April 18, 2008

Federal court bars former administrators of Plainville, Connecticut pension plans from future service to employee benefit plans

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Hartford, Connecticut – The U.S. Department of Labor has succeeded in obtaining a federal court order prohibiting the third party administrators to the retirement plans of Wasley Products Inc. in Plainville, Connecticut, from serving as fiduciaries to any employee benefit plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) in the future.

April 17, 2008

U.S. Labor Department sues fiduciary of Fenton, Michigan company to recover 401(k) assets

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Fenton, Michigan – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued the owner and 401(k) plan fiduciary of Control Pak International Inc. in Fenton for improperly using 401(k) assets withheld from employees’ pay to benefit the company in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

April 14, 2008

U.S. Labor Department obtains federal court judgment ordering distribution of 401(k) assets of Q.E.D. Inc. of Troy, Michigan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Troy, Michigan – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a judgment in federal district court in Detroit ordering the appointment of an independent fiduciary to terminate the 401(k) plan of Troy-based Q.E.D. Inc. and distribute its assets to participants.

April 14, 2008

U.S. Labor Department sues to appoint independent fiduciary for 401(k) plan abandoned by Buffalo, New York company

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Buffalo, New York – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York to appoint an independent fiduciary to oversee the abandoned 401(k) plan of Pohlman Foundry Co. Inc. of Buffalo, New York.

April 11, 2008

U.S. Labor Department to assist nuclear weapons workers in Livermore, Calif.

DALLASDallas-based Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. has entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to settle allegations of hiring discrimination based on race and gender and agreed to a settlement of $1.5 million.

April 11, 2008

U.S. Labor Department sues Chicago investment firm and executives to recover more than $25 million for five Michigan union pension plans

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Chicago — The U.S. Department of Labor today sued Chicago-based AA Capital Partners Inc. and its executives for improperly causing more than $25 million in losses for five Michigan pension funds by misusing plan assets to benefit themselves and by charging the plans excessive investment management fees. The Labor Department’s suit seeks to restore all losses incurred by the plans as a result of the defendants’ improper actions.

April 10, 2008

ERISA Advisory Council to hold first meeting of 2008

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington – The first 2008 meeting of the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council, will be held May 6 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. EDT in the Secretary’s Conference Room, Room S-2508, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. in Washington.

April 9, 2008

U.S. Labor Department to assist nuclear weapons workers in Livermore, Calif.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor will visit Livermore, Calif., to provide information about the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). Through town hall meetings, officials will present details about a new class of former employees of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recently added to the act's Special Exposure Cohort (SEC). Officials also will be on hand to discuss Parts B and E of the EEOICPA and assist individuals with filing claims.

April 9, 2008

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao appoints new members and leaders to 2008 ERISA Advisory Council

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington – U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced the appointment of five new members to and new leadership for the 2008 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council.

April 8, 2008

U.S. Labor Department unveils online video to help small employers select appropriate retirement options

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington – The U.S. Department of Labor today released a new online video to help small employers and accountants understand the various options for providing a retirement program for their employees. “Choosing a Retirement Solution for Your Small Business” introduces employers to the three most popular retirement arrangements.

April 4, 2008

Vermont women’s health, pension and employment rights to be focus of April 28 conference in Montpelier

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Montpelier, Vermont – “Healthy, Wealthy and Wise?,” a free half-day conference to help Vermont women identify and secure their health, pension and workplace rights, will be held Monday, April 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center at 100 State Street in Montpelier.

April 2, 2008

U.S. Labor Department and Social Security Administration share technology to provide more efficient access to online benefits information

WASHINGTON — A newly designed version of the U.S. Social Security Administration's (SSA) online Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) application, powered by the U.S. Department of Labor-managed GovBenefits.gov, has been launched to make it easier for individuals to determine their eligibility for 17 different Social Security programs.

March 27, 2008

U.S. Department of Labor sues Georgia Plumbers Trade Association officers to restore more than $500,000 to terminated plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Atlanta – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued two officers of the Georgia Plumbers Trade Association (GPTA) in Griffin, Georgia, for failing to oversee, monitor and control the assets of the Georgia Plumbers Trade Association Health Plan in violation of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

March 27, 2008

U.S. Department of Labor sues Georgia Plumbers Trade Association officers to restore more than $500,000 to terminated plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Atlanta – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued two officers of the Georgia Plumbers Trade Association (GPTA) in Griffin, Georgia, for failing to oversee, monitor and control the assets of the Georgia Plumbers Trade Association Health Plan in violation of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

March 27, 2008

U.S. Labor Department to sponsor free workshops in San Francisco on federal pension and health laws

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

San Francisco – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits and Security Administration (EBSA) will hold free, half-day workshops in San Francisco on April 21, at 9:30 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m. PDT, to help employers, the employee benefit community and others better comply with federal pension law. The workshops will be held at the San Francisco Federal Building, 90-7th Street, Auditorium-Room B-020.

March 27, 2008

Connecticut employer and 401(k) plan trustee agree to restore employee contributions to resolve U.S. Labor Department lawsuit

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Hartford, Connecticut – American Air Tool Enterprises LLC of Centerbrook, Connecticut, and Scott Saunders, trustee to the company’s 401(k) plan, have agreed to restore $18,286.51 plus interest to the plan to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

March 27, 2008

U.S. Department of Labor obtains order requiring Seneca, South Carolina, company to restore more than $1.5 million to 401(k) profit-sharing plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Atlanta – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment in the U.S. District Court for South Carolina ordering Associated Technical Training Services Inc. (ATTSI) and plan fiduciaries to restore $1,523,227 to the company’s 401(k) profit-sharing plan.

March 27, 2008

U.S. Department of Labor to offer free health law seminar April 30 to May 1 in Savannah, Georgia

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Atlanta – A free health law compliance assistance seminar for employers, plan fiduciaries and plan service providers, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, will take place April 30 to May 1 at The Mulberry Inn, 601 East Bay Street, in Savannah, Georgia.

March 26, 2008

U.S. Labor Department obtains court order appointing independent fiduciary for abandoned 401(k) plan of defunct Telford, Pennsylvania, company

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Telford, Pennsylvania – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a default judgment appointing an independent fiduciary to terminate the 401(k) plan of defunct Telford company Keystone Contractors Inc. and distribute plan assets to participants and beneficiaries.

As of July 2007, the plan had 18 participants and approximately $27,051 in assets, the latest data available.

March 25, 2008

New York City staffing company charged with violating H-1B program following U.S. Labor Department finding almost $3 million in back wages due 156 workers

Advanced Professional Marketing Inc. also assessed civil penalty of $512,000

NEW YORK — Advanced Professional Marketing Inc. (APMI), a medical staffing company based in New York City, and the company's president, Marissa Beck, have been charged by the U.S. Department of Labor with violating provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that authorize employers to bring non-immigrant workers into the United States under the H-1B program.