Latest news with #DOL
Boston Globe
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Thousands of homeless students left in the lurch after Job Center closures put on hold
'That was how I was able to escape homelessness,' Kary added. 'My whole life has been defined by loss and poverty and just living on the most precarious knife edge.' Job Corps is a federally funded program for young people between the ages of 16 and 24 that provides free housing, meals, basic medical care, school supplies, childcare, English language instruction, and a small allowance while students earn high school equivalency degrees and trade certifications. The National Job Corps Association sued the DOL shortly after the announcement alleging the department's order to pause the program was illegal because only Congress can eliminate the program and because it would displace thousands of students and lead to mass layoffs. In June, a US District Court judge for the Southern District of New York granted a preliminary injunction against the DOL, effectively halting the DOL's order indefinitely and allowing Job Corps's 123 centers to remain operational. But Kary and the approximately 4,500 other students nationwide who were homeless before joining the program's living and learning spaces are still at risk of displacement. Advertisement As part of its fiscal 2026 budget, the DOL has proposed eviscerating Job Corps, allocating it a fraction of its typical funding for the purpose of closing and demolishing the centers. Congress is expected to begin voting on the proposed budget in September, though it can take months to pass. Advertisement Labor experts in Massachusetts say the state's workforce development system is not designed for a shake-up that would displace many of the 799 students who were enrolled at three centers in Massachusetts in May. 'Whenever we need to put students somewhere, Job Corps is front and center,' Jeffrey Turgeon, director of MassHire Central, said. 'We're losing a major tool.' After the meeting announcing its closure, the Shriver Job Corps Center told students it would remain operational for the time being. Yet, a majority of students who lived at the center left the Shriver Center, opting to find alternative housing in the face of the center's day-to-day uncertainty. After investing months into diplomas and career certificates, students feel mixed emotions about what will come next for them. Kary worries about leaving empty-handed if the court eventually rules that the centers must close, or Congress approves funding cuts to the Job Corps. She started her training program to work in public transportation, which she said typically takes one year to complete, just a week before the DOL order. 'As nice as it is, it still feels uncertain,' Kary said. 'It's a race against the preliminary injunction and the government.' Mohammad Niazy, 18, and Matiullah Kabir, 19, discovered a near-empty cafeteria when they arrived at the Shriver Center for class earlier this month. The two commute to campus from Harvard, MA, where Advertisement Niazy earned his high school diploma from the center in May. Kabir, who had already graduated from his local high school, studied computer technology at Shriver, where he started a football team and received his driver's license. He said he was shocked when he learned that DOL ordered a pause in operations. 'It was so fast, people were not ready for this. A lot of people were living there and working. They were definitely crying, they were saying, 'Where do we go now?'' Kabir said. Facing potential Job Corps closures, students can apply for state-run high school equivalency degrees and vocational training programs, paid apprenticeships, or community college, according to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD). Governor Maura Healey's housing office had also been developing a contingency plan for displaced students leading up to the preliminary injunction, spokesperson Tara Smith said in an email to the Globe last month. 'Until the lawsuit is resolved, we continue to monitor the situation with EOLWD and other state agencies as it relates to potential next steps with affected students,' Smith added. Until joining Job Corps, Kary, who asked to be identified by her first name because she fears harassment by the government as a transgender woman, was in and out of homelessness. She was kicked out of her childhood home by her family when she turned 18. She crashed on friends' couches and waited in line at food banks for meals. She eventually got a job as a cashier earning $9 an hour, but it was nowhere near enough to make ends meet. Advertisement For four months in the winter of 2022, Kary slept every night in a tent — even in the pouring rain and freezing temperatures. When a friend told Kary about Job Corps's residential program, she applied as soon as she could. 'Job Corps was my only hope,' she said. The DOL says it wants to end the program because it is not achieving its including the 38.6 percent graduation rate it cited in its justification for pausing the program, which comes from the 2023 program year, reflect high dropout rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local politicians in Massachusetts are concerned about the impact shuttering the program would have on their communities. 'The reality is a program like this, which no doubt costs millions of dollars just for the Devens center, is that it's not going to be replaced,' Massachusetts State Senator Jamie Eldridge, whose district includes Shriver, said. In 'Massachusetts industries obviously depend on the kind of technical training the Job Corps provides,' Congresswoman Lori Trahan, whose district also covers Shriver, said. Kary worries that she will not be hired for a job without her trade certification. She does not want to go to a shelter for fear of harassment but no other training programs offer housing. Yet when she thinks about the future, she imagines a quiet life working as a train conductor, a career that she became passionate about while studying at Shriver. Advertisement Kary has one more non-negotiable. She has to live in Massachusetts. 'I love Massachusetts. I'd fully crawl my way out of homelessness and then be in Massachusetts,' said Kary. 'This place is end goal for me.' Jade Lozada can be reached at
UPI
18-07-2025
- Business
- UPI
Labor officials announce veterans employment training resources
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., presents D-Day veteran retired Army Sgt. John Wardell with a Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony at the US Capitol in June. Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo July 17 (UPI) -- The Department of Labor on Thursday announced a new resource designed to increase employment rates and apprenticeship program participation among millions of disabled veterans. "Currently, more than 5 million American veterans aged 18 or older have service-connected disabilities," a release from the DOL said. "Each year, roughly 200,000 service members - including approximately 22,000 who have some type of disability - transition to the private sector and many remain unemployed after transition." The Veterans Accommodations Toolkit includes tips on job recruitment, hiring, training and retaining disabled veterans. The DOL said the service also benefits employers, apprenticeship sponsors and labor force development specialists. The toolkit was released just prior to National Hire a Veteran Day and the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and supports the Trump administration's goal of developing a million new apprentices in the United States. The employment rate for veterans with disabilities is 45.5% compared to 79.8%, the DOL said.
Time Business News
15-07-2025
- Health
- Time Business News
Five Tips for Seamless ERISA Compliance
It can be quite scary navigating through complying with ERISA requirements, as you have to take care of deadlines, deal with a lot of documentation, interact with employees, make sure that they are aware of their rights, and feel threatened by the heavy fines that can be imposed on you. Here are some ways that you can make sure your company is following the rules and does not get stuck in any unwanted compliance issues. Many documents update employees on their rights and allow them to know what benefits they are getting, such as how the costs are being shared, the medical tests and procedures that the company will cover and the list of preventative services they will provide, and the list of new or existing drugs, amongst many other things. These documents are comprehensive, and participants have a right to know if there have been any changes made to them. So, as an employer, it is your right to update participants of changes made in a timely manner. These documents include the Summary Plan Description (SPD) that highlights the details of the benefits the employees will be receiving and whether they are eligible for them. The Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) document covers all the health rights that the employees will be given. The HIPAA privacy notice informs employees about how their health information is being utilized. The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Notice explains how the company can aid your children. Employers also need to submit reports to the Department of Labor annually and on time. If they fail to do so, it will result in complications against the business as the DOL can penalize you for late submission of these documents. If you fail to provide any of these documents, the Department of Labor can charge you. It can charge $195 daily for failing to provide SPD, $145 daily for not providing CHIP, and $1443 in the case of a SPD, which is why ERISA compliance is essential. All these penalties can add up to a huge amount that will only affect your company negatively. Make yourself prepared for the audit by understanding the process fully and keeping all the documents in one place. You should also train your HR professionals for this and ensure that those in the benefits teams fully comprehend the importance of ERISA and what its compliance requires from the company. Also, work with your legal advisors and auditors to make sure that you have all the necessary documents and procedures in place. Here are the documents that you should keep prepared: 01k and employee benefits regulation: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) compliance, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) compliance, Employee timekeeping, Wage and hour compliance, Child labor law compliance, Wage deduction processes, and Accurate payroll and recordkeeping. Regularly update all the employees about any changes in the documents and inform them about the rights they have. If they are planning to invest, explain to them their choices fully and completely so that they can know the risks that come with their investments, as they have a right to know where their money is going and how it will be used. The process of compliance with ERISA may seem overwhelming and overburdening, but it does not have to be like that if you have a team that focuses on ensuring regulations by timely filing forms and telling employees about changes in documentation. Since it is not a one-time thing, but rather an ongoing process that you have to keep up with regularly, you will have to ensure that your compliance policy also evolves and adapts. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Politico
14-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Trump's DOL bets the house on apprenticeships
QUICK FIX TRAINING DAY: There are two things Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer talks about: the string of stronger-than-expected job reports under President Donald Trump and expanding the number of apprentices across the country. She has visited several training facilities on a 50-state tour since being sworn in in March, and signed a deal in April to launch a national apprentice program for firefighters and emergency responders at the DOL's D.C. headquarters. 'We know that we're not going to see four-year universities deliver all of that workforce,' Chavez-DeRemer said during a keynote speech at the Western Governors' Association conference last month. Trump has set a goal of having at least 1 million active apprentices, and Chavez-DeRemer told WGA attendees that she personally would like to go well beyond that mark and reach 1.2 million apprentices to 'really deliver on this.' More than 145,000 people have entered apprenticeship programs since Trump returned to the White House earlier this year and there are nearly 700,000 registered apprentices nationwide, according to the Labor Department. But the high-stakes bet is happening at an awkward moment. The Trump administration has spent months hobbling labor regulators, rolling back worker-friendly rules, antagonizing unions, slashing jobs across the federal government and paring back money for other workforce development programs. 'People talk a good game about, 'Oh, we need more [apprentices],'' AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in an interview. 'But if you're not willing to invest in the infrastructure around that, it's meaningless.' Even some employers who make extensive use of apprentices are wary of relying on it as the sole solution to fill the need for skilled labor. 'We see Registered Apprenticeships as one of many different workforce development solutions,' said Michael Altman, senior manager of federal regulatory affairs at the Associated Builders and Contractors. 'There are many construction contractors that have their own kind of on-the-job training that do not align with Registered Apprenticeships.' Trump talked a big game on apprenticeships during his first term, but DOL spent much of those four years establishing a parallel apprenticeship model that would give employer groups a greater hand in designing and overseeing training programs that was subsequently short-circuited by the Biden administration. As such the emphasis on Registered Apprenticeships — which unions and Democrats also favor — is a marked shift for Trump this go-around. More for Pro subscribers here. GOOD MORNING. It's Monday, July 14. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@ lukenye@ rdugyala@ and gmott@ A new Clipse album and a Tiny Desk concert is the stuff of your aging millennial host's dreams. Follow us on X at @NickNiedz and @Lawrence_Ukenye. And Signal @nickniedz.94. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. LEGAL BATTLES INJUNCTION JUNCTION: The Trump administration on Friday told a federal judge in Manhattan that his order barring DOL from shutting down Job Corps centers across the country violates a recent Supreme Court ruling against sweeping nationwide injunctions and needs to be substantially pared back. Late last month Judge Andrew Carter Jr., an appointee of former President Barack Obama, blocked DOL from moving forward with its plan to indefinitely suspend operations at all privately run Job Corps centers. (A group of centers run by the Agriculture Department's Forest Service was unaffected.) But shortly thereafter, he asked the two sides to brief him on how to adjust his ruling in light of the high court's holding in Trump v. Casa. In their brief, administration attorneys told Carter that instead of applying to all 99 centers threatened by DOL's plan, his order should be limited to just 30-plus operated by the contractors or attended by students who brought the lawsuit. The challengers have argued that the Supreme Court's ruling does not apply in this circumstance and that the universal relief should stay in place. AROUND THE AGENCIES TRANS TURNABOUT: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is taking a step toward evaluating workplace discrimination claims filed by transgender people after the agency began automatically classifying them as meritless upon Trump taking office and designating Andrea Lucas acting chair, The Washington Post reports. In a July 1 email to staff, 'Thomas Colclough, director of the agency's field operations, said the EEOC will process cases that 'fall squarely' under the 2020 Supreme Court precedent Bostock v. Clayton County, which found that firing transgender workers because of their gender identity violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. … If the agency finds enough evidence that discrimination took place, gender identity cases will still be reviewed by a senior attorney as well as the office of the chair, Colclough wrote.' Immigration FICKLE AMERICA: A new poll shows record-high support for immigration amid President Donald Trump's controversial mass deportation campaign, our Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing reports. Seventy-nine percent of American adults think immigration is good for the country, according to a new Gallup poll released Friday. And the share of Americans who want immigration reduced dropped sharply from 55 to 30 percent since last year's poll. Meanwhile, disapproval of Trump's immigration approach outweighs approval by 27 percentage points, potentially complicating the president's strategy on a policy area that he has made a cornerstone of his presidential agenda. K STREET ON E VISAS: The U.S. Immigration Fund, a Florida-based company that helps foreign investors secure permanent residency, is enlisting Greenberg Traurig as Trump's idea to let affluent people buy their way into the country threatens its business, POLITICO Influence reports. USIF acts as a broker for EB-5 visas by connecting businesses with foreign investors, but the so-called gold card program proposed by Trump earlier this year has been eyed to replace the program. Opinion: 'The Economic Drain of Mass Deportation,' from The Wall Street Journal. Unions SMOKED UP: A New York City cannabis licensee is rankling against a provision in the state's legalization law designed to promote 'labor peace' and asked a federal court to do away with the requirement, our Mona Zhang reports for Pro subscribers. Gotham — a self-described 'mission driven, arts-and-culture-forward' New York City cannabis dispensary — is arguing that it violates the company's constitutional rights. 'We are proceeding with legal action to not only protect our business … but more importantly, our right to be heard,' Joanne Wilson, the owner of Hybrid NYC LLC, Gotham's parent company, said in a statement to POLITICO about the lawsuit. '[T]he current law stifles the growth of this young industry.' In the Workplace SUB-PRIME: The Trump administration's termination of Temporary Protected Status and similar programs that allow foreign-born people to legally work in the U.S. is pulling the rug on thousands of workers and big-name employers like Amazon, The New York Times reports. Hundreds of workers were let go at a West Jefferson, Ohio, facility alone that had a sizable number of Haitian immigrants, and others were given just days to come up with alternative work authorizations or risk losing their jobs. Cold comfort: ''Change is never easy, and I know this news may be difficult for many of you,' Amazon's internal talking points advised managers to tell their workers at the start of the next shifts,' according to the Times. More workplace news: 'How AmeriCorps Kept Young Talent in Rural Communities,' from Washington Monthly. WHAT WE'RE READING — 'Trump Loves ICE. Its Workforce Has Never Been So Miserable,' from The Atlantic. — 'Vance plans to kick off admin efforts to tout Trump's agenda bill with Pennsylvania visit,' from CNN. — 'Immigration Raids Reveal Holes in Government's Tool to Verify Workers,' from The Wall Street Journal. — 'Bill in Congress would prevent schools from using student fees to bankroll college sports,' from The Associated Press. THAT'S YOUR SHIFT!
Business Insider
09-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
What we know so far about how federal job cuts could play out
Thousands of federal workers are on the lookout for notices of job cuts. The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's administration can proceed with its reduction-in-force, or RIF, plans across federal agencies after federal judges temporarily blocked the terminations in May. The court opted to "express no view on the legality" of any RIF or reorganization plan. While agencies crafted plans in March and April to slash thousands of roles, they could change completely with agencies choosing to continue offering workers more options, such as buyouts and deferred resignations. In the months since RIF plans were paused, that's already been happening. For example, the Department of Labor offered employees the option to voluntarily resign while getting paid through the fall. "Through voluntary incentive programs and natural attrition, the Department of Labor has reached a 20% reduction across our federal workforce, achieving our goal to promote efficiency and eliminate redundancies, while retaining critical positions that fulfill our core mission of putting American workers first," a DOL spokesperson told BI. Others, like the Internal Revenue Service, offered a lump-sum buyout offer and a voluntary early retirement application. If enough people choose to voluntarily leave their jobs, federal agencies could opt to scale down their initial RIF plans, which are more like a straightforward mass layoff. Alan Lescht, an employment attorney at Alan Lescht & Associates specializing in federal workers, said that the SCOTUS ruling means agencies can move forward with their original RIF plans as soon as they want. "There's been a lot of people on administrative leave pending whether these RIFs would go forward or not," Lescht said, referring to federal workers who were put on leave as their employment status remained up in the air. It's now up to the administration to decide if those terminations will proceed. "If they're going to go forward, then they'll send out notices that you're hereby removed and you have 30 days to file an appeal at the Merit System Protection Board." The workforce reductions were initially spearheaded by Elon Musk in January, who was the unofficial leader of the administration's DOGE office. Musk and Trump have both said that the firings — which targeted probationary workers early in their federal government tenures — were aimed at boosting efficiency. They included, among others, 1,300 employees at the Department of Education, 10,000 employees at the Department of Health and Human Services, and 2,700 at the Small Business Administration. Federal judges ordered some agencies to reinstate some of those affected employees, and they could now once again be subject to terminations after the Supreme Court ruling. Musk has since stepped down, and due to the series of legal challenges, threats of RIFs have temporarily diminished. The high court's latest decision likely puts more workers — not just probationary — back at risk of termination. Federal agencies could fire en masse or offer options like buyouts Prior to the Supreme Court's decision, some agencies said their workforce reduction goals were largely being accomplished by deferred resignation programs and early retirements. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Monday that it's on pace to reduce total staff by nearly 30,000 employees by the end of fiscal year 2025 and that a wide-scale RIF is no longer necessary. "While VA had been considering a department-wide RIF to reduce staff levels by up to 15%, employee reductions through the federal hiring freeze, deferred resignations, retirements and normal attrition have eliminated the need for that RIF," the agency said in a press release. That doesn't mean federal workers are all in the clear. "If agencies were going to retract the RIFs, I think they would've done it. And we might see fewer RIFs going forward than have been previously announced. But I do not anticipate they're going to withdraw the ones that are already in progress," Erik Snyder, counsel at Gilbert Employment Law who specializes in federal employment law, said. The State Department, meanwhile, wrote in a post on X following the Supreme Court's ruling that it will "continue to move forward with our historic reorganization plan at the State Department, as announced earlier this year." Its initial plan called for a 15% reduction in force. Lescht said that there may be more legal hurdles to come as RIFs proceed; he suspects that there will be other lawsuits filed by public service unions challenging the proceedings. Union officials noted that the SCOTUS order only stays an injunction in the case they weighed in on, meaning other RIF cases might still move forward; they also noted that since the decision does not address whether the restructuring is illegal, there could be continued litigation on the RIFs. "My firm, in particular, we represent federal employees. That's most of what we do," Snyder said. "We are preparing or have prepared class action lawsuits to challenge these RIFs."
