Beginning today, March 24, 2014, federal contractors and subcontractors have a number of new responsibilities. Contractors already have the existing obligation to collect demographic data regarding race and gender and take affirmative action to recruit, hire, and retain qualified minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans. Now contractors must take additional steps to recruit and hire individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, including the collection of data related to the status of applicants and employees as protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Continue Reading New Regulations Governing Affirmative Action Requirements for Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans Go Into Effect TODAY!
New Whistleblower Protections Now in Effect For Federal Contractors
By now, most federal contractors are aware of the new regulations that go into effect on March 24 requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, promote, and retain protected veterans and individuals with disabilities
What many contractors may not realize is that as of July 1, 2013, they also became covered by federal whistleblower regulations. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 created a pilot program mandating all employees working for contractors, grantees, subcontractors, and subgrantees be protected by federal whistleblower law for all federal grants and contracts entered into after July 1, 2013.
Continue Reading New Whistleblower Protections Now in Effect For Federal Contractors
Arbitration of Discrimination Claims upheld by U.S. Supreme Court
The United States Supreme Court upheld a provision in a collective-bargaining agreement that clearly and unmistakably requires union members to arbitrate ADEA claims is enforceable as a matter of federal law. Accordingly, there is no legal basis for the Court to strike down an arbitration clause in a collective bargaining agreement, which was freely negotiated by
Mandatory use of E-Verify for Government Contractors delayed again to May 21, 2009
The Chamber of Commerce reports another delay in the implementation of Federal Acquisition Regulations that require mandatory use of the E-verify system by government contractors. An agreement was reached in the pending litigation for the purpose of allowing the Obama Administration an opportunity to review pending regulatory actions left over from the Bush Administration. The new
Good News: SHRM reports delay in E-Verify Regulations’ Effective Date until February 20, 2009
SHRM is reporting the delay of E-verify regulations until February 20, 2009. There is no such report on the Homeland Security or Dept of Justice websites. Stay tuned. A previous post discusses the regulations: E-Verify Final Regulations Issued Requiring Government Contractors and Subcontractors to Verify Employment for New and Existing Employees who Perform Contract Work
UPDATE:
Human Resources Legal Compliance Checklist for 2009
Human Resource Professionals face a demanding legal compliance year in 2009. The following five items should be added to your “To Do” list for the first quarter of ’09:
ADA Amendments Act Compliance (effective 1/1/2009): The amendments greatly expand the definition of disability refocusing compliance on determining whether the employee is “qualified” and evaluating reasonable
Another Headache for HR in 2009: Twenty-Seven Bi-Weekly Paydays
As if HR didn’t have enough on its plate with E-Verify compliance, new FMLA regs, and EFCA planning, next year is one of those strange years with 27 bi-weekly paydays instead of 26. Bi-weekly pay programs pay employees in 14-day increments resulting in a 364 day annual pay cycle. Since there are either
Obama Victory may give rise to Unprecedented Unionization of the American Workplace
Union membership and the public perception of the role of labor unions are relatively unchanged in recent years. Union membership was up only slightly in 2007 based on a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor, which published the following statistics on union membership:
Percentage of unionized workforce