Counseling & Compliance Training - Page 12 of 91

OFCCP Extends Deadline for Individualized Objections From Federal Contractors to Production of Their 2016-2020 EEO-1 Data in Response to FOIA Request

As covered in a previous alert, on August 19, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) notified its federal contractor base that it received a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) for all Type 2 Consolidated Employer Information Reports, Standard Form 100 (EEO-1 Report), filed by federal contractors and first tier subcontractors from 2016-2020.

Contractors initially had until September 19, 2022, to file individualized objections to the production of their EEO-1 reports. Importantly, the OFCCP has extended the deadline to file an objection to October 19, 2022, to allow contractors sufficient time to ascertain whether they are covered by the FOIA request and submit objections.

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OFCCP Launches Notification of Construction Contract Award Portal

On August 26, 2022, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) launched its Notification of Construction Contract Award Portal (NCAP). The NCAP is a new online platform for contracting officers, applicants, contractors, and subcontractors to submit notice to the OFCCP of a construction contract or subcontract.

The OFCCP’s construction regulations require federal construction contractors to give written notice to the OFCCP within 10 working days of awarding a construction subcontract of more than $10,000 at any tier for construction work performed under a federal or federally assisted construction contract. 41 C.F.R. § 60-4.2(d)(3). Federal contracting officers, applicants for construction contracts, and non-construction contractors (in some circumstances) are also responsible for providing this notice. Id. §§ 60-4.2(b)–(c). The OFCCP uses this information to determine jurisdiction and to schedule construction contractors and subcontractors for compliance evaluations. The OFCCP has developed NCAP so that contractors can submit Form CC-314 information electronically. The OFCCP states that it also plans to use NCAP as the primary source for entering, tracking, and submitting contract award notifications for review by the agency.

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NLRB Embraces Stringent Review of Employer Dress Codes

On August 29, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or the Board) overturned a 2019 decision concerning the lawfulness of employer-promulgated dress codes and workplace apparel policies. In Tesla, Inc., the Board majority held that a workplace rule or policy that limits an employee’s ability to wear union insignia and logos is presumptively unlawful unless the employer can show that special circumstances exist to justify such a rule.

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Eleventh Circuit Concludes That President Biden Likely Exceeded Authority by Issuing Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate

On August 26, 2022, the Eleventh Circuit held that President Biden likely exceeded his authority by issuing the federal contractor vaccine mandate and affirmed the district court’s injunction prohibiting the federal government’s enforcement of the mandate against the plaintiffs. But the court also determined that the nationwide injunction — which applied to any contractor anywhere in the United States, plaintiff or not — was a “drastic form of relief.” Accordingly, the court vacated the district court’s injunction to the extent that it bars enforcement of the vaccine mandate against contractors who are not parties to the lawsuit.

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Food and Ag Industry: Know Your Visa Options and Immigration Strategies

This article was originally published January 21, 2020, and has been updated as of August 2022.

The food and agribusiness industry includes farms, restaurants and food manufacturing, processing and storage facilities. Companies within the food and agribusiness industry seek to employ talented professionals, such as research scientists, supply chain professionals, veterinarians and engineers, to bring food to the table in a changing world. With a focus on talent, food and agribusiness companies must understand the employment-based immigration factors that affect their U.S. workforces, as talented job candidates come from all over the world. Especially in periods of low unemployment, food and agribusiness companies need to be as competitive as possible in recruiting, hiring and retaining top-level talent.

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DC Finally Prunes its Ban on Non-Competes

When initially enacted in January 2021, the District of Columbia’s Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act was one of the broadest non-compete prohibitions in the country. Its effective date, however, was delayed on several occasions amid widespread criticism of its comprehensive scope. For more information about the original act and its subsequent delay, please see our previous posts on the matter here and here. The DC Council ultimately passed a scaled back version some 18 months later.

Effective October 1, 2022, the Non-Compete Clarification Amendment Act of 2022 (the “Amended Act”) limits the scope of the initial ban by narrowing of (a) the definition of a “non-compete provision” and (b) applicability to certain highly compensated employees (“HCEs”).

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