WORCESTER, Mass. – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Christopher Wong and his company, Wong’s Motor Corp. of Phillipston, Mass., for allegedly violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by using employees’ 401 (k) plan contributions for the benefit of the company.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding President Obama's framework for a bipartisan agreement to extend Unemployment Insurance and help middle-class families. The framework includes $56 billion to extend Unemployment Insurance, a $120 billion payroll tax cut for workers, $40 billion in tax cuts for the nation's hardest-hit families and students, and 100 percent expensing for small businesses over the course of 2011.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $2,601,207 grant to assist about 448 workers affected by the closure of the Chrysler Kenosha Engine Plant located in Kenosha, Wis.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending Dec. 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 421,000, a decrease of 17,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 438,000. The 4-week moving average was 427,500, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised average of 431,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.2 percent for the week ending Nov. 27, a decrease of 0.2 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 3.4 percent.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the U.S. House of Representatives' vote of 214-193 on the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2010. The measure was taken up by the House as a "suspension" – a legislative mechanism requiring a two-thirds majority of House members agreeing to the motion to allow its passage.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the cusp of Congressional action on the Development, Relief, and Education for Minors Act. The DREAM Act would provide a process by which certain students and members of the military – who excelled through hard work and demonstrated their positive contributions to the nation – can obtain conditional nonimmigrant status and, after a period of time, lawful permanent residence:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced a series of new products through the Campaign for Disability Employment that are designed to promote the hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities, and dispel negative stereotypes about disability and employment.

COFFEEN, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited U.S. Minerals LLC with willfully exposing its workers to dangerously high levels of hazardous dust, and not providing adequate breathing protection and training for workers at its facility in Coffeen. The company, headquartered in Dyer, Ind., has been issued a total of 28 health and safety citations with proposed penalties of $396,000.

NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered nearly $339,000 in back wages for 27 workers employed as electrical mechanics by Sant-Tec Electric Inc., a company incorporated in both New York and New Jersey.

An investigation by the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division revealed that the company and its officials had violated wage and benefit requirements of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act on three federally-funded housing construction projects in New York City.

Company debarred for 1 year from participating in H-1B program

NEWARK, N.J. — Following a consent order obtained by the U.S. Department of Labor, Peri Software Solutions Inc. and its owner, Saravanan Periasamy, have agreed to pay $638,449 in back wages and interest to 67 workers for violating the H-1B provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The Newark company sponsored the H-1B non-immigrant workers to work as programmer analysts across the country.

Resource made available by US Labor Department

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense, today made available the 2011 Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities database. This resource is intended to assist federal and private-sector employers in identifying workers with disabilities.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced that it is extending by 90 days the official comment period on the proposed interpretation titled "Interpretation of OSHA's Provisions for Feasible Administrative or Engineering Controls of Occupational Noise," which was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 19. Interested parties are encouraged to submit comments by March 21, 2011.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $709,864 National Emergency Grant increment to continue to provide re-employment and retraining services to workers affected by the closing of Dell Inc.'s call center in Twin Falls, Idaho.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the November 2010 Employment Situation report released today:

"This past November, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 39,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate increased to 9.8 percent. Furthermore, the job numbers for the months of September and October were revised upward 38,000. This year, we've seen the creation of 1.2 million private sector jobs – steady growth averaging 106,000 new private sector jobs each month.

Farrell-Cooper Mining Co. fined in 2007 death of truck driver at surface coal mine

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced it has reached a settlement agreement with Farrell-Cooper Mining Co. in the 2007 death of an employee at its Rock Island Mine in Le Flore County, Okla. Farrell-Cooper has agreed to pay penalties totaling $375,204 for seven citations issued in the wake of the fatality, including three flagrant violations.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration today announced the release of a competency model for the commercial and industrial construction industry. The new model is now the eighteenth available from the Competency Model Clearinghouse, and can be accessed through the department's CareerOneStop website at http://www.careeronestop.org/competencymodel/default.aspx.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending Nov. 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 436,000, an increase of 26,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 410,000. The 4-week moving average was 431,000, a decrease of 5,750 from the previous week's revised average of 436,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.4 percent for the week ending Nov. 20, unchanged from the prior week's revised rate of 3.4 percent.

LUMBERTON, N.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs today filed an administrative complaint against Nash Finch Co. for systematically discriminating against more than 80 qualified women who applied for order selector positions at the company's Lumberton facility. Nash Finch is the second-largest publicly traded wholesale food distributor in the United States and is based in Minneapolis, Minn. The company contracts with the federal government to provide goods and services to more than 200 military bases in the U.S.

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding the extension of Unemployment Insurance benefits:

"President Obama has said that Americans don't expect Washington to solve their problems, but they rightfully expect government to work for them – not against them. I agree.

DAYTON, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration announced that Gary L. Merritt, vice president of Bemcore Inc. of Dayton, has been sentenced by a federal district court in Ohio to five years’ probation and was ordered to restore $186,070 to his victims.