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 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 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'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.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced a total of $9,721,837 in continued funding for organizations managing consortia that develop models, provide technical assistance and share best practices to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

BOSTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has resolved claims of pay discrimination affecting 78 Hispanic workers employed at the Medtronic Interventional Vascular Inc. manufacturing facility in Danvers, Mass.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — U.S. Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge Linda S. Chapman has ordered Bank of America Corp. to pay 1,147 African American job applicants $ 2,181,593 in back wages and interest for race-based hiring discrimination at the company's Charlotte facility. In an earlier ruling, the judge determined that the bank applied unfair and inconsistent selection criteria resulting in the rejection of qualified African American applicants for teller and entry-level clerical and administrative positions.

New York and Massachusetts awarded grants to improve employment outcomes for formerly incarcerated individuals

Date of Action: Sept. 17, 2013

Type of Action: Complaint, Consent Order and Judgment

Names of Defendants: David Fisher, Fisher & Partners Structural Engineers, Inc., and Fisher & Partners Structural Engineers, Inc. SIMPLE IRA Plan located in Chicago, Ill.

WASHINGTON — An open meeting of the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council, will take place Monday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20210, Room 4 C5521.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending September 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 309,000, an increase of 15,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 294,000. The 4-week moving average was 314,750, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week's revised average of 321,750.

Date of Action: Sept. 17, 2013

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: Rodger D. Ferguson, Industrial Surfacing Corp., Industrial Surfacing Corp. 401(k) Plan