WASHINGTON — In advance of the holiday season, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is encouraging retail employers to take precautions to prevent workplace injuries during major sales events, including Black Friday.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $2 million grant award to improve compliance with labor laws in the Democratic Republic of Georgia. The grant provides funding for a project that will be developed and implemented through a cooperative agreement between the department and the International Labour Organization.

ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement on the death of two miners at Star Mine Operations LLC's Revenue Mine in Ouray, Colo.:

Date of Action: Nov. 13, 2013

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendants: Mark Pasdon, Oxygen Electronics LLC and the Oxygen Electronics LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan  

Date of Action: Oct. 10, 2013

Type of Action: Default Judgment

Name(s) of Defendant: Invenio Technologies Inc.

Date of Action: November 1, 2013

Type of Action: Consent Judgment and Order

Name(s) of Defendant: Goldsmith, Prest & Ringwall, Inc., Calvin R. Goldsmith and Bruce D. Ringwall

PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today cited Griffin Campbell, doing business as Campbell Construction, and Sean Benschop, doing business as S&R Contracting, for safety violations, including three willful per-instance violations, following the June 5, 2013, building collapse that killed six people and injured 14.

PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today cited Griffin Campbell, doing business as Campbell Construction, and Sean Benschop, doing business as S&R Contracting, for safety violations, including three willful per-instance violations, following the June 5, 2013, building collapse that killed six people and injured 14.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a new online resource that provides guidance and information to states interested in developing or improving short-time compensation programs, also known as work-sharing. The STC program is designed to avert employee layoffs for businesses faced with a temporary slowdown in business activity. The online resources, which will be available to state workforce agencies, state policymakers and the general public, are located at: https://stc.workforce3one.org.

WASHINGTON — In a meeting on Monday, Nov. 11, during the Inter-American Conference of Ministries of Labor held in Medellín, Colombia, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Seth Harris and Colombian Minister of Labor Rafael Pardo Rueda agreed to continue bilateral meetings on the commitments in the Colombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights through at least 2014. Both sides recognized advances made by Colombia under the Action Plan to date, while underscoring several areas of mutual concern.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the October 2013 Employment Situation report released today:

"The American economy is resilient. Today's jobs report demonstrates continued steady growth, with the addition of 212,000 total private sector jobs in October. The unemployment rate, which fell in September to a nearly-five year low of 7.2 percent, remains essentially unchanged at 7.3 percent, while American manufacturers added 19,000 jobs in the month of October.

WASHINGTON — The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury today jointly issued a final rule increasing parity between mental health/substance use disorder benefits and medical/surgical benefits in group and individual health plans.

CLEVELAND –The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint on behalf of the Cleveland-based Attevo 401(k) retirement plan. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division in Cleveland, alleges improper use of pension funds and seeks to restore $123,338.85 to the plan.

WASHINGTON — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued a proposed rule to improve workplace safety and health through improved tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses. The announcement follows the Bureau of Labor Statistics' release of its annual Occupational Injuries and Illnesses report, which estimates that three million workers were injured on the job in 2012.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement regarding the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act by the U.S. Senate:

"The arc of the moral universe bent a little more toward justice today. Protecting the workplace rights of LGBT workers is a moral imperative that is long overdue. We still have a long road ahead of us, but today's historic vote moves us one step closer to a nation that truly embodies its founding principles of equality, opportunity and fairness for all."

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today released a summary of U.S. mining deaths that occurred during the third quarter of 2013. From July 1 to Sept. 30, there were nine mining fatalities in the United States. Five miners died in coal mining accidents and four in metal/nonmetal mining accidents. The number was two fewer than during the third quarter in 2012.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today urged employers to recruit and hire transitioning service members and veterans because they possess "essential skills that companies are looking for: leadership, problem-solving and teamwork." Perez made his remarks at the department's annual Salute to Veterans, which was held to honor the sacrifices of our nation's veterans and in observance of Veterans Day.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $2,840,535 to the state of Michigan to develop and promote a short-time compensation program, a layoff prevention program also known as "work-sharing."

WASHINGTON — The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development will receive an $88,000 National Emergency Grant supplemental award from the U.S. Department of Labor to continue providing reemployment services to workers affected by layoffs at three SUPERVALU facilities,located in Eden Prairie and Stillwater, Minnesota.