Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $1,098,390 to the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) to improve the state’s business processes through the application of technology to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program. The federal grants support business process improvements that will benefit both employers and workers. Of the total, $484,390 […]

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From the office of Rep. Mazie Hirono: The Department of Labor has announced 163,000 jobs were added in July. That’s the 29th straight month that private sector jobs have been created—for a total of 4.5 million. While these are encouraging signs that our economy continues to recover, it’s clear there are too many in Hawaii […]

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Hawaii 24/7 Staff The U.S. Department of Labor has been ordered a Hilo company to pay more than $225,000 in back wages to its employees. Hilo-based Pacific Quest conducts wilderness therapy for adolescents and teens. The Department of Labor announced the wages already have been paid to 121 current and former employees following an investigation […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis has announced an innovative partnership that leverages the combined audience and expertise of officials from the U.S. Department of Labor, Facebook, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, DirectEmployers Association and the National Association of Colleges and Employers to provide crucial employment resources to job seekers through […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Kona Coffee Grounds LLC has paid $25,290 in back wages to 24 employees from Michoacan, Mexico, after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division determined that the Holualoa-based company violated provisions of the H-2A visa program for temporary agricultural workers. Kona Coffee Grounds also has paid $21,000 in […]

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Q1: I’ve heard that the COBRA Premium Reduction (Subsidy) ends Aug. 31, 2011, is this true? Not necessarily, some individuals will still be eligible to receive the subsidy beyond Aug. 31, 2011. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided a COBRA premium reduction for eligible individuals who were involuntarily terminated from employment through the […]

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MEDIA RELEASE In San Francisco, the U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a judgment requiring Los Angeles-based Global Horizons Inc. and president Mordechai Orian to pay $153,000 in back wages to 88 temporary agricultural workers from Thailand employed in Hawaii, plus $194,000 in civil money penalties, for committing significant violations of the federal H-2A temporary […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the implementation of tougher penalties against employers that illegally employ child workers. “Protecting our youngest workers is one of this department’s top priorities. Employers who hire children too young to work will face stiffer penalties,” Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said. “Work is not child’s […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis has announced the appointment of Alicia Villarreal as her regional representative in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Hawaii. Villarreal will be based in Los Angeles, Calif. “I’m delighted to welcome Alicia to the Labor Department team,” Solis said. “She brings more than 20 years of impressive legal […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration has announced approximately $67 million in grant funds for the Workforce Investment Act Indian and Native American Program. “These grants will help organizations implement training programs to prepare workers for good jobs that pay family-supporting wages,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Funding […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The U.S. Department of Labor has released state-by-state figures on the number of individuals who will lose their unemployment benefits in the coming days if Congress fails to extend unemployment insurance benefits. If Emergency Unemployment Compensation and full federal funding for the Extended Benefit program are not extended, 400,000 Americans will lose unemployment […]

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        MEDIA RELEASE Gov. Linda Lingle has authorized an additional $25 a week in unemployment benefits per claimant as part of the federal package. On Wednesday, Feb. 18, Lingle signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor that makes the increase effective starting Sunday, Feb. 22.  This increase in benefits is […]

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