Department of Labor March 24, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $81,402,000 in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Section 167 for National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) Employment and Training Grants and Housing Assistance Grants. This Announcement solicits applications for the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) Employment and Training Grants and Housing Assistance Grants. The purpose of this program is to assist eligible Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFWs) and their dependents, including youth MSFWs, receive career services, training services, housing assistance services, youth services, and other related assistance services that help retain and stabilize their current agriculture jobs as well as acquire new skills they need to start careers that provide higher wages and stable, year-round employment. To support better economic outcomes for farmworkers, NFJP also works to meet a critical need for quality housing. Of the approximately $81,402,000 available, the Department intends to award approximately $75,885,000 for Employment and Training Grants and $5,517,000 for Housing Assistance Grants. These awards will have a 4-year period of performance and will fund program years (PY) 2016-2019, that is, July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. The complete FOA and any subsequent FOA amendments in connection with this funding opportunity are described in further detail on ETA's Web site at https://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm or on https:// www.grants.gov. The Web sites provide application information, eligibility requirements, review and selection procedures, and other program requirements governing this funding opportunity.

The Office of Labor-Management Standards of the Department of Labor (``Department'') is revising the Form LM-20 Agreement and Activities Report and the Form LM-10 Employer Report upon review of the comments received in response to its June 21, 2011 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). In the NPRM, the Department proposed to revise its interpretation of the advice exemption in section 203(c) of the Labor- Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) to better effectuate section 203's requirement that employers and their labor relations consultants report activities undertaken with an object, directly or indirectly, to persuade employees about how to exercise their rights to union representation and collective bargaining. Under the prior interpretation, reporting was effectively triggered only when a consultant communicated directly with employees. This interpretation left a broad category of persuader activities unreported, thereby denying employees important information that would enable them to consider the source of the information about union representation directed at them when assessing the merits of the arguments and deciding how to exercise their rights. The Department proposed to eliminate this reporting gap. The final rule adopts the proposed rule, with modifications, and provides increased transparency to workers without imposing any restraints on the content, timing, or method by which an employer chooses to make known to its employees its position on matters relating to union representation or collective bargaining. The final rule also maintains the LMRDA's section 203(c) advice exemption and the traditional privileges and disclosure requirements associated with the attorney-client relationship. The Department has also revised the forms and instructions to make them more user-friendly and to require more detailed reporting on employer and consultant agreements. Sections of the Department's regulations have also been amended consistent with the instructions. Additionally, with this rule, the Department requires that Forms LM-10 and LM-20 be filed electronically. This rule largely implements the Department's proposal in the NPRM, with modifications of several aspects of the revised instructions as proposed.