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Following are links to various U.S. government press releases.

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Showing posts with label SECRETARY OF LABOR PEREZ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SECRETARY OF LABOR PEREZ. Show all posts

Monday, November 18, 2013

SECRETARY OF LABOR PEREZ'S STATEMENT ON MINERS KILLED IN OURAY, COLORADO MINE EXPLOSION

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Statement of US Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez on the death of two miners

ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement on the death of two miners at Star Mine Operations LLC's Revenue Mine in Ouray, Colo.:

"An apparent explosives accident claimed the lives of two Colorado gold miners today, and sent other miners to the hospital. I offer my heartfelt condolences and prayers for the families of the victims and the injured. I was moved by the efforts of the first responders within the mining community–especially the mine rescue teams that were dispatched so quickly in the wake of the accident. The Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration is committed to conducting a thorough investigation of this tragedy to determine its exact cause."

Saturday, August 31, 2013

LABOR ANNOUNCES FINAL RULES TO IMPROVE EMPLOYMENT OF VETERANS AND THE DISABLED

FROM:  U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
US Labor Department announces final rules to improve employment of veterans, people with disabilities

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced two final rules to improve hiring and employment of veterans and for people with disabilities. One rule updates requirements under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974; the other updates those under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For more than 40 years these laws have required federal contractors and subcontractors to affirmatively recruit, hire, train and promote qualified veterans and people with disabilities respectively.
"In a competitive job market, employers need access to the best possible employees," said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "These rules make it easier for employers to tap into a large, diverse pool of qualified candidates."
"Strengthening these regulations is an important step toward reducing barriers to real opportunities for veterans and individuals with disabilities," said Patricia A. Shiu, director of the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces both laws.

The VEVRAA rule provides contractors with a quantifiable metric to measure their success in recruiting and employing veterans by requiring contractors to annually adopt a benchmark either based on the national percentage of veterans in the workforce (currently 8 percent), or their own benchmark based on the best available data. The rule strengthens accountability and record-keeping requirements, enabling contractors to assess the effectiveness of their recruitment efforts. It also clarifies job listing and subcontract requirements to facilitate compliance.

The Section 503 rule introduces a hiring goal for federal contractors and subcontractors that 7 percent of each job group in their workforce be qualified individuals with disabilities. The rule also details specific actions contractors must take in the areas of recruitment, training, record keeping and policy dissemination — similar to those that have long been required to promote workplace equality for women and minorities.