Labor Department News Releases Update

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $13,896,148 National Emergency Grant increment to assist New York with cleanup and recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.

The U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Small Business Administration today jointly announced a new website to support state workforce and unemployment agencies in implementing or enhancing Self-Employment Assistance programs. Today's announcement expands on guidance issued in May, which included $35 million in funding for states to implement or expand these programs made possible through the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the inaugural appointees and the first meeting of the Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee. The purpose of the WPAC is to advise, consult with and make recommendations to the secretary of labor and the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health on ways to improve the fairness, efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s whistleblower protection programs.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement found serious violations of federal and state labor laws by each of 10 garment contractors inspected during a sweep of a single building in the Los Angeles Fashion District earlier this year. Division investigators found widespread violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions, resulting in the recovery of more than $326,200 in back wages for 185 employees. 

In the week ending December 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 343,000, a decrease of 29,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 372,000. The 4-week moving average was 381,500, a decrease of 27,000 from the previous week's revised average of 408,500.

Employees of Litchfield roofing contractor Michael Cahoon, doing business as High and Dry Roofing, were exposed to potentially deadly or disabling falls from a two-story residential roof that lacked fall protection. As the result of an inspection of a Hampton work site by Concord Area Office personnel from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, citations were issued for alleged willful and serious safety violations. The company faces a total of $118,500 in proposed fines for the violations.

Third Generation Electric Inc. has paid $26,770 in back wages to 19 current and former electricians and equipment operators following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division personnel that found violations of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. The company failed to pay employees the prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits required by DBRA for work on federally-funded construction contracts.