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.

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.

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.

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.

Date of Action:  Aug. 29, 2011

Type of Action:  Consent order and judgment

Names of Defendants: Alliance Excavating, Inc. and James Sowers, individually and as a fiduciary to the Alliance Excavating, Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan

Allegations: Sowers, in his capacity as a fiduciary to the Plan failed to ensure that qualified participants were able to obtain distributions of their individual account balances after the company ceased operations in 2007.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina:

"I will never forget visiting New Orleans' Ninth Ward as a member of Congress in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath and seeing the poor families and terrified children that time forgot. Katrina was a wake-up call to this country about the plight facing our most vulnerable families and the critical role that Washington can and must play to support local communities before, during and after a major disaster.

Ceremony coincides with start of Labor Rights Week

Omaha, Neb.-based company ordered to pay more than $615,000 to 3 employees terminated, suspended for reporting safety issues and injuries

WASHINGTON – Preliminary results from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries released today show little change in the number of workplace fatalities in 2010 compared with 2009. Last year, 4,547 workers died from work-related injuries, down from a final count of 4,551 fatal work injuries in 2009. In response, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement:

"No worker should have to sacrifice his or her life to earn a living.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today released the following statement to commemorate Women's Equality Day:

"It has been a long journey, but each day brings America closer to the kind of true equality that our heroines like Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul imagined for us when they led the fight for women's suffrage generations ago.

Special Factor: As a result of a labor dispute between Communications Workers of America and Verizon Communications, at least 12,500 initial claims were filed in the week ending 8/13/2011 and at least 8,500 initial claims were filed in the week ending 8/20/2011 .

Date of Action: Aug. 24, 2011

Type of Action:  Consent order and judgment

Names of Defendants: Brenda Duncan and Proto Craft, Inc. as fiduciaries to the Proto Craft, Inc. Profit Sharing and 401(k) Plan.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced enhancements to its online enforcement database designed to improve public access to and understanding of the department's enforcement actions. The updated website includes a number of new features, including map displays of inspection and violation data from the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and its Mine Safety and Health Administration, as well as the ability to view individual inspection records and the enforcement history of a particular company or mine.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $1,825,595 National Emergency Grant to provide re-employment services to about 250 workers laid off by XL Four Star Beef Inc., following the June closure of the company's beef processing and packing plant in Nampa, Idaho.

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles-based Japanese restaurant group has agreed to pay back wages of $144,721 to 66 employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division that disclosed systemic violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime, minimum wage and record-keeping provisions. The violations were found at seven locations of Bishamon Group Restaurants in Monterey Park, Covina, Arcadia, Costa Mesa and downtown Los Angeles.

Date of Action:  Aug. 18, 2011

Type of Action:  Judgment

Names of Defendants: Subspecialty Centers of America LLC in Merriville, Ind. and the company’s owner, Mark S. Weinberger.

Allegations: Subspecialty Centers of America LLC in Merriville and Weinberger, allegedly failing to administer and terminate the Subspecialty Centers of America LLC 401(k) Plan and Trust in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $918,010 National Emergency Grant to provide an array of services to about 325 workers being affected by layoffs at Polaris Industries in Osceola, Wis., and Robin Manufacturing U.S.A. Inc. in Hudson, Wis., to assist them in gaining new employment.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending August 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 408,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 399,000. The 4-week moving average was 402,500, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average of 406,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.9 percent for the week ending August 6, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 2.9 percent.