June 11, 2013

Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Grants, N.M., town hall meetings to assist nuclear weapons workers scheduled for June 18-20

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor will host town hall meetings in New Mexico —on June 18 in Santa Fe, on June 19 in Albuquerque and on June 20 in Grants — to provide information about the medical benefits provided under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.

June 11, 2013

US Department of Labor to participate in town hall meetings in Bolingbrook, Ill., on June 19 to assist nuclear weapons workers

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies will participate in two town hall meetings on June 19 in Bolingbrook, Ill., to provide former nuclear weapons workers, including those who worked at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and at Argonne National Laboratory East, with information about the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.

June 11, 2013

US Labor Department sues to restore $4.9 million to pension funds of Iowa iron casting foundry and Michigan manufacturer

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed complaints on behalf of pension plans at Iowa-based foundry Fairfield Casting LLC and Michigan-based manufacturer Fourslides Inc. The suits, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, allege improper use of pension funds and seek to restore $4.9 million to the defined benefit plans.

June 11, 2013

Judge orders fiduciary to restore funds to Air Gage Co. 401(k) Plan & Air Gage Co. Health Care Plan in Livonia, Mich.

Date of Action: June 10, 2013

Type of Action: Consent judgment and order

Name of Defendant: Thomas Fernandes, individually and as a fiduciary to the Air Gage Company 401(k) Plan and Air Gage Company Health Care Plan

Resolution: Fernandes, in his capacity as a fiduciary to the Air Gage Company 401(k) Plan and Air Gage Company Health Care Plan, is liable to the plans for $11,143.21.

June 10, 2013

US Labor Department lawsuit results in court order to return more than $225,000 in retirement assets to Milwaukee company’s workers

MILWAUKEE – A federal court in Milwaukee has ordered Michael J. Losik to restore $225, 274 to the Losik Engineering Design Group Ltd. defined benefit retirement plan. Losik, the company’s president and owner, violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by imprudently investing plan assets in a hedge fund, by making an improper distribution to his own account, and by failing to properly administer the plan. The judgment resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S.

June 7, 2013

Statement of acting Labor Secretary Seth D. Harris on May employment numbers

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris issued the following statement about the May 2013 Employment Situation report released today:

"This morning's report offers more encouraging evidence that the U.S. economy continues to rebound at a steady, moderate rate – a total of 178,000 new private sector jobs in May. That makes 39 months in a row of growth – in just over three years, the economy has now generated just shy of 7 million jobs.

June 6, 2013

US Department of Labor awards nearly $32 million to provide training and employment services to formerly incarcerated juveniles and women

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded nearly $32 million in grants to 12 community-based organizations that will provide job training, education and support services to formerly incarcerated youth and women.

June 6, 2013

US Department of Labor to host conferences on prevailing wage requirements for federal contracts in areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy

Conferences to be held in New York and New Jersey

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division today announced that it will host two conferences in areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy to provide information and training on the rules concerning prevailing wage requirements under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts and the Service Contract Act. The conferences are a key component of the Wage and Hour Division's efforts to increase compliance with federal prevailing wage requirements.

June 5, 2013

US Department of Labor hosts first Labor Affairs Council meeting under US-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement

WASHINGTON — Senior officials of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative today issued a joint statement with their counterparts from the Government of Colombia following the first meeting of the Labor Affairs Council under the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.

June 5, 2013

US Department of Labor launches online retirement toolkit in cooperation with Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of an online toolkit to help workers identify key issues related to retirement planning. The department's Employee Benefits Security Administration developed the toolkit in cooperation with the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help workers understand important decisions related to employment-based plans, Social Security and Medicare.

June 4, 2013

Judge finds fiduciary liable for more than $35,000 to Dayton Imaging Solutions Inc. SIMPLE IRA Plan

Date of Action: May 29, 2013 

Type of Action: Consent Order and Judgment

Names of Defendants: Dayton Imaging Solutions Inc., Bryan Belden, and the Dayton Imaging Solutions Inc. SIMPLE IRA Plan located in Dayton, Ohio.

June 3, 2013

US Department of Labor provides additional funds to assist Rhode Island with Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $500,000 National Emergency Grant incremental award to assist Rhode Island with continuing cleanup and recovery efforts in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.

June 3, 2013

Statement by acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris on the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris today issued the following statement on the death of Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey:

"This morning, New Jersey and the nation lost a true statesman and a powerful progressive voice. Throughout nearly three decades in the United States Senate, Frank Lautenberg was an unrelenting champion for working people, social justice, environmental protection, public health and, most important, the people of his beloved New Jersey.

June 3, 2013

US Department of Labor encourages asset custodians and record-keepers to work together to wind up abandoned plans

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration today announced that it has approved a process for JP Morgan Chase Bank NA and ADP Inc. to terminate and wind up approximately 180 defined contribution pension plans abandoned due to corporate crises or neglect. This action, conducted through EBSA's abandoned plan program, will give plan participants control over the fate of their retirement savings.

June 3, 2013

Harris v. Garrison Enterprises Inc. involving failing to remit employee contributions to the company’s 401(k) plan in Charlotte, NC.

Date of Action: May 20, 2013

Type of Action: Consent Judgment and Order

Name(s) of Defendant(s): Cameron Garrison and Garrison Enterprises Inc.

May 30, 2013

MSHA announces results of April impact inspections

ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 106 citations, 13 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections conducted at nine coal mines and two metal/nonmetal mines last month.

May 30, 2013

U.S. Department of Labor awards up to $10 million grant for storm recovery efforts in Oklahoma

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $10 million National Emergency Grant award to create temporary jobs for eligible individuals to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts resulting from the severe storms and tornadoes that ravaged a five-county area of Oklahoma between May 18 and May 20. These storms resulted in widespread damage across the state during this same period. The funds are being awarded to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

May 30, 2013

Court orders fiduciaries to restore more than $34,000 in losses to Hostetler Door Inc. 401(k) Plan in Goshen, Ind.

Date of Action: May 28, 2013

Type of Action: Consent order and judgment

Names of Defendant: Hostetler Door Inc., Glen Hostetler and Julie Hostetler, as fiduciaries to the Hostetler Door Inc. 401(k) Plan, and the Hostetler Door Inc. 401(k) Plan.

May 30, 2013

Harris v. Nohl Crest Homes Corp. involving employee stock plan in Florida

Date of Action: May 22, 2013

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendant(s): Nohl Crest Homes Corp., Kenneth R. Emery, Peter G. Timba, and Nohl Crest Homes Corp. Employee Stock Ownership plan

May 30, 2013

Judge orders fiduciary to restore more than $64,000 to Advetech Inc. Group 401(k) Plan in Canfield, Ohio

Date of Action: May 30, 2013

Type of Action: Consent Order and Judgment

Names of Defendant: David Scott Owens, individually and as a fiduciary to the Advetech Inc. Group 401(k) Plan, Advetech Inc. and the Advetech Inc. Group 401(k) Plan