PUTTING WORKERS FIRST?

Who are the Trump Administration & Congress (really) fighting for?
"Every decision . . . will be made to benefit American workers."
- President Trump, Inaugural Address, Jan 20, 2017
View By Week
View By Month
Browse by topic
Agriculture Airline Apprenticeship Arbitration Automotive Benefits Border Wall Budget CDC Census CFPB CMS collective bargaining Congress Construction coronavirus Corporate accountability Defense DHHS Disabled Workers DOD DOJ DOL DPA drug testing Education EEOC Enforcement EPA Equal Opportunity Executive Executive Order Farmworkers Federal Contracting Federal Workforce Fiduciary Rule FMLA Gig Workers H-2A Health and Safety Health Care HHS Home Care HUD Immigrant Workers Immigration IRS Jobs Joint Employer Legislation Low-income workers Manufacturing Military Minimum Wage Misclassification NLRB Nominations OFCCP Older Workers OMB OPM OSHA Overtime Paid Leave Regulatory Religion Retirement Social Security Steel Workers Supreme Court TAA Taxes technology Tipped Workers Trade Transportation Unemployment Insurance Unions USDA Wage and Hour Wage-theft Youth Workers
Week 193
Sep 29, 2020

Trump’s DOL does almost no enforcement of workplace safety in first seven months of pandemic.

  • OSHA has only responded to a handful of the nine thousand complaints the agency has received with an onsite inspection, and has only issued 7 citations.
  • This inadequate response to workers safety concerns sends a signal to industries that there are no consequences for failing to provide safe workplace conditions.
Read More
DOL, OSHA
Week 192
Sep 24, 2020

Trump’s DOL stifles enforcement press releases.

  • A memo sent by DOL's Deputy Secretary instructed agency heads not to issue press releases unless their findings reveal "extraordinary circumstances."
  • Agency press releases often announce employer citations and violations to the public. Workers will be less informed about employer infractions and any accountability actions without these announcements.
Read More
DOL
Sep 22, 2020

Trump’s DOL attempts to misclassify workers with latest independent contractor proposal.

  • The DOL's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking narrows the broad coverage of workers for minimum wage and overtime protections.
  • More construction, janitorial, home care, delivery and so-called "gig" workers will be shut out of wage and hour protections, while companies get a free pass to call more workers independent contractors.
Read More
DOL
Sep 22, 2020

Trump’s CDC alters meat plant safety protocols after influence from industry.

  • On behalf of the meat industry, the USDA intervened after the CDC finished a study on protecting meat workers from COVID-19 and was able to pressure CDC scientists to weaken its recommendations from its original version to include "if possible" or "if feasible" on all recommendations. This is unprecedented in a CDC/NIOSH study.
  • Political and industry weakening of workplace safety guidance​ that is to be based on science and data to protect meat workers from COVID will and has jeopardized the safety and lives of meat and poultry workers and prioritize profits over working people.
Read More
CDC, Health and Safety
Sep 22, 2020

Trump extends efforts to stifle anti-racism training with federal contractor expansion.

  • Trump expanded an Executive Order that prevents federal agencies from giving diversity trainings to also include federal contractors.
  • This is an effort to end education and training on systemic racism in the workplace. By denying agencies and contractors the ability to receive diversity training, racist behaviors and practices will continue to be perpetuated in the workplace.
Read More
DOL, OFCCP
Week 190
Sep 11, 2020

DOL revises paid leave under FFCRA again.

  • DOL narrowed the overly broad healthcare exemptions for paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, but stood firm on original interpretations like allowing employers to deny leave if they claim work is not available and requiring that workers get consent to take flexible leave.
  • This interpretation will allow more healthcare providers to receive much-needed paid leave during the pandemic. However, the restrictions that are still in place will still leave many workers at a disadvantage when attempting to access paid leave during the pandemic.
Read More
DOL
Week 189
Sep 03, 2020

EEOC opinion letter makes discrimination suits more complicated for workers.

  • The EEOC issued an opinion letter that entangles section 707 under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, by requiring additional steps to prove discrimination like a pre-suit and a conciliation process
  • This theory abandons long-standing practices of filing workplace discrimination suits and will make the legal process even more challenging for workers.
Read More
EEOC
Sep 01, 2020

Trump’s DOL issues FWW opinion giving employers additional overtime control.

  • DOL issued four opinion letters that aim to clarify fluctuating work week standards under the FLSA, giving employers additional conditions to consider when making the calculation applicable or not.
  • These opinions give employers more options to disqualify workers from overtime hours and wages.
Read More
DOL
Week 187
Aug 17, 2020

Trump’s NLRB continues to give employers a pass with several “Boeing” rulings.

  • The Boeing ruling is an overturned Obama-era test that errs on the side of employers when defending themselves against worker activity that may violate handbook and other policies.
  • The rulings include workers being prohibited from bringing personal items like cellphones into work spaces to document labor violations, and blocking workers from linking to employer websites from blogs or social media.
Read More
NLRB
Week 186
Aug 13, 2020

Trump’s NLRB issues slew of guidance letters denying COVID protected concerted activity.

  • The NLRB issued memoranda advising the dismissal of several COVID-19 related charges against employers.
  • The dismissals range from individual complaints about COVID not qualifying as concerted activity, to employers not having to provide unions with COVID related layoff information during bargaining periods. This guidance is "employer-friendly" and strips retaliatory effort protections for workers that employers may use related to COVID-19.
Read More
NLRB
Week 184
Jul 28, 2020

Trump’s NLRB proposes rule that would strip access to worker information ahead of elections.

  • The proposed rule removes a 2014 requirement that provides workers contact information to unions before representation voting.
  • This rule could result in less union representation in the workplace.
Read More
NLRB
Week 183
Jul 21, 2020

Trump’s NLRB rules that workers that use profanity can be fired.

  • The ruling reversed a previous standard that protected workers from being fired for using profane language during labor disputes.
  • This ruling is a blow to worker power and activism; it will make it easier for employers to fire workers that speak out about mistreatment or the job.
Read More
NLRB
Explore Our Library
Publications Explore Our Library
Meet Our Staff
Staff Meet Our Staff
Visit the Newsroom
Newsroom Visit the Newsroom
Contact

National Employment Law Project

90 Broad Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10004

Work With Us

View Job Openings

Follow us
General Inquiries

nelp@nelp.org
Subscribe
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
The site is for informational purposes only and does not provide legal advice. Website by Briteweb
Back to Top of Page