OFCCP Week In Review: November 5, 2018

The OFCCP Week in Review (WIR) is a simple, fast and direct summary of relevant happenings in the OFCCP regulatory environment, authored by experts John C. Fox, Candee Chambers and Jennifer Polcer. In today’s edition, they discuss:

• HIRE Vets Award Ceremony
• Joint-Employers – Comment Time Extended
• Sexual Harassment Prevention – Meeting Details
• Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 3.7%
• Reminder: Get Out and Vote

Monday, October 29, 2018: HIRE Vets Award Ceremony

Save the Date! November 8, 2018.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will announce the winners of the HIRE Vets Medallion Program Demonstration at the DOL office located at 200 Constitution Avenue, NW in Washington, DC.

This program was a “trial run” for the first annual HIRE Vets Program to open next year. However, as the criteria matched the Program to run next year, the winners will have full bragging rights! We look forward to finding out who is who among companies doing great things for Veteran hiring and retention.

Click here to RSVP–space is limited!

Tuesday, October 30, 2018: Joint-Employer – Comment Time Extended

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced a 30-day time extension for submitting comments on Proposed Joint-Employer Rulemaking.

See our breakdown of the Proposed Rule and who on the Board stands where on the issue here.

Submit your comments!

The submission window is open through Thursday, December 13, 2018.

As of today, the site indicates ZERO comments! Get your comments in here.

DE Members: We can comment on your behalf, let us know your thoughts or concerns here.

More Details

• The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and request for comments in the Federal Register.
• The original announcement regarding the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018: Sexual Harassment Prevention – Meeting Details

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) posted the details from the Public Meeting held last week on the prevention of sexual harassment in the workforce. Biographies and statements of all panelists are also available. A video of the meeting and a full transcript will be available and posted soon.

The Bottom Line

Panelists told EEOC that a holistic approach is needed to change workplace culture to prevent harassment.

Witnesses at the meeting focused on innovative training approaches, leadership, and accountability as components of holistic solutions to addressing harassment. Veronica Girón, a janitor and leader in the Ya Basta Campaign, and Alejandra Valles, the Secretary-Treasurer of SEIU United Service Workers West, told Commissioners about their training program. The program, designed and delivered by janitors, teaches how to respond in the moment to sexual harassment. The training video features janitors who have experienced sexual harassment, and also includes roleplays of the most common situations they typically confront. These organizations are now partnering with employers and state agencies to implement the training program.

Friday, November 2, 2018: Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 3.7%

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released October’s ‘Employment Situation.’

U.S. Secretary of State, Alexander Acosta announced, “The October jobs report showed another booming month of job creation. With 250,000 new jobs added, we have a total of 4.5 million new jobs since November 2016. Jobs were added across all industries. Employment hit a record high of 156,562,000.”

Employers – if the numbers above don’t have you reviewing (or creating) your disability inclusion strategy, start circulating last week’s data analysis by Accenture and Disability:IN.

Need data on your company?

Register your company today and find out where can you can make improvements. Registration for the 2019 Disability Equality Index closes January 11, 2019.

Reminder: Get Out and Vote!

Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

Dinner Table Trivia

• Election Day is the day set by law for the general elections of federal public officials. It is statutorily set as “the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November” or “the first Tuesday after November 1.” The earliest possible date is November 2nd, and the latest possible date is November 8th.
• Every two years:
• We hold elections to the S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. All Representatives of the House are elected to serve two-year terms and are up for election every two years.
• We hold elections for one-third of Senators. Senators serve six-year terms, and their terms are staggered, so that one-third are up for election in any given general election. 
• Midterm elections (like this one) are what we call general elections in which presidential candidates are not on the ballot.

Despite the differences in how states run elections, the basic steps to vote are the same almost everywhere.

• Every state except North Dakota requires you to register to vote.
• Every state has absentee voting.
• Most states assign you a specific polling place or voting location. A few states have ballot drop sites instead.

Register to Vote.

THIS COLUMN IS MEANT TO ASSIST IN A GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CURRENT LAW AND PRACTICE RELATING TO OFCCP. IT IS NOT TO BE REGARDED AS LEGAL ADVICE. COMPANIES OR INDIVIDUALS WITH PARTICULAR QUESTIONS SHOULD SEEK ADVICE OF COUNSEL.