Frustrated with Congress’s failure to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and consistent with his recent Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for employees of federal contractors, President Obama once again signed an Executive Order on Monday amending Executive Order 11246 to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in the list of protected classes federal contractors may not discriminate against.
Continue Reading President Obama Signs Executive Order Prohibiting Federal Contractors from Discriminating Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Earlier today, the United States Supreme Court unanimously found that President Obama acted unconstitutionally when he made several recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) in 2012. The Court, in an Opinion authored by Justice Breyer, affirmed (albeit for differing reasons) the January 2013 judgment by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Issues Long-Awaited Decision in NLRB v. Noel Canning; President Obama’s Recess Appointments to NLRB Deemed Unconstitutional

In response to President Obama’s Executive Order earlier this year, the Department of Labor has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to establish standards and procedures for raising the minimum wage paid to employees of federal construction and service contractors to $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015 and then increased on a yearly basis beginning January 1, 2016. Federal contractors have until July 17, 2014 to comment on the proposed regulations that could have a large impact on contractors’ operations.
Continue Reading Department of Labor Announces Proposed Rules to Raise the Minimum Wage for Federal Contract Workers; Federal Contractors Should Consider Making Their Voice Heard During the Notice and Comment Period

In last night’s State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama announced that he planned to sign an Executive Order requiring that employees of federal contractors be paid at least a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour. This represents a $2.85 increase over the current federal and Pennsylvania minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Specifically, the President said, “In the coming weeks I will issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally-funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour because if you cook our troops’ meals or wash their dishes, you should not have to live in poverty.”
Continue Reading President Obama Announces Raise in Minimum Wage for Employees of Federal Contractors

The Associated Press reports that "California Rep. Hilda Solis won confirmation Tuesday as President Barack Obama’s labor secretary, giving the agency a decidedly pro-worker tilt after years of business-friendly leadership under the Bush administration…. The 80-17 vote ended more than a month of delays prompted by GOP concerns over Democrat Solis’ work for a pro-union