Worker Policy Watch
Your source for accurate and reliable information on how federal policies are shaping workers’ rights—and what’s at stake for working people nationwide under the Trump administration.
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Trump Administration guts the Civil Rights and Immigration Liaison Offices within the Department of Homeland Security
The Trump Administration fired virtually everyone from the offices within DHS that work to ensure that our nation's immigration policies are carried out in a manner that protects the civil rights of immigrants.
Impact:
Essentially, there is now no office within DHS through which immigrants can report any violations of their civil rights, giving the Trump administration even more free rein to carry out detention and removal proceedings in a cruel and illegal fashion.
Department of Justice Withdraws 11 Pieces of Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Compliance Guidance
Among the guidance that's been withdrawn is the type of access employers must give employees to know their rights under the ADA.
Impact:
This is yet another part of the Trump Administration's attack on the hard-won civil rights that workers should enjoy in this country.
The NLRB Drops a Case Against an Immigrant Detention Center which Allegedly Retaliated Against Detainees’ Concerted Activities
Detainees were working full time for as little as $1 per day and when they engaged in labor strikes, they were punished, including being sent to solitary confinement.
Impact:
With the NLRB dropping the case that was brought by the former General Counsel, it is clear that they will not protect immigrant detainees against abuse and unjust working conditions while they are in detention centers.
The Department of Justice and the EEOC Issue “Warning” Against “Illegal” Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices
This is yet another attempt by the administration to scare employers into giving up their perfectly legal diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, all of which are designed to help ensure compliance with the civil rights laws.
Impact:
As more employers become scared of the Administration's witch-hunts, they could scrap their best efforts to comply with the civil rights laws and make it harder for women, people of color, and other disadvantaged groups to fully and fairly compete for employment for which they are qualified.
Trump Removes a Directive Mandating that Federal Contractors Cannot Have Segregated Facilities for Their Employees
This has been a directive for federal contractors since the 1960s. Its removal continues the administration's attack on civil rights.
Impact:
Though other federal and state laws still prohibit such segregation, the administration is continuing to use it's platform to encourage the roll-back of civil rights.
Trump’s ban on transgender military service members is blocked by a federal judge
Ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes temporarily halts implementation of Trump’s ban against transgender individuals serving in the military.
Impact:
Judge Reyes held the ban violates equal protection because it both discriminates based on transgender status and sex and because “it is soaked in animus.” The temporary halt will keep transgender service members from the denial of essential medical care, paused deployments, forced administrative leave, and other harms.
EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas Sends A Letter to 20 Large Law Firms Demanding Information about their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices
The letter implies that Acting Chair Lucas believes that these firms' practices are discriminatory and violate the Civil Rights Act, though it fails to cite any evidence of discrimination. Former EEOC Commissioners and General Counsels have written a response, refuting Lucas' legal ability to ask for this information, and calling into question the justification for this letter in the first place.
Impact:
This letter is part of this administration's coordinated attack on this country's civil rights laws. The practices they are trying to threaten employers to abandon are the best tools employers have to ensure that they are hiring, employing, and promoting people free of discrimination, whether it be implicit or intentional.
Federal Judge clarifies that his injunction against Trump’s Executive Order shutting down diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and firing their workers is nationwide and applies to every federal agency
The administration is trying to dismantle federal agencies' efforts to make sure they are complying with the civil rights laws when it comes to their own employment practices as well as the work they do to administer grants and services to stakeholders.
Impact:
This injunction should reinstate public servants to their jobs and make sure that the administration can't dismantle agency efforts to comply with our civil rights laws.
Trump Administration Dismantles Key Civil Rights Enforcement Offices Across Agencies
The Trump administration is weakening civil rights and antidiscrimination enforcement by dismantling crucial civil rights offices across agencies that oversee and enforce these rights and protections for workers.
Impact:
In violation of federal law, this dismantling furthers the Trump administration’s stated goal of eliminating the internal and external civil rights functions altogether of the federal government. The in-agency equal opportunity offices are mandated by law to ensure that employees receive equal opportunity “regardless of race, sex, national origin, color, religion, disability or reprisal for engaging in prior protected activity.” These efforts would greatly hinder the ability of the Department of Labor’s contract compliance office to ensure large contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Deloitte, and many of Elon Musk's companies are abiding by fair pay and hiring practices for workers.
Trump administration Orders Removal of Transgender Military Members
Building off of Trump’s earlier Executive Order to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military, the Pentagon released a memo ordering transgender troops currently serving to be fired from the military within 60 days.
Impact:
Trump’s earlier Executive Order banning transgender individuals from serving in the military is currently being challenged by several lawsuits. This latest action goes further than the first Trump administration in that it seeks a complete purge of transgender military members currently serving as well as a ban. This order could result in as many as 15,000 service members being expelled from their jobs.