Affirmative Action - General

Executive Summary: On September 29, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) acted on President Obama’s Executive Order 13706 (EO) and released a final rule implementing the requirements for federal contractors and subcontractors to provide employees with paid sick leave (Final Rule). Specifically,

On the eve of the end of its fiscal year, the U.S. Department of Labor has released final rules for new EEO-1 Pay Data reporting obligations as well as paid sick leave regulations for federal contractors.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that the minimum wage for employees performing work on certain federal contracts will increase to $10.20 per hour beginning January 1, 2017. Additionally, the minimum cash wage that generally must be paid to tipped employees of covered federal contractors

This week the General Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report to the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce on its recent audit of OFCCP. The report reviews (1) how the Agency conducts audits; and, (2) the Agency’s outreach assistance and guidance efforts.

On September 20, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor published a notice of the minimum wage rate to be paid, beginning January 1, 2017, to workers performing on or in connection with federal contracts covered by Executive Order (E.O.) 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors. Beginning Janu

Hello from the 2016 Industry Liaison Group National Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina!

Executive Summary: On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court held for the second time that race may be taken into account when public universities and colleges admit students. In a 4-3 decision (Justice Kagan recused herself based on her prior work on the case as Solicitor General), the Court held th

On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion for the second time in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, (Fisher II), a case that directly questioned whether race can be considered at all in college admissions, and had the potential to call into doubt the legality of federal affirm

In a 4-3 decision on Thursday, June 23, 2016, the United States Supreme Court upheld the University of Texas’s (UT) race-conscious admissions program. The decision addressed only UT’s specific admissions policy in effect when Ms. Fisher was denied admission in 2008, but for the third time in four de

Today in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court today held, in a 4-3 decision, that the “race-conscious admissions program in use at the time of petitioner’s application is lawful under the Equal Protection Clause.” This is the second time the Court has considered the issu

The Final Rule on Sex Discrimination from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs recognizes the expanding interpretation of “because of sex” as a basis for discrimination, but does not impose on federal contractors new “equal pay” requirements, a new posting, new subcontract or purchase

While its been quite some time since we’ve discussed the issue, it seems we have occasion again to revisit the age-old, yet unresolved, question of whether healthcare providers are covered by federal affirmative action laws and regulations. The answer to that question has been an ongoing saga in Con

As part of its ongoing effort to provide employers with tools to educate and inform employees and non-employees about affirmative action obligations, OFCCP has released a new disability self-identification public service-like video entitled Disability Inclusion Starts With You.

Executive Summary: As part of its 50th Anniversary celebration, the OFCCP recently launched a website that lists, by contractor name, establishments that are in the process of developing a class member list as part of the settlement process with OFCCP. The agency has stated that the purpose of this

Executive Summary: The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that the minimum wage for certain federal contracts will increase to $10.15 per hour beginning January 1, 2016. Additionally, the minimum cash wage that generally must be paid to tipped employees of covered federal contractors will incre

On September 11, 2015, OFCCP published the Final Rule implementing Executive Order 13665 – Prohibitions Against Pay Secrecy Policies and Actions. The Final Rule will be effective for contracts or subcontracts over $10,000 entered into or modified after January 11, 2016.

Bills pending in both houses of Congress would make it unlawful for most federal contractors to request a job applicant, whether orally or in writing, to disclose criminal history record information before the applicant has received a conditional offer of employment.

Executive Summary: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has published a final rule implementing President Obama's executive order prohibiting federal contractors from retaliating against employees for discussing or inquiring about their own compensation or that of other employe

To follow up on our report last month, President Obama has signed an Executive Order requiring federal contractors to give their workers the ability to earn up to seven days (56 hours) of paid sick leave each year. The executive order will go into effect on January 1, 2017 and instructs the U.S. Sec

A new executive order signed by President Barack Obama on September 7, 2015, requires federal contractors and subcontractors to give their workers the ability to earn up to seven days (56 hours) of paid sick leave each year. Workers will earn an hour of paid leave for every 30 hours of work and can