Labor Dept.

Seasonally Adjusted Data

November 5, 2009 -- In the week ending Oct. 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 512,000, a decrease of 20,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 532,000. The 4-week moving average was 523,750, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 526,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.4 percent for the week ending Oct. 24, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 4.4 percent.    » read more »

11/05/2009 -- BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tyson Foods Inc., one of the nation's largest poultry producers, has been found in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at its Blountsville, Ala., facility. The jury's verdict in federal court in Birmingham resulted from a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor against the company.

"We are very pleased that the jury in Birmingham has vindicated our position that employers must pay their workers for the time that they are required to work," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "This is a victory for workers, and the result of years of dedicated efforts to protecting the rights of working Americans on the part of attorneys, investigators and others within the Labor Department."    » read more »

10/30/2009 -- WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced it is issuing $87,430,000 in proposed penalties to BP Products North America Inc. for the company’s failure to correct potential hazards faced by employees. The fine is the largest in OSHA’s history. The prior largest total penalty, $21 million, was issued in 2005, also against BP.    » read more »

Award will help increase electric reliability, create clean energy jobs

10/28/2009 -- Las Vegas — U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the award of $138 million in federal funds to NV Energy for smart grid technology. Matching funds increase the value of this project to $298 million. These funds will help transition an electric distribution system to a smarter, more efficient and reliable electric system, and spur the creation of clean energy jobs across Nevada.    » read more »

Seasonally Adjusted Data

October 29, 2009 -- In the week ending Oct. 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 530,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 531,000. The 4-week moving average was 526,250, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 532,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.4 percent for the week ending Oct. 17, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 4.5 percent.    » read more »

10/15/2009 -- WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today certified the release of $84,979,841 in unemployment insurance (UI) modernization incentive funds to the state of Colorado. The state qualified for the remaining two-thirds of its share of funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) by making it easier for unemployed workers seeking part-time work and those unemployed for compelling family reasons to be eligible for benefits.    » read more »

10/14/2009 -- WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor has certified for release $13,017,176 in unemployment insurance (UI) modernization incentive funds to the state of Montana. The state qualified for the remaining two-thirds of its share of the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) by adding provisions that allow part-time workers and individuals who are upgrading skills to receive unemployment compensation.    » read more »

Seasonally Adjusted Data

Oct. 8, 2009 -- In the week ending Oct. 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 521,000, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 554,000. The 4-week moving average was 539,750, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised average of 548,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.5 percent for the week ending Sept. 26, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 4.6 percent.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- WASHINGTON D.C. – On September 30th the U.S. Department of Labor announced three National Emergency Grants totaling $38,033,600 to assist workers affected by documented layoffs from multiple companies in Michigan; $19,016,800 will be released initially. These funds will provide much needed assistance to workers who are currently displaced and those affected by future layoffs occurring within these southeastern Michigan during the grants’ 12-month period of performance. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. made the following statement regarding the grants:    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Maine Governor John E. Baldacci today opened the final symposium of Maine’s North Star Alliance Initiative (NSAI). The initiative was created from a $14.4 million U.S. Department of Labor WIRED grant received in 2006. The grant enabled the promotion of the major workforce and economic development initiative in Maine targeting the economic cluster that includes the industries of boatbuilding, composites and marine trades.

The industry-driven, industry-focused project was established to grow these industries through workforce development, R&D, market outreach and infrastructure development.    » read more »

October 1, 2009 -- Individuals’ genetic information will have greater protections through new regulations issued today by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury.

The interim final rule will help ensure that genetic information is not used adversely in determining health care coverage and will encourage more individuals to participate in genetic testing, which can help better identify and prevent certain illnesses.    » read more »

10/02/2009 -- WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the September 2009 Employment Situation report released today:

"This past September, the economy lost 263,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate increased to 9.8 percent.

"At the beginning of this year, the economy was in an unprecedented freefall, shedding 700,000 jobs a month. This administration met these challenges head on by putting a plan in place designed to create jobs and drive economic growth through a combination of tax relief for individuals and businesses, aid to hard-hit families and state and local governments, and funding for science, technology and infrastructure projects across the country.    » read more »

Seasonally Adjusted Data

October 1, 2009 -- In the week ending Sept. 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 551,000, an increase of 17,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 534,000. The 4-week moving average was 548,000, a decrease of 6,250 from the previous week's revised average of 554,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.6 percent for the week ending Sept. 19, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 4.6 percent.    » read more »

More Than 13,000 Workers in 27 Counties Will Benefit

September 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON — More than 13,000 laid-off workers across Michigan will be assisted by three grants totaling $38,033,600, U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, both D-Mich., announced today. The National Emergency Grants from the U.S. Department of Labor will go to the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth for use in 27 counties.

“These grants will play a critical role in assisting the thousands of laid-off workers in Michigan, and I will continue to fight for more funding to support our workforce,” Levin said. “The retraining services these grants will provide will help lead to a diversified work force which can better adapt to new industries.”    » read more »

8,600 workers in 24 counties will receive job retraining and career support services

September 29, 2009 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that Michigan has been awarded $38 million by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) to provide job retraining and career support services for 8,600 dislocated workers in 24 counties. The National Emergency Grants (NEGs) are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act).    » read more »