|
Category: ADA

Supreme Court Holds Only Qualified Individuals Can Bring ADA Discrimination Claims

Retirees cannot bring an employment discrimination claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act if they are not qualified for the job when the alleged discrimination occurs, the U.S. Supreme Court held June 20. The ruling in Stanley v. City of Sanford aligns with arguments put forth in a friend-of-the-court brief from the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association....
|
Category: Agency Enforcement

EEOC Halts Funding for State and Local Investigations of Transgender Bias and Disparate Impact

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will no longer reimburse state and local agencies for investigating gender identity, transgender, or disparate impact claims. However, states may continue to fund such investigations on their own, and plaintiffs may still seek redress in federal court. A May 20 memorandum from the EEOC’s Office of Field Programs announced the policy shift, which applies retroactively to January 20,...
|
Category: Discrimination and Harassment

Justices Reject Tougher Standard for Discrimination Claims by Majority-Group Plaintiffs

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the use of a heightened evidence standard for majority-group plaintiffs in Title VII discrimination claims. The court ruled June 5 that the same standards apply to all plaintiffs under Title VII, regardless of their race or sex. The case, Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, was filed by a heterosexual...
|
Category: Affirmative Action and Diversity

President Trump Proposes Eliminating OFCCP

President Trump’s FY 2026 budget request proposes abolishing the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Under this proposal, OFCCP’s enforcement of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) would shift to the Labor Department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS), and OFCCP’s enforcement of Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act would shift to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The proposed...
|
Category: Agency Enforcement

DOJ Launches Civil Rights Fraud Initiative Targeting Federal Contractors

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil rights fraud initiative that will use the False Claims Act (FCA) to investigate federal contractors’ civil rights violations, DOJ announced May 19. The initiative will be led jointly by DOJ’s Civil Division's Fraud Section — which enforces the False Claims Act, and DOJ’s Civil Rights Division — which enforces civil rights laws....
|
Category: Agency Enforcement

EEOC Subpoena Enforcement Suggests Focus on Anti-American Discrimination

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is seeking to enforce a subpoena against Mauser Packaging Solutions in connection with a Commissioner’s charge alleging unlawful steering and discrimination against American workers. The EEOC asserts that Mauser has not complied with its information requests seeking an electronic database of job candidates and incumbent employees at eight facilities over four years, including demographic, personnel, and contact...
|
Category: Agency Enforcement

EEOC and OFCCP Modify Long-Standing MOU; DOJ Ends Its Participation

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) December 17, 2024, outlining how they will share information and process discrimination charges and complaints. Before doing so, the agencies rescinded a similar 2020 MOU that included the Department of Justice. The EEOC enforces Title VII of the 1964 Civil...
|
Category: Discrimination and Harassment

New EEOC Fact Sheet Highlights Compliance Risks Related to Wearable Technologies in the Workplace

Wearable technologies in the workplace are the subject of a fact sheet released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on December 19, 2024. Examples of wearable devices include smart watches that track employees’ activities or monitor their condition, proximity sensors that warn wearers of nearby hazards, smart glasses and helmets that measure the brain’s electrical activity, and GPS devices that...
|
Category: Discrimination and Harassment

DOJ Releases Fact Sheet on Anti-Discrimination Rights of Green Card Holders

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section, has issued a Fact Sheet that outlines workplace discrimination protections for permanent residents (often called “green card holders”). IER’s two-page Fact Sheet, published in November, is entitled “Lawful Permanent Residents’ Employment Rights Under the Immigration and Nationality Act.” It delineates protections under the INA in three areas: hiring, firing,...
|
Category: Discrimination and Harassment

OFCCP Publishes Guide on Combatting Harassment in the Construction Industry

The Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has published A Guide to Combatting Harassment in the Construction Industry. The guide, released in November, uses a question-and-answer format. Though the guide focuses on federal construction contractors, other employers can use it to better understand and prevent harassment in the workplace. The guide explains that construction contractors have an affirmative obligation...

Categories