Insights

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Category: Affirmative Action and Diversity

OFCCP Confirms Pending AAP-VI Help Desk Requests Effectively Waive June Filing Deadline

The Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has announced that federal contractors that were unable to meet the June 29 filing deadline for certifying compliance via the agency’s online Affirmative Action Program Verification Interface (AAP-VI) Contractor Portal will be considered to have filed a timely certification if they requested assistance from the AAP-VI Help Desk by that...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

Supreme Court Clarifies Title VII Religious Accommodation Standard: Undue Hardship Means Substantial Cost

The Supreme Court has ruled that an employer must show that an employee’s requested religious accommodation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) will result in substantial cost to its business before the employer can deny the accommodation. The ruling in Groff v. DeJoy upends years of lower court case law holding that an employer...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

President Biden Nominates Charlotte Burrows to a Third Term on the EEOC

President Biden has nominated current Chair Charlotte Burrows to serve another five-year term on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Her nomination will require confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Although her existing term was set to expire on July 1, 2023, statutory rules allow her to continue to serve until Congress adjourns for the year if the Senate fails to...
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Category: Discrimination and Harassment

EEOC Chair Burrows Issues Report Critical of Construction Industry EEO Practices

Pervasive harassment and discrimination in hiring practices and apprenticeships have contributed to the exclusion of women and minorities from jobs in the U.S. construction industry, according to a report issued by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Charlotte Burrows. The 46-page report, entitled “Building for the Future: Advancing Equal Employment Opportunity in the Construction Industry,” is based on testimony from an EEOC public...
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Category: Affirmative Action and Diversity

“Unit Number” Issue Is Complicating OFCCP AAP-VI Portal Compliance

As the June 29, 2023, deadline approached for federal contractors and subcontractors to certify compliance with their AAP obligations via the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) online AAP-VI portal, an issue involving unit numbers arose for some federal contractors. OFCCP’s Contractor Portal requires every AAP establishment listing to have a unique Unit Number that aligns with the...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Becomes Effective This Week

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) took effect on June 27, 2023.  The PWFA requires a covered employer to provide reasonable accommodations for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, absent a showing of undue hardship. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will enforce the new law. This memo provides guidance while we await interpretive regulations from...
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Category: FLSA

Sixth Circuit Rejects Two-Step Procedure for Certifying FLSA Class Claims

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has rejected the often plaintiff-friendly conditional certification that many courts grant in allowing a collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act to proceed. Instead, the court has adopted a standard that requires lead plaintiffs to first show a “strong likelihood” that other employees are similarly situated before allowing them to...
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Category: Agency Enforcement

Latest Biden Regulatory Agenda Lists No New Workplace Initiatives

The Biden Administration’s latest semi-annual regulatory agenda, published on June 13, 2023, lists no new initiatives related to workplace compliance, as many of the initiatives it announced previously remain bogged down pending final action. This memo summarizes the latest workplace-related regulatory agendas of the Department of Labor (DOL) and its sub-agencies, such as the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs...
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Category: Disability, Accommodations, and Leaves

Eleventh Circuit Rules No Unlawful Interference With FMLA Rights Absent Request for Leave

An employee’s failure to inform her employer that she was requesting leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) relieved the employer of its obligation to provide the employee with required FMLA notices, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled in Graves v. Brandstar, Inc., (11th Cir. May 9, 2023). Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC)...
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Category: Agency Enforcement

EEOC’s Final FY 2022 Enforcement Numbers Show Big Jump in Charges Filed

Final enforcement and litigation statistics published by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for fiscal year (FY) 2022 show that the agency received 73,485 charges of discrimination last year, a 20% increase from the previous year. The statistics for FY 2022 (which ran from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022) counter a five-year decrease in charge filings and were...

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