Equal Opportunity

A few years ago, we reported on regulations governing federal contractors’ nondiscrimination obligations with respect to LGBT employees.  The Trump Administration has taken steps to roll back many Obama-era efforts, although the Executive Order and rules establishing LGBT-related protections for employees of federal contractors remain in force, at least for now.  The Second Circuit recently decided a high-profile case that affirmed the legal basis for those obligations and extended them beyond the federal contractor community.  In doing so, the Second Circuit rejected the Trump Justice Department’s position with respect to LGBT nondiscrimination.

The case, which has generated significant press coverage, deserves close attention from all employers, including contractors, as LGBT nondiscrimination rules continue to develop in courts, executive agencies, and legislatures.  In this post, we examine the considerations for government contractors and outline some best practices for companies that work with the federal government. 
Continue Reading In Sexual Orientation Nondiscrimination Claims, “EEO Is the Law,” and Not Just for Government Contractors

On February 1, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued 1,000 corporate scheduling announcement letters (CSALs) to federal contractors, a move that suggests a renewed emphasis on the agency’s enforcement of anti-discrimination and affirmative action employment laws. CSALs are informal notices that precede the official initiation of an OFCCP compliance evaluation, but the issuance of these letters serves as both a sign of OFCCP’s enforcement posture under the Trump administration and a call to action for the contractor establishments that receive these notifications.
Continue Reading Incoming! Issuance of 1,000 Notifications Portends Ramp-Up of OFCCP Enforcement Activity

On April 10, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council issued an interim rule “amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement Executive Order (E.O. 13672) . . . and a final rule issued by the Department of Labor.”  As we previously blogged, Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) final rule implements E.O. 13672 and effectively “prohibit[s] discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity in the federal contracting workforce.”  Despite the April 10 issuance of this interim rule, the DOL regulation actually became effective on April 8 of this year.
Continue Reading FAR Council Issues Interim Rule Implementing LGBT Protections

Today, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) published a new final rule “prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity in the federal contracting workforce.”  This rule implements Executive Order 13672, signed by President Obama on July 21, and marks the first federal action ensuring LGBT workplace equality that implicates the private sector.

Prior to implementation of this rule, as a result of Executive Order 11246, federal regulations prohibited federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, and required them to take affirmative steps  to prevent discrimination on those bases from occurring.  Now, however, the list of classifications will be amended to substitute  “sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin” for “sex or national origin.”  The new language must be inserted into the Equal Opportunity Clause by federal agencies in all covered contracts and by prime contractors into covered subcontracts.  The new language will apply to contracts entered into or modified on or after April 8, 2015 (the effective date).

Last Wednesday, December 3, following DOL’s announcement of the final rule, Rep. John Kline, Chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, and Rep. Tim Walberg, Chair of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, sent a letter to the Director of DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (“OFCCP”) urging that the Office allow for a 60-day period for the public to comment on the regulation.  The Congressmen asserted that Section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) requires general notice of a proposed rulemaking with an opportunity for public participation.  DOL, of course, disagreed. The agency  indicated that implementation without prior notice and comment “is consistent with agency precedent under other Administrations,” and that because the Executive Order was “very clear” and “left no discretion regarding how to proceed,” principles of administrative law allow DOL to publish the final rule without prior notice or comment.Continue Reading DOL Implements New Rule: Government Contractors and Subcontractors Prohibited from Discriminating Against LGBT Workers.