UNITED STATES OF AMERICA interesting newesst

Wishing You the Best in the New Year! This is a season of joy and warmth, when many of us come together with loved ones in a spirit of sharing and celebration. We hope the holiday season is filled with cheer and warm memories for you and your family and friends. Here are some holiday-related facts and figures from the U.S. Census Bureau's collection of statistics. Did You Know? $19.4 billion The estimated retail sales for the nation’s department stores in December 2018, a decrease of 4.3% from December of the previous year. 18.2% The estimated percentage of 2018 total jewelry store sales that occurred in December. 12.5% The estimated percentage that December sales accounted for of total hobby, toy, and game store sales in 2018. Holiday Stats The 2020 Census is Coming Soon In the new year, we kick off the 2020 Census, so click the link below to learn more about the upcoming 2020 Census and share this video. Start Here Noel, Snowflake, North Pole, Rudolf, and more! There are many holiday-sounding places in the U.S. including Mount Holly, NC (population 16,135), and Holly Springs, MS (7,652). There’s also Snowflake, AZ (5,858); Santa Claus, IN (2,410); North Pole, AK (2,113); Noel, MO (1,833); and—if you know about reindeer—Dasher, GA. (1,004), and Rudolph, WI (422). Fun Facts The Remarkable True Story of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer Eighty years ago this year, advertising copywriter Robert L. May published Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as part of a 1939 holiday promotion sponsored by the Montgomery Ward department store headquartered in Chicago. In the decades since its publication, Rudolph has become an iconic holiday character featured in books, music, and television specials, recognized by millions of children (and adults) worldwide. Help us spread the word about the 2020 Census. Share this on social media or forward it to your network. Share This

"U.S.-Europe Research University Collaboration Opportunities and Challenges" Webinar Wednesday, January 22, 2020 1:00 p.m. EST Cost: $25 Join speakers from the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), the European American Enterprise Council (EAEC), and Hannover Fairs to explore the landscape of opportunities and challenges. Learn more about Hannover Messe 2020 Future Hub here!

 

Regulatory Innovation U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia attended the Governors’ Initiative on Regulatory Innovation at the White House this week. While there, he highlighted how the Administration has cut more than $50 billion in red tape. In fiscal year 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor eliminated $8 billion in regulatory costs, the second-highest among federal government agencies.

 

Job Openings Increase Job openings increased 235,000 to 7.3 million at the end of October, making it the 20th straight month in which job openings outnumbered job seekers, according to data released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

Fighting Fraud In a Government Executive op-ed, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella outlines how the Department is using suspension and debarment to protect government programs from fraud.

 

Record Low State Unemployment The unemployment rate is at record lows in 13 states, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics today. New series lows were set in Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon, and South Carolina. Series lows were matched in California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

 

In Case You Missed It
YouthBuild Grants Sixty-seven organizations in 28 states received $85 million in grants to help at-risk youth learn skills for careers in construction and other in-demand industries.	Union Transparency A proposed rule would protect workers’ rights by increasing financial transparency and democratic procedures for unions.	WV Storm Grants An additional $866,675 in grants will help fund West Virginia recovery efforts in response to severe storms and flooding in 2018.
Visa Enforcement A Wage and Hour Division investigation found a Florida agricultural employer violated guest worker visa program requirements.	Fall Hazards OSHA cited a Florida contractor after finding it exposed workers to fall hazards at two worksites, and proposed $146,280 in penalties.	Overtime Wages The American Samoa Power Authority will pay $110,865 to 180 workers after department investigators found overtime violations.

 

Stat of the Week
	662,000+ Apprentices There have been more than 662,000 new apprentices in the United States since January 1, 2017.

 

Compliance Assistance Highlight
	Winter Is Here December 21 may be the first day of winter, but in many states winter weather has already arrived. OSHA’s Winter Weather page has resources to help employers and workers prepare for, recognize, and avoid common winter hazards.

Washington, D.C Headquarters FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 20, 2019  UNITED AIRLINES TO PAY $321,000 AND FIGHT INTERNET HARASSMENT TO SETTLE EEOC DISCRIMINATION SUIT Pilot Repeatedly Posted Sexually Explicit Photos of a Flight AttendantTo Websites for Years, Federal Agency Charged SAN ANTONIO, Texas – United Airlines, Inc., a Chicago-headquartered international airline operating in over 300 airports across five continents, has agreed to pay $321,000, plus attorney’s fees, to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency announced today. The EEOC’s lawsuit alleged that, over the course of many years, a United captain frequently posted explicit images of a flight attendant to multiple websites, without her consent, making reference to her name, home airport, and the airline’s tagline “Fly the Friendly Skies.” The EEOC’s suit asserted that the images were seen by co-workers of the flight attendant, as well as untold numbers of potential passengers, causing her humiliation and embarrassment and adversely affecting her work environment. The EEOC maintained that United failed to prevent and correct the pilot’s behavior, even after the flight attendant made numerous complaints and provided substantial evi­dence to the airline of the pilot’s conduct. The EEOC asserted that the pilot was allowed to retire with benefits despite initiation of a criminal prosecution by the U.S. attorney’s office under federal internet stalking laws. Such alleged inaction when an employer is aware of sexual harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, including harass­ment that creates a hostile environment. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division (EEOC v. United Airlines, Inc., Civil Action No. 5:18-cv-817) after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement through its conciliation process. “Employers are best served when they fulfill their obligation to be diligent in preventing and correcting sexual harassment, whether the offensive conduct takes place in the workplace or involves misconduct by an employee on the internet that affects the work environment,” said Philip Moss, a trial attorney in the EEOC’s San Antonio Field Office. “This resolution can serve to send a message to employers that they should have robust anti-harassment policies that are vigorously self-enforced.” The consent decree resolving this case, approved by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, requires the company to pay monetary damages of $321,000, plus attorney’s fees for the flight attendant and to provide notice to company employees of their protections under Title VII. The decree further requires the airline to revise its sexual harassment policies explicitly to include harassing conduct perpetrated through the internet or social media and affecting the work environment — whether on or off duty. EEOC Supervisory Trial Attorney Eduardo Juarez of the EEOC’s San Antonio Field Office explained, “Employers must not ignore harassment complaints simply because the harasser holds a position of authority.” Robert A. Canino, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Dallas District, added, “This case highlights the issues of employer accountability for harassment in the modern workplace. Employee workdays and jobsites are no longer defined by timecards and the walls of a building, but by the breadth of a digital day and the reach of electronic communications. The policy United has agreed to implement can perhaps serve to provide ideas for other companies adapting to the increased risks posed by employee misuse of technology.” The flight attendant who intervened in the EEOC’s federal lawsuit was individually represented by attorney Colin Walsh of the Austin, Texas office of Wiley Walsh, P.C. The San Antonio Field Office is part of the EEOC’s Dallas District Office, which is responsible for processing charges of discrimination, administrative enforcement, and the conduct of agency litiga­tion in Texas and parts of New Mexico.