Labor

08/20/2007 -- Prices for food staples are going up. Eggs cost 19.5 percent more than in June, 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Milk was up 13.3 percent; fresh chicken 10 percent; navel oranges 19.8 percent, according to the Labor Department. The price of white bread was 9.6 percent more than the year before. “Despite the Bush administration's continued pronouncements that the economy is going great, many Americans are feeling the pinch…” the Brattleboro Reformer concluded in an editorial.    » read more »

Economic Development Aid Will Benefit Families, Businesses, Local Economies

August 20, 2007 -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announced today that the Office for Small Cities and Empire State Development (ESD) are providing more than $1.1 million in economic development aid to help businesses in Schenectady, St. Lawrence and Wayne Counties create and retain nearly 160 jobs. The funding will help local businesses provide health care and other benefits, upgrade facilities and equipment, and invest in workforce training.    » read more »

August 18, 2007 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell is raising public awareness about a recent initiative that connects employers and able employees who have disabilities through online resources and technical assistance. The initiative, called Connect-Ability (http://www.connect-ability.com/), is one of the first of its kind in the nation.    » read more »

MOBIS Alabama, a Tier-One supplier to Hyundai, Increasing Operations

MONTGOMERY - Alabama Governor Bob Riley on Wednesday announced plans for a $55.6 expansion at MOBIS Alabama, a Tier-One supplier to Hyundai, that will create 141 new jobs.    » read more »

August 17, 2007 -- BOSTON – Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has reached a settlement with a Worcester industrial insulation company and its owner for failing to pay two employees the prevailing wage rate. Daniel Valdez, of Worcester, the owner of Val Industrial Insulation Co., was ordered to pay approximately $32,000 to the affected workers. Additionally, Val Industrial will pay over $5,500 in civil penalties. The settlement agreement also debars Val Industrial from bidding on any new public works contracts for one year.    » read more »

August 17, 2007 -- AUGUSTA – The U.S. Department of Labor has approved Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Domtar employees who lost their jobs in July, Maine Governor John E. Baldacci learned Friday.

The approval makes displaced workers eligible for retraining, re-employment services, income support, relocation services and job search allowances.    » read more »

August 17, 2007 -- FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky’s workforce training programs are once again receiving high marks in an annual survey of industrial site selection consultants by Expansion Management magazine. For the fifth consecutive year, Kentucky ranks in the Top 10, moving up to fifth place in the magazine’s most recent issue.    » read more »

August 15, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today welcomed a tentative agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and BeechNut to allow for the continuation of production at the Canajoharie plant. In May, concerns were raised that a reduction in the number of federal USDA inspectors at the plant could impact the plant’s capacity for production and growth. According to BeechNut, the tentative agreement would allow for the continuation of production and still have the approval of the USDA in their process.    » read more »

Aerial Machine and Tool to expand production capacity

August 16, 2007 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Aerial Machine and Tool Corp. will invest more than $600,000 to expand its production capacity in Patrick County. The facility manufactures precision-sewn and machined products for the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, as well as for other military contractors. The expansion and remodeling project will help facilitate Aerial’s current and future growth, which they expect will create 75 new jobs.    » read more »

Employers from across the state will hear from Minnesota Governor Pawlenty and experts in employee wellness

August 16, 2007 -- Every dollar invested in employee wellness is estimated to yield three to six dollars in savings from decreased absenteeism, lower medical costs and improved productivity. Employers will learn how to improve employee wellness at the Healthy Minnesota Workplace Summit, Aug. 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at General Mills in Golden Valley.    » read more »

August 16, 2007 -- BOSTON – Today, a Hampden County, Massachusetts Grand Jury returned indictments against an Ohio man and his company for issuing bad checks, and failing to pay wages to employees. Robert Burda, age 55, of Dublin, Ohio, and his company, Sondocatt Investments LLC, located in Chicopee, are charged with non-payment of wages (10 counts). Additionally, Burda is charged individually with larceny by check over $250 (6 counts), and larceny by check under $250 (36 counts).    » read more »

August 15, 2007 -- DES MOINES -- Today in Cedar Falls, U.S. Senator Barack Obama will discuss his plan to increase government transparency and accountability in Washington, D.C. Today’s remarks will highlight Senator Obama’s record of fighting for ethics and lobbying reforms that were unpopular with political insiders while in the U.S. Senate and the Illinois state Senate. Following the Cedar Falls event, Senator Obama will address the AFL-CIO Convention in Waterloo.    » read more »

Aug 15, 2007 -- Manly, Osage, Charles City, Waterloo and Waverly, Iowa – On the third day of Senator John Edwards' "Fighting for One America" tour, Edwards outlined his plan to create One America where hard work is rewarded and families can build better lives. Edwards emphasized his agenda to protect and strengthen America's families by raising the minimum wage, reviving the Department of Labor, enforcing workplace safety laws, guaranteeing health care for all Americans and fighting against predatory lenders who keep workers trapped in poverty.    » read more »

State Funding will Help Manufacturer Retain 500 Jobs; Create Nearly 60 New Jobs

August 15, 2007 -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer today announced that DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses of North America, Inc., a leading manufacturer of transit buses in Oneida County, has been awarded $2 million in state economic development assistance to support a planned expansion designed to retain 500 jobs and create nearly 60 new jobs.    » read more »

August 15, 2007 -- JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri Governor Matt Blunt today issued the following statement on American Airlines announcement:

“I am pleased that American Airlines has called 460 former-TWA flight attendants back to work.

This a positive step in the right direction and I am hopeful that the remaining workers will be called back to duty quickly.

Efficient airline companies staffed by dedicated employees such as these flight attendants are key to maintaining a strong and diverse economy like Missouri’s.”

Source: Missouri Governor