An Essential Resource for Employers
On the latest episode of our podcast, Business Better, our Ballard lawyers provide an update on the current status of the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and the steps employers should be taking as a result of the recent changes.
Leading this discussion is Lila Sevener, an Associate in Ballard’s Philadelphia office.… Continue Reading
The federal Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019 (Fair Chance Act) officially took effect this week on December 20, 2021. The law was signed two years ago as Section 1123 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
Known as the “Ban the Box” Act, it prohibits federal contractors from asking applicants seeking work under federal contracts about their criminal histories until after the contractor extends a conditional job offer.… Continue Reading
On the latest episode of our podcast, Business Better, we discuss the current array of federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates: their effectiveness and requirements, the scope of their coverage, and what employers should consider in responding to them. This recording took place on December 1st and does not capture changes which have taken place after this date.… Continue Reading
Many federal contractors already have an obligation to develop and maintain written Affirmative Action Plans. Now, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has announced that those same companies will be required to use a new online platform, called the “Affirmative Action Plan Verification Interface,” available here, to annually certify that they are complying with that obligation.… Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) published a Final Rule on Monday November 22, 2021 raising the minimum wage for federal contractor employees to $15 an hour. The Rule takes effect on January 30, 2022 and will apply to new or updated contracts with the U.S. Government. The higher wage will apply to existing contracts when parties exercise their option to extend contracts, which often occurs annually.… Continue Reading
The deadline for covered federal contractors to comply with the vaccine mandate was extended from December 8 to January 4. For more information on the mandate, read our September post. The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force also updated its FAQs on the mandate to address coverage for affiliated entities.
This extension of the deadline comes at the same time that OSHA issued an Emergency Temporary Standard that requires most private-sector employers with 100 or more employees to have their employees vaccinated or test weekly by January 4. … Continue Reading
On September 24, 2021, the White House issued Guidance explaining that Federal contractors and subcontractors with a covered contract or contract-like instrument must comply with the following workplace safety protocols:
Several new developments have come from the Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) this week.
In a notice published to the Federal Register on September 2, 2021, the OFCCP announced that it is revisiting its current position on Component 2 pay data, collection of which was suspended during the Trump administration.… Continue Reading
On July 21, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced that a wide range of government contractors would be required to pay private sector employees at least $15 per hour, in a plan to carry out President Joe Biden’s executive order signed this past April. Our blog post about President Biden’s executive order requiring the wage increase can be found here.… Continue Reading
On Tuesday, April 27, President Biden signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their employees a minimum of $15 an hour starting on March 30, 2022. After that, the order will continue to index the minimum wage for federal contractors to an inflation measure.
This raise in the pay floor – which was previously increased by President Obama – represents a hike of about $4.… Continue Reading
