Insights

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Category: Labor Relations

Fifth Circuit Pushes Back On NLRB Overreach In Profanity-Related Discharge Case

The Fifth Circuit vacated an order from the Biden-era National Labor Relations Board finding that Starbucks unlawfully discharged a union-supporting employee who repeatedly used extreme profanity toward his coworkers and supervisors. The Fifth Circuit concluded that the Board failed to consider evidence that Starbucks had legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for firing the employee. Although the Fifth Circuit sent the case back to the...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

Tenth Circuit Rejects Hostile Work Environment Claim Based On Single DEI Training

A single mandatory DEI training did not plausibly create a hostile work environment, the Tenth Circuit recently ruled. Its decision in Young v. Colorado Department of Corrections affirmed the dismissal of Title VII and Section 1981 claims. The plaintiff employee alleged that the training’s focus on systemic racism was discriminatory toward white employees, but the court held that the complaint failed...
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Category: Compliance Reporting and Recordkeeping

EEOC Prepares To Rescind EEO Reporting Requirements

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is seeking White House approval to proceed with a proposal to end the annual EEO-1 reporting obligation. The EEOC has asked the Office of Management and Budget to let it publish a proposed rule that would rescind the requirement for employers to file EEO-1 Reports. The proposal also would end similar reporting requirements for labor unions, state and local governments, and some public schools.   Before the proposal can take effect, OMB must complete its review, and the EEOC must publish...
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Category: Wage and Hour

DOL Formally Restores Pre-2024 Overtime Rules Following Court Vacatur

The Department of Labor has issued a technical amendment removing the 2024 revisions to the white-collar overtime regulations. It restores the salary thresholds adopted in 2019, including the weekly $684 salary level for exemption as an executive, administrative, or professional employee and the annual $107,432 threshold for highly compensated employees. The amendment implements federal court decisions vacating the Biden-era rule and follows DOL’s recent dismissal of pending appeals challenging those rulings.   The technical amendment does not change current compliance obligations but simply aligns the regulatory text with court rulings that...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

EEOC Targets Vendor Hiring Assessments That May Trigger Retaliation Concerns

An employer cannot avoid accountability for problematic pre-employment assessments by outsourcing applicant screening to outside vendors, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has signified. In a subpoena enforcement action, the EEOC asked a federal court to compel a third-party vendor to produce information about pre-offer suitability assessments that it administered for a public employer.   Pre-employment screening assessment items that reference prior complaints, EEOC activity, or legal proceedings are not automatically unlawful, but they are likely to draw scrutiny because they could deter applicants from...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

OFCCP Updates Form CC-305 Expiration Date

DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has updated its Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability (Form CC-305) to a May 31 expiration date. Form CC-305 had expired April 30, but employers were permitted to continue using it after that date. Contractors may, at their discretion, update their forms or continue using the expired forms carrying an April 30 expiration date until OMB formally approves an extension.   Contractors should continue to comply with OFCCP’s regulations to invite employees and applicants...
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Category: Wage and Hour

DOL Proposes Clearer, More Balanced Joint Employer Test

A proposed joint employer rule from the U.S. Department of Labor would clarify the standard for joint employer liability under federal wage and hour laws. The proposal would apply to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act.   The proposal resembles an interpretation that DOL adopted in 2020 but rescinded during the Biden Administration.   Under the proposed rule’s four-factor test, there is a substantial likelihood of joint...
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Category: Affirmative Action and DEI

How To “Flow Down” The EO 14398 Clause To Subcontractors

Federal agencies have been incorporating FAR clause 52.222-90, Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors, into new and existing contracts valued above $15,000. Under guidance from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, agencies must make every effort to incorporate the clause by July 24. Prime contractors in turn must ensure that the clause flows down...
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Category: Affirmative Action and DEI

FAR Council Formally Initiates Process To Mandate EO 14398 DEI Disclosures

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council has initiated the formal process for federal agencies to begin collecting all “books, records, and accounts” for assessing contractors’ compliance with Executive Order 14398. The new EO, Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors, requires contractors to refrain from “racially discriminatory DEI activities” and provide the government access to the records and data needed to determine their compliance. The FAR Council...
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Category: Agency Enforcement

Kenneth Wolfe Appointed OFCCP Director

Kenneth Wolfe has taken over as director of the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, according to DOL’s website and Wolfe’s LinkedIn profile. He replaces Ashley Romanias. Wolfe also serves as director of DOL’s Center for Faith. Previously, he served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Administration for Children and Families. During President Trump’s second...

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