Federal Contractor Minimum Wage Final Rule Requires $15.00 Minimum Wage

12 January 2022 | Newsletters

On November 22, 2021, the Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division issued a final rule implementing President Biden's Executive Order 14026, increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors, which applies to all workers performing work on or in connection with covered federal contracts. This minimum wage will increase to $15.00 per hour begi...

Appeals Court Lifts Stay to OSHA Vaccination ETS (Updated)

12 January 2022 | Newsletters

On Friday night, December 17, 2021, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati lifted the stay of OSHA's Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on mandatory vaccination or weekly testing. In a 2-1 opinion written by an Obama appointee, and joined in by a Bush appointee, the Sixth Circuit dissolved the nationwide stay previously issued by the Fifth Circ...

Workplace Walk-outs and Strikes This Year Have More than Doubled

11 January 2022 | Newsletters

Unions have engaged in over 240 major strikes this year, doubling the number from last year. Some have labeled the situation "strike-tober." The causes show an increased self-confidence and militancy on the part of employees.

Federal Contractors Soon to Be Required to Verify They Have Affirmative Action Plans

11 January 2022 | Newsletters

In general, companies that do business with the federal government are required to have affirmative action plans. Such plans address how contractors recruit and employ women, minorities, certain veterans, workers with disabilities, and set goals for recruitment. Under the prior policy, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) would not r...

Where Have All the Missing Workers Gone?

17 December 2021 | December 2021

The U.S. currently has approximately 10.5 million open positions, and there are more open positions than there are unemployed Americans. Thus, the scarce labor supply is causing employers to be unable to meet their labor needs. The reason is that the U.S. is missing around 4.3 million workers who would be available to work if the participation rate was ...

Companies Dropping Drug Testing or Lowering Hiring Requirements

17 December 2021 | December 2021

In today's job market, openings outnumber applicants by a large margin. Out of necessity, therefore, employers are re-examining their application process and entrance requirements, and eliminating those that are not absolutely necessary, to encourage more new hires.

New Administration Effort to Protect Immigrant Workers

17 December 2021 | December 2021

The Biden Administration has recently announced that U.S. immigration authorities will no longer carry out mass arrests of unauthorized immigrants at work sites. The thinking is that large arrest operations have "mis-allocated enforcement resources" and discouraged fearful immigrant workers from cooperating in workplace investigations. The Administratio...

taking sinovac covid-19 vaccination injection

What Employers Should Do Now concerning Covid Vaccination Mandates

17 December 2021 | December 2021

There are actually at least three COVID mandates pending, one dealing with employers of 100 or more employees, a second dealing with federal contractors and certain subcontractors, and a third dealing with healthcare. As of this writing, some 26 states have sued to block the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), while over 25 employers or trade associ...

Developments Since Biden's Mandatory Vaccination-Testing Directives

28 October 2021 | November 2021

Many developments have occurred since President Biden on September 9, 2021 issued certain announcements and executive orders to require either mandatory COVID vaccinations or weekly testing. Some of the announcements concern what requirements may be issued regarding mandatory vaccination or weekly testing of employers of 100 or more employees. What the F...

Employee Wins a $137 Million Jury Verdict in Single Plaintiff Discrimination Case

28 October 2021 | November 2021

A Tesla factory worker in California in early October won a $137 million race discrimination verdict. The plaintiff was employed by a temporary staffing agency at the Tesla factory, and he claimed that he was regularly subjected to racially offensive terms and graffiti, including the "N" word, derogatory images of African-Americans and swastikas, which he...

Trump Regulation Requiring EEOC to Conciliate Rescinded

01 October 2021 | October 2021

The current administration has moved rapidly to eliminate the Trump administrators, even during the terms of their employment, and to eliminate administrative rules and guidance issued by the prior administration. The most recent example is an EEOC regulation issued during the Trump Administration that required the EEOC to give employers far more informa...

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