Labor Department News Releases Update

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today awarded $1 million through its Brookwood-Sago grants program to seven organizations that provide education and training within the mining industry. The funding will develop and implement training and related materials for mine emergency preparedness, and help prevent accidents in underground mines.

A leading supplier of fast food and supermarket chicken is facing more than $1.4 million in fines this year for worker safety and health violations, including several that led a teenaged employee to suffer the amputation of his lower leg.

The funding of this National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) will provide reemployment services to individuals impacted by layoffs from three northern Massachusetts companies located in the Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Area. The layoffs occurred between April and September 2015 as the area's manufacturing economy has been slow to recover from the significant impact of the 2008 recession. The NDWG was approved for up to $1,968,992, with $808,693 to be released initially.

Continuing its efforts to support working families and encourage policies that reflect the realities of the 21st Century workforce, the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau today awarded $1.55 million in grants to research and analyze how paid leave programs can be developed and implemented across the country.

Supporting the President's goal to eliminate homelessness among U.S. military veterans, the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service today announced the award of $1.5 million in grants to help once incarcerated veterans considered "at risk" of becoming homeless. In all, seven grants will serve more than 650 formerly incarcerated veterans in six states.

On Sept. 24, OWCP and NIOSH entered into a formal memorandum of understanding establishing a quality assurance program for X-rays used to evaluate whether claimants are entitled to black lung benefits based on the presence of complicated pneumoconiosis.