U.S.A.'s interesting latest news

News: August 23, 2019

 

Labor Hall of Honor The Department of Labor will induct former U.S. Senator Robert Griffin and former NLRB member Howard Jenkins Jr. into the Department's Labor Hall of Honor on September 26.

 

Jobless Claims Drop In the week ending August 17, initial jobless claims dropped by 12,000 to 209,000.

 

Application Deadline Approaching The deadline for federal contractors to apply for the Excellence in Disability Inclusion Award is August 31.

 

Thousands of Safe + Sound Events With more than 2,400 events across the United States, Safe + Sound Week 2019 helped organizations of all sizes and industries recognize their safety successes. Learn how to make your workplace Safe + Sound.

 

In Case You Missed It
HRA Webcast The Department will hold a compliance assistance webcast on health reimbursement arrangements September 12.	Back Pay A Puerto Rico disaster response contractor has paid 1,853 workers more than $1.3 million in back wages to resolve wage and hour violations.	Landscaper Sentenced A district court has ordered an Eastern Kentucky landscape owner to pay $327,087 in back wages to 17 workers and serve five years on probation.
Machine Hazards OSHA fined a Wisconsin company $782,526 for multiple violations, including five egregious willful violations that exposed workers to machine hazards.	Safety Citations OSHA cited a New York frozen foods packager for exposing workers to multiple willful and serious hazards, and proposed $200,791 in penalties.	Illegal Polygraphs A Department investigation resulted in an Arizona medical clinic being fined $15,000 for illegally requesting that employees take polygraph tests.

 

Stat of the Week
	Low Unemployment July marked the 17th straight month that the unemployment rate remained at or below 4% according to the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

Compliance Assistance Highlight
	Retirement Benefits Guidance If you offer a private-sector workplace retirement plan, you have fiduciary responsibilities. The Employee Benefits Security Administration has publications to answer common questions and guide you in setting up and running an employee benefit plan.

New Country Commercial Guides (CCGs) Available! Our trade professionals working in 125+ foreign markets have been updating the CCGs. These reports give you trusted information about market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business customs. Most of the reports are already available. Search today to learn about your next market.    Discover Global Markets, Sep. 30 – Oct. 2 in Houston, TX *Early bird pricing ends August 2* Focused on the Middle East and Africa region, this U.S. Commercial Service event is ideal for companies working in oil & gas, renewable energy and electricity infrastructure, engineering, construction and transportation sectors. You will: • Meet one-on-one with U.S. Commercial Diplomats visiting from abroad • Participate in panel discussions on the latest industry trends • Identify new and emerging markets of opportunity ahead of your competition • Learn about U.S. export programs designed to cut your time to market • Network with U.S. trade officials, leading private sector experts and U.S. businesses active in overseas markets. Free tips for your business! Sign up for Export Today emails. New to Exporting Edition - for companies just getting started with global sales.  Expanding Markets Edition - for companies interested in capitalizing on their initial success to succeed in new markets. Experienced Exporter Edition - for companies who want to increase their knowledge of exporting to succeed in new, more challenging markets.

About this Email The "What's New in Exporting" email list provides periodic updates on export.gov resources, trade events, and other information that help U.S. companies export. ./. The Summary of NLRB decisions for the week of August 12 - 16, 2019 is now available on the NLRB’s website. The summary can be accessed by clicking the links below. https://www.nlrb.gov/cases-decisions/weekly-summaries-decisions/summary-nlrb-decisions-week-august-12-16-2019 Questions? Contact Us Director's Blog: Address Canvassing Begins When dealing with a diverse nation of over 330 million people living in more than 140 million housing units, the challenges of conducting a census can be quite complex. Our goal is to conduct a complete and accurate census – but, before we can do that, we need to establish where to count. We need to make sure we have a list of all the correct addresses to ensure that everyone living in the United States is invited to participate in the census and is counted in the correct location. Read More As in prior censuses, we will be reviewing 100% of the nation’s address list—the difference this time around is we don’t have to do it all on foot. This month, up to 40,000 temporary field staff began reviewing and updating the nation’s address list for 35% of the country – about 50 million addresses. This decade, and concluding this past March, we used satellite imagery to detect areas where housing changes were occurring. The fieldwork focuses on areas where new addresses were added or removed over the last decade, or where change is expected to occur. Staff examined millions of census blocks nationally, comparing housing units visible in newer satellite imagery with older imagery.  We already reviewed 65% of addresses without the need for fieldwork thanks to the advancement of technology and innovation over the last 10 years. Continue Reading... In Case You Missed It 2020 Census Operational Press Briefing Video: On August 12, 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau briefed the media on the launch of address canvassing, the first major field operation of the 2020 Census. Play Video Press Release: U.S. Census Bureau Announces the Start of First Major Field Operation for 2020 Census Press Kit: 2020 Census Address Canvassing Operation America Counts Story: From Horseback to Satellite, How U.S. Census Bureau Checks Addresses Fact Sheet: Hiring and Background Checks Graphic: First Enumeration of the 2020 Census Interactive Map: In-Field Address Canvassing Viewer Share This About the Census Bureau We serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy. The Census Bureau is the federal government's largest statistical agency. We are a scientific organization focused on data. Policy-makers, businesses, and the public use our information to make far-reaching decisions. The SBA announced the winners of the Makerspace Training, Collaboration and Hiring (MaTCH) Pilot Competition, awarding $1 million in prize money to competition winners. Makerspaces are uniquely positioned to help innovate training for the workforces of today and tomorrow, and spur economic development across the country. Through the MaTCH competition, the winners will be able to directly support vocational education, develop apprenticeships, and cultivate access to entrepreneurship. Multiple winners are also located in Opportunity Zones where job creation and investments are moving forward to revitalize communities. See the list of winners Get Inspired: Small Business Success Story The idea for Cincinnati-based barbecue business Sweets and Meats began in Kristen Bailey’s backyard. She and her partner Anton Gafney hosted cookouts, serving family recipes to friends. In 2014, the two started Sweets and Meats BBQ, serving smoked meats and a variety of sides and desserts.  Read Kristen's story   How to Prepare a Loan Package Are you thinking about securing a loan for your small business? Take SBA's FREE online training for an overview of how to prepare a loan package. Launch the course 5 Considerations When Choosing Hardware for your Business Your small business’s hardware includes your desktop and laptop computers, servers, printers, portable storage devices, video cards and telephony systems. Since these items can take up a significant portion of your IT budget, it’s important to consider new purchases carefully. Read more   Webinar Series: How to Contract with the Federal Government GSA’s Office of Small Business Utilization will hold a series of webinars to help small business owners contract with the federal government. Getting on the GSA Schedule: What You Need to Know | September 3, 2:00 pm ETThis virtual training course will outline what a GSA Schedule is and help you understand the process for getting on the GSA Schedule. Register here. Marketing Your GSA Contract | September 12, 1:00 pm ET There are many opportunities available in the federal procurement market. Developing a federal marketing and sales strategy can help you achieve success in the federal sector. Register for this webinar to learn how to create an effective federal marketing plan with a targeted approach to government procurement. Register here. U.S. Small Business Administration 409 3rd St, SW. Washington DC 20416www.sba.gov