Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington – The U.S. Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today released a new publication to help small employers understand automatic enrollment for 401(k) plans offered to their employees. Automatic Enrollment 401(k) Plans for Small Businesses provides a comprehensive overview of the advantages of starting and operating this type of 401(k) arrangement.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $528,722 grant to assist workers affected by layoffs at Prime Tanning Co. Inc. in Berwick, Maine. Layoffs occurred on Sept. 29, 2008, and all production has since ceased at the Berwick facility.

"Today's grant will provide affected Maine workers with the necessary training and employment services to help their re-employment prospects in area industries," said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Brent R. Orrell.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $720,000 grant to the state of Indiana to create temporary jobs for cleanup and recovery efforts as a result of storms and flooding in September.

"The storms that hit Indiana this fall continue to affect Hoosiers up and down the state," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Brent R. Orrell. "Today's grant will provide those affected with temporary jobs to help communities recover from the damage caused by the storms and flooding."

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Atlanta – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Mark Possein and National Marketing and Entertainment Group Inc. (NMEG) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for misusing $68,424 of plan assets to benefit the company and other entities between January 2003 and May 2005 in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Minneapolis – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis to appoint an independent fiduciary to oversee the Nat Joseph Catering Inc. 401(k) Plan.

Awards will go to 20 projects in 16 states

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced $10 million in grants to increase access to technology-based learning. Twenty projects were selected from a pool of 193 applications.

"These $10 million in grants will increase workers' access to skills training through the Internet, video teleconferencing and other technology-based learning media," said Secretary Chao.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) today announced the selection of five federal contractor establishments as the first recipients of the Good Faith Initiative for Veterans Employment (G-FIVE) program.

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

Atlanta – The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina has agreed with U.S. Labor Department that Carl E. Reid may not use bankruptcy to avoid repaying $44,993 plus any lost earnings to the SIMPLE IRA plan of American Fittings Inc.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao issued the following statement on the December 2008 employment situation report released today:

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today published in the Federal Register final changes to its Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) that, among other enhancements, allow participation by companies with mobile workforces.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia Corp., doing business as Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, has agreed to pay $2,077,248 in overtime back wages to 2,657 research employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

"Among the department's highest priorities is ensuring that workers are paid all the wages they are owed," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "In this case, we have succeeded in securing more than $2 million in back wages for these workers."

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) today announced its criminal enforcement data for December 2008. During the month, OLMS obtained six convictions and nine indictments, and payments or orders of restitution totaled more than $57,700. The office's December results bring its totals for fiscal year 2009, which began on October 1, 2008, to 31 indictments, 24 convictions and payments or orders of restitution of $1,585,872. The bulk of the cases involved the embezzlement of union funds.

Agency also makes available business case on value of employees with disabilities

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) today released findings of the most extensive survey in history of employers' actions and attitudes toward employing people with disabilities. The report is available at www.dol.gov/odep.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released today show that mine fatalities in 2008 fell to an all-time low recording a 31 percent drop from 2007. Metal/nonmetal mines recorded the lowest level of fatalities in that sector of mining since statistics were first recorded in 1910, and the fatality level in coal mines was the lowest recorded number since 2005.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending Jan. 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 467,000, a decrease of 24,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 491,000. The 4-week moving average was 525,750, a decrease of 27,000 from the previous week's revised average of 552,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.4 percent for the week ending Dec. 27, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 3.4 percent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that it will launch an online digital library to archive its Web sites under a contract with the San Francisco-based Internet Archive.

Through an on-demand system, the Web Snapshot Initiative was designed to capture the content of all departmental Web sites for historical purposes — thus documenting the department's missions, goals and programs on the site as of mid-January 2009.

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

Atlanta – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained consent judgments restoring an additional $250,000 to the Georgia Plumbers Trade Association Health Plan in Griffin, Georgia, and requiring the payment of a $50,000 civil penalty to the federal government. Earlier this year, the court ordered restitution of more than $500,000 for losses suffered by the plan.

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

Mondsview, Minnesota – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Hyman Freightways Inc., formerly located in Mondsview, for allegedly abandoning its profit-sharing and 401(k) plan in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act after the company ceased operations in October 1997.

SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement regarding the death of Agustin "Bobby" Salcedo:

"I want to express my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Agustin 'Bobby' Salcedo. The untimely and senseless death of this young Latino leader touches many lives in El Monte and the greater Los Angeles area.

WASHINGTON – In fiscal year (FY) 2008, the U.S. Department of Labors Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) won a record $67,510,982 in back pay, salary and benefits for an unprecedented 24,508 American workers who had been subjected to unlawful employment discrimination.