WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced two grants totaling $849,890 to fund the Veterans Employment and Training Service National Technical Assistance Center. The grants are being awarded under the Labor Department s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.

WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment's ratification:

"Today marks the 90th anniversary of a milestone in our country's history. After decades of fighting for equality, suffragists achieved a moral and legal victory in attaining the right of women to vote.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has received numerous complaints from workers taking part in the Gulf Coast oil spill cleanup whose employers are refusing to provide them with a certificate following their completion of training under the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, or HAZWOPER, standard. OSHA interprets the standard as prohibiting covered employers from withholding written certificates from workers who have successfully completed such training.

Arlington, Virginia – The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has issued a default judgment removing Global System Enterprises Inc., formerly of Arlington, as fiduciary of its 401(k) plan.

Southwestern Virginia coal mine fined in 2009 mining fatality

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced $542,400 in proposed penalties against Big Laurel Mining Corp. The mining operation, located in Wise County, Va., was cited for five contributory violations in the August 2009 death of an electrician/repairman who was fatally injured when a portion of mine rib collapsed upon him. Two of the violations have been assessed as flagrant.

Company fined $374,500 for willful and serious safety violations at Whitewater and Genoa City

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has extended the deadline for its Career Videos for America s Job Seekers Challenge to allow submissions as late as Monday, Nov. 1. The challenge invites members of the public to produce and submit one- to three-minute videos focusing on the daily activities of 15 high-wage and in-demand occupations. This competition is intended to provide greater visibility for selected occupations and thereby increase the number of workers seeking training and placement in those areas.

ATLANTA — Smartsoft International Inc., a computer consulting company based in Suwanee, Ga., has agreed to pay nearly $1 million in back wages and interest to 135 nonimmigrant workers temporarily employed by the company under the H-1B visa program. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Solicitor reached this agreement following a determination by the department's Wage and Hour Division that the company violated the H-1B program's rules. Smartsoft International also has U.S. offices in Sunnyvale, Calif., and North Brunswick, N.J.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a notice of proposed rulemaking implementing changes in the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act as mandated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

ARLINGTON, Va. – As a result of troubling testimony heard in a recent field hearing regarding the explosion of Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine, the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced the release of four new program information bulletins pertaining to ventilation issues in underground coal mines.

Omaha, Nebraska – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration and the Nebraska Department of Insurance will co-host a free health law compliance assistance seminar September 14 and 15 at the Holiday Inn Omaha Convention Center, 3321 South 72nd Street in Omaha.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding the deaths and subsequent recovery of two gold miners in Nevada:

"As the hours passed at Barrick Goldstrike's Meikle Mine in Elko County, Nev., we all hoped and prayed for better news. My thoughts are with the families, friends, loved ones, neighbors and co-workers of Joel Ethan Schorr and Daniel Noel, who lost their lives while simply trying to do their job and provide for their families.

WASHINGTON The Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans (also known as the ERISA Advisory Council) will meet Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 in Washington at the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room C-5515-1A, to hear testimony from witnesses.

The meeting will take place on Aug. 31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT and on Sept. 1 and 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending Aug. 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 484,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 482,000. The 4-week moving average was 473,500, an increase of 14,250 from the previous week's revised average of 459,250.

Washington – The Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans (also known as the ERISA Advisory Council) will meet August 31 to Septeber 2 in Washington at the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room C-5515-1A, to hear testimony from witnesses.

The meeting will take place on August 31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT and on September 1 and 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today filed a complaint with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission alleging that a miner was discharged from his job in retaliation for engaging in protected safety activities. Ricky Lee Campbell, who worked as a shuttle car operator and bolter for several mines operated by Massey Energy Co., was fired April 23, 2010, after working fewer than three weeks at Marfork Coal Co. Inc.'s Slip Ridge Cedar Grove Mine in Raleigh County, W.Va.

WASHINGTON Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the 75th anniversary of the Unemployment Insurance program:

"Losing a job is never easy. Workers facing layoffs wonder how they will continue to support their families while they find work or enter training that will lead to new careers.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $868,443 in back wages for 1,065 employees of Central Florida Investments, based in Orlando, Fla., following an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division.

Central Florida Investments operates timeshare resorts in Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia under the name Westgate Resorts. The investigation included all locations of the company.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor will release $97,459,490 in unemployment insurance modernization incentive funds to the state of South Carolina. South Carolina qualified for its full share of funding available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by enacting a variety of provisions that allow more workers who lose jobs through no fault of their own to receive unemployment compensation. This group includes recent entrants to the workforce, part-time workers, and those who become unemployed due to compelling family reasons.

DALLAS — Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, prime contractor Williams Brothers Construction in Houston and subcontractors Cimolai USA and Cosme have agreed to collectively pay $136,679 in back wages to 140 current and former construction employees for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Davis-Bacon Act and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. The workers were performing work on the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge project over the Trinity River in Dallas.