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ABC submitted comments on Jan. 5 to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) expressing their strong opposition to the proposed rule that would require government contractors to report summary data on employee compensation to the DOL. ABC urges the OFCCP to withdraw their proposal.

The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) filed a lawsuit Jan. 5 seeking to overturn the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) controversial ambush election rule. The changes are scheduled to take effect April 14 unless a court or Congress blocks enforcement of the new rule. The suit was filed in the D.C. Federal District Court and follows CDW’s successful 2012 lawsuit that overturned the NLRB’s previous ambush election rule. 

The DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a final rule Dec. 9 implementing Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees and prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in federal employment.

In addition to the OSHA and federal contracting regulations, the latest regulatory agenda, released Nov. 21, outlines the Department of Labor’s (DOL) plan to move forward with the controversial persuader rule and overtime requirements among other important rules affecting the construction industry.

Federal Contractors should be on the lookout for a number of items listed in the latest regulatory agenda, released Nov. 21, which lists the priorities of the administration and the rulemakings they expect to release this year. 

ABC and 19 other business trade groups, sent a letter on Nov. 6 requesting that President Obama withdraw the “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” Executive Order (E.O.). The letter, sent to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Thomas Perez and Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council Cecilia Muñoz, outlines ABC’s concerns that the E.O. dramatically changes the enforcement mechanisms carefully put in place by Congress and needlessly adds uncertainty, subjectivity and onerous and costly new data collection and reporting requirements for federal contractors. 

ABC strongly opposed a new executive order (EO) that will harm federal contractors, taxpayers and government procurement officials at an Oct. 13, 2014, White House listening session with major employer association representatives, businesses and Obama administration officials.

On Oct. 7, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division issued a final rule to implement Executive Order 13658, which would establish an hourly minimum wage of $10.10 for workers performing on covered federal construction and service contracts. 

On September 25 the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans' Employment and Training Service issued a final rule that changed the reporting requirements for federal contractors and subcontractors who hire and employ veterans under provisions of the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

The Obama administration has recently issued several heavy-handed executive actions that affect the federal contracting community, particularly the construction industry. These actions cover everything from potential blacklisting to super-minimum wage to overtime.