Congress: Lather. Rinse. Repeat. After scuttling plans last month to vote on both a $1.2 trillion bipartisan “hard infrastructure” bill that the U.S. Senate approved, 69–30, on August 10, 2021, and a proposed $3.5 trillion...more
10/25/2021
/ Clean Water Act ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OIRA ,
OSHA ,
Preemption ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SEIU ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Unions ,
Workplace Safety
Congressional Drama. -
There was drama this week on Capitol Hill, as Congress juggled four major issues: funding for the federal government, a bipartisan bill to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, a $3.5 “human...more
10/4/2021
/ College Athletes ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Debt Ceiling ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Contractors ,
Government Shutdown ,
Infrastructure ,
Infrastructure Financing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Tax Credits ,
Temporary Regulations ,
USCIS ,
Vaccinations
Congressional Update -
Various committees in the U.S. House of Representatives continued to work this week on their respective portions of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion “human infrastructure” reconciliation bill-proposed...more
9/20/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Infrastructure ,
Infrastructure Financing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Tipped Employees ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
Vaccinations
Administration to Mandate Vaccines for Federal and Private-Sector Employees. President Joe Biden this week dramatically ramped up his administration’s efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates across the country....more
9/13/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
Private Sector ,
Public Sector ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
Joe Says “No.” Over the last several weeks, the Buzz has discussed congressional efforts to pass both a bipartisan “hard” infrastructure bill (this passed the U.S. Senate and is waiting in the U.S. House of Representatives),...more
9/7/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEO-1 ,
Emergency Rule ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
OSHA ,
Private Property ,
Property Access ,
Relief Measures ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Unions
Democrats Begin Process of Enacting Administration’s Domestic Goals.
It took some good old-fashioned politicking, but earlier this week the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $3.5 trillion budget resolution that...more
8/30/2021
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Budget ,
Human Capital ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Public Charge ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
Historic Federal Legislation on the Move. While the Buzz was out last week, the U.S. Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by a bipartisan vote of 69 to 30. As the Buzz has discussed, the bill provides $1.2...more
8/23/2021
/ AFL-CIO ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
COBRA ,
Congressional Budget Resolution ,
Congressional Committees ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEO-1 ,
Emergency Rule ,
Infrastructure ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda
Infrastructure Bill: Game On! After weeks of negotiating, there is finally bipartisan agreement in the U.S. Senate to move forward with a $550 billion bill to fund the repair and construction of physical infrastructure such...more
8/2/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Vaccinations
Senate Committee Examines PRO Act. On July 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing entitled “The Right to Organize: Empowering American Workers in a 21st Century...more
7/26/2021
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Biden Administration ,
Comment Period ,
Congressional Committees ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Kamala Harris ,
Minimum Wage ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Tipped Employees ,
Union Elections ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Dems to Push PRO Act in Massive Legislative Package. Congressional Democrats this week announced that they would unilaterally advance a $3.5 trillion “human infrastructure” package (providing for paid family and medical...more
7/19/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Bipartisan Agreement ,
Employee Benefits ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Multiemployer Plan ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
PBGC ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment
Last Week Today -
Here is a quick rundown of some of the labor and employment policy developments we missed last week while at Workplace Strategies in Austin, Texas (be sure to join us next year for the program at the...more
7/2/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Conciliation ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EEO-1 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Time Extensions ,
Tipped Employees ,
Union Elections ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
“A Month of Action on Capitol Hill.” The American Rescue Plan Act was enacted in March 2021, and since then President Joe Biden has been looking for his next major legislative victory. Accordingly, President Biden promised...more
6/14/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Paycheck Fairness Act ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Unions ,
USCIS
Workforce Update. The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics released its May 2021 jobs report on June 4, 2021. According to the report, American employers added 559,000 jobs in the previous month....more
6/7/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Labor Statistics ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Budget ,
Green Cards ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
National Interest Waiver ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SCOTUS ,
US State Departments ,
Visas
EEOC Releases Vaccine Guidance. On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued much-needed guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and the workplace. According to the guidance...more
6/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Financial Reporting ,
Military Service Members ,
New Guidance ,
NLRB ,
NPRM ,
OIRA ,
OSHA ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Transparency ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
Vaccinations
In its first 100 days in office, the Biden administration has advanced its policy priorities, many of which have involved repealing the policy accomplishments of the previous presidential administration. The Biden...more
5/21/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Graduate Students ,
H-1B ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
OFCCP ,
OIRA ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Charge ,
Religious Exemption ,
Revocation ,
Student Employees ,
Tipped Employees ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
April 30, 2021, marked President Joe Biden’s 100th day in office, and his administration has wasted little time advancing its policy priorities. At this moment, the administration is focusing most of its attention on...more
DOL Rescinds Independent Contractor Rule. On May 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a regulation rescinding its independent contractor rule, which was finalized on January 7, 2021, but never went into effect....more
5/10/2021
/ Biometric Information ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Definition ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Political Campaigns ,
Retirement Plan ,
Unions ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
Biden Releases American Families Plan -
This week, the White House released an outline of its American Families Plan, which is being touted as the second phase of the administration’s infrastructure proposal (dubbed the...more
5/3/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Education Budget ,
Employee's Childcare ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Agency Taskforce ,
Federal Contractors ,
Infrastructure ,
IRS ,
Minimum Wage ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions
What’d I Miss? -
We do not want to rehash old news, but in the interest of keeping our readers informed, here is a quick rundown of some of the items the Buzz missed last week while on hiatus....more
Administration Debuts Infrastructure Package. Just weeks after enacting the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, the Biden administration this week unveiled the American Jobs Plan - its $2.3 trillion infrastructure...more
4/5/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Baseball ,
Biden Administration ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-3 ,
EEO-1 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
H-1B ,
H-1B1 ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Infrastructure ,
Internal Investigations ,
L-1 Visas ,
NLRB ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Trump Administration ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Visas
There is an old saying in Washington, D.C., that personnel is policy. It is common sense: whoever is in charge of a federal agency or subagency will impart his or her own particular policy preferences on the agency’s...more
Biden Signs Sixth COVID-19 Aid Package Into Law. President Joe Biden promised the country an enormous economic rescue plan, and he delivered. On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of...more
3/15/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
EEOC General Counsel ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Filibuster ,
Graduate Students ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Charge ,
Teaching Assistants ,
Title VII ,
Union Elections ,
Workplace Safety
Biz Groups Are a “No” on PRO. As the Buzz mentioned last week, the U.S. House of Representatives is teeing up a vote on the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2021 (H.R. 842/S. 420) to occur sometime next week. In...more
3/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Enforcement Statistics ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Inspector General ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Union Elections ,
Unions
American Rescue Plan Moves Forward. Democrats in Congress are moving ahead with President Joe Biden’s “American Rescue Plan.” As of now - and this is still subject to change, of course - it appears that the U.S. House of...more
2/22/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
EBSA ,
Eighteenth Amendment ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Adviser ,
Immigration Reform ,
NLRB ,
Pending Legislation ,
Pregnancy ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Twenty-First Amendment
Congressional Update. It was another busy week on Capitol Hill. The U.S. Senate was, of course, preoccupied with the historic second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump. In the U.S. House of Representatives,...more
2/16/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Congressional Budget Resolution ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Federal Budget ,
Impeachment ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRB ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Presidential Appointments ,
Relief Measures