Alayna M. Piwonski

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On February 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued a Notice announcing new minimum wage rates for workers performing work on or in connection with federal contracts covered by the 2014 Obama-era Executive Order 13658, which established a minimum wage for federal contractors and subcontractors. Effective May 11, 2026, the minimum wage for certain federal contracts will be $13.65 per hour for regular employees and $9.55 per hour for tipped employees.… Continue Reading

Marc Seawright, former Director of Information Governance and Strategy at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), submitted a formal complaint with the EEOC alleging discrimination and harassment based on sex (specifically, gender identity and sexual orientation), as well as a hostile work environment. Seawright, who identifies as a queer transgender man, resigned from his position on June 18, 2025.… Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced several self-audit programs to assist employers, unions, and benefit plan officials with voluntarily assessing and correcting their compliance with federal labor laws. One of those programs is the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program. The PAID program encourages employers to self-identify and resolve minimum wage and overtime violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and certain leave violations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).… Continue Reading

The 2024 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection window opened on May 20, 2025, and the deadline to file the 2024 EEO-1 Component 1 report is June 24, 2025. Filers should note that the collection window is shorter this year, and that beginning this year, all communications sent to filers will be electronic.… Continue Reading

During the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final regulation (the “2024 Rule”) seeking to increase the salary threshold for overtime eligibility for the “white-collar” exemption (also referred to as the “EAP” exemption – executive, administrative, and professional) and the “highly-compensated employee” (HCE) exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).… Continue Reading

Following President Trump’s issuance of Executive Order 14148 on January 20, 2025, which rescinded 78 executive actions taken by Former President Biden, the President rescinded an additional slew of Biden-era executive actions on March 14. Among the 18 executive actions revoked is a duo of Executive Orders which applied to federal contractors and subcontractors and will impact labor and employment issues:

  1. Executive Order 14026 of April 27, 2021 (Increasing the Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors); and
  2. Executive Order 14126 of September 6, 2024 (Investing in America and Investing in American Workers).
… Continue Reading

On March 19, 2025, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the release of two technical assistance documents which are “focused on educating the public about unlawful discrimination related to ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) in the workplace.” The EEOC and the DOJ released a joint one-page technical assistance document titled “What To Do If You Experience Discrimination Related to DEI at Work,” and the EEOC also released a longer question-and-answer technical assistance document titled “What You Should Know About DEI-Related Discrimination at Work” (collectively, the “Guidance”).… Continue Reading