Newsline

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has extended the deadline for filing the 2017 EEO-1 Survey from March 31 to June 1, 2018. According to the EEOC FAQs, for the 2017 EEO-1 reporting cycle, the EEO-1 will collect data on the race, ethnicity and sex of workers by job category from private employers with 100 or more employees and federal contractors with 50 or more employees and $50,000 in contract(s).

Citing a survey of ABC member and chapter labor attorneys that found widespread dissatisfaction with the 2014 “ambush” election final rule, ABC submitted comments urging the National Labor Relations Board to rescind the rule in whole or in significant part and return to the election procedures that were in effect and working well prior to the new rule’s adoption.

On April 12, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division released three opinion letters that address compliance issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act and other similar laws.

On April 11, the U.S. Senate voted 50-48 to confirm John Ring to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Mr. Ring's confirmation brings the NLRB back to five members: three Republicans and two Democrats. ABC sent a letter to the Senate in support of Mr. Ring, who served as a partner at Morgan Lewis. ABC will count Wednesday's vote as a key vote for the 115th congressional scorecard.  

On April 9, federal agency heads signed the “One Federal Decision Memorandum of Understanding,” which will further implement the administration's executive order to streamline the federal permitting process for major infrastructure projects. ABC expressed support for the executive order when it was announced in 2017. 

On April 3, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division launched the Payroll Audit Independent Determination program, a new nationwide pilot program to assist employers in expediting the resolution of inadvertent overtime and minimum wage violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The pilot program will be implemented for approximately six months nationwide.

On March 2, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it will begin enforcement of the final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in general, shipyard and construction industries on May 11, 2018. According to an OSHA news release, the enforcement date was previously set for March 12, 2018, but this new timeframe aims to ensure stakeholders are aware of their obligations and compliance to the final rule.

On March 20, 2018, ABC joined leading employer organizations to form the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage (P4ESC). The coalition will work to strengthen and protect employment-based health care coverage and will champion solutions to protect these benefits for hardworking Americans.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its Year in Review 2017-2018, which details the agency’s progress on achieving three objectives laid out by Administrator Scott Pruitt during the first year of the Trump administration. The agency highlighted the launch of the Smart Sectors program, a partnership program between EPA and regulated sectors focused on achieving better environmental outcomes, of which ABC was a participant.

On March 7, 2018, ABC was part of a coalition that sent a letter to congressional appropriators asking them to include language in the omnibus spending bill that defunds the enforcement of the “prior authorization” requirement for trade association Political Action Committees.