Labor Department News Releases Update

Following the death of a worker at Behr Iron and Steel Inc.'s recycling facility in South Beloit, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the company for seven willful and one serious safety violations. The company operates under the name Behr Iron and Metal.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $10 million competitive solicitation for multiple cooperative agreements for impact evaluations of programs that take place outside the United States to help increase the collective knowledge base about successful approaches to combatting child labor and forced labor.

Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Co. has agreed to pay $475,000 in back wages and interest to settle allegations of sex discrimination affecting 1,293 female job seekers. OFCCP investigators determined that Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling unfairly rejected these qualified women for merchandiser, driver, driver trainee, production and warehouse positions at the company's bottling and distribution facility in Oklahoma City.

In the week ending August 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 302,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 298,000. The 4-week moving average was 302,750, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 299,750.