case resulted from an investigation by the department's Employee Benefits Security Administration into alleged violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

FLINT, Mich. – The U.S.

Date of Action:  May 2, 2011

Type of Action:  Complaint

Name(s) of Defendant: Ted Ayoub, individually and as a fiduciary of the Yamasaki Associates Inc. Employees’ 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan and Trust Plan and the Yamasaki Associates Inc. Group Health Plan and Yamasaki Associates Inc.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $7 million National Emergency Grant to assist clean-up and recovery efforts in the wake of severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that struck Mississippi last month.

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

"Our nation's labor market registered encouraging job growth in the month of April. Nonfarm payroll employment added 244,000 jobs, exceeding expectations, with the private sector adding 268,000 jobs. The unemployment rate edged up to 9.0 percent.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending April 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 474,000, an increase of 43,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 431,000. The 4-week moving average was 431,250, an increase of 22,250 from the previous week's revised average of 409,000.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced $17.2 million for a third year of funding for four Young Offender State and Local Implementation grants and one Young Offender Intermediary grant. The four state and local programs will continue to provide training, employment and supportive services to youth who have been involved in the juvenile justice system. The intermediary grantee will continue implementing a model program for returning juvenile offenders. All five grants originally were awarded in 2009.

Students to benefit from mentoring, employment support, violence prevention activities

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $280,000 National Emergency Grant supplemental award to provide an estimated 263 additional jobless workers in Georgia with partial premium payments for health insurance coverage. An initial award of $297,000 was approved on March 4, 2010, to serve about 280 workers.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $918,702 grant to provide training and job search services to about 175 workers affected by the closure of the NewPage Corp. paper mill in Stevens Point, Wis.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a nationwide photography contest: Picture It! Safe Workplaces for Everyone. OSHA challenges anyone with a passion for photography to capture an image of workplace safety and health and share it with the agency. The goal of the contest is collaborate with the public – relying on the talent, imagination and creativity of participants – to kick off a national effort to raise awareness about workplace safety and health.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $10 million National Emergency Grant to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts in the wake of the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that struck Alabama last month.

"The scenes of devastation in Alabama are heartbreaking," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Today's grant will help the people of Alabama get back on their feet. I am pleased that my department has the opportunity to offer assistance to clean up and repair the affected communities."