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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Andrea Lucas is Confirmed to Another Term as an EEOC Commissioner
Lucas, who has stopped all enforcement protecting workers against gender identity discrimination; who has dismissed a class action case of discrimination against people with criminal records; and who has threatened law firms who attempt to use legal means to achieve a diverse and inclusive workforce, is confirmed for another term on the EEOC.
Impact:
With Lucas at the helm of the EEOC, we can expect the roll-back of many important pieces of guidance and the continuation of the Trump administration's culture wars, rather than any sort of even-handed enforcement of our nation's civil rights laws.
Trump Fires the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Blaming Her, Rather than the Economy, for a Weak Jobs Report.
After a monthly report on unemployment and job growth that was weaker than he would have liked, Trump fired the head of BLS, the agency that puts out factual and neutral analysis of employment statistics.
Impact:
Trump is clearly planning to replace her with a loyalist who will tell him what he wants to hear, endangering the integrity of BLS statistics which are of tremendous importance to businesses, policymakers, and labor market analysts.
Federal Appeals Court Rules DOL Must Disclose Contractor Workforce Demographic Data
Three judges on the Ninth Circuit ruled unanimously that the U.S. Department of Labor must release workforce demographic data of federal contractors requested by investigative journalists in 2019.
Impact:
If the administration appeals, the case could drag on further. If not, the public could gain access to workplace demographic information of federal contractors gathered by the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. This information could shed light on disparities in various companies and across the economy. Persistent occupational segregation is a feature of the U.S. labor market.
DOJ Memo Continues Trump Administration Assault on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a memo continuing the administration’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion. It mischaracterizes these practices, which seek to remove unfair barriers and create equal opportunity for all workers, as illegal discrimination. The fact is, in a society with structural racism and a labor market with persistent occupational segregation, we need more, not fewer, practices to break down these barriers.
Impact:
Neither the President nor the Attorney General can change the law on their own, and federal law and judicial precedent continue to support programs and practices to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. But in the context of the Trump administration’s weaponization of the federal government to retaliate against private institutions that oppose its illegal actions, and news about some corporations rolling back the progress they’ve made on diversity, equity, and inclusion, we have serious concerns about a chilling effect that will unfairly leave workers out in the cold.
Federal Contractor Compliance Conference Canceled By Trump Administration
The National Industry Liaison Group’s annual conference was canceled for the first time in 40 years due to the Trump administration’s rescission of Executive Order 11246.
Impact:
The annual conference brings together hundreds of federal contractors and attorneys to discuss effective compliance but was canceled because the industry’s discrimination watchdog office has been slashed by the Trump administration.
Trump Administration Tells Federal Employees They May Proseletyze In their Workplaces
According to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management, "During a break, an employee may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs."
Impact:
Federal employees may now be pressured by their supervisors and co-workers to engage in discussions of their religious beliefs, or lack thereof, in the workplace.
DOGE Builds AI Tool Aimed at Cutting 50 Percent of Federal Regulations
DOGE has developed an artificial intelligence tool designed to assist the administration in rushing to roll back half of all federal regulations. The tool will analyze some 200,000 regulations, determine which could be most easily eliminated, and process public comments such that a handful of employees could wipe away thousands of regulations.
Impact:
Federal regulations often exist for good reason - to protect health and safety in the workplace, prevent environmental destruction, or ensure food safety. They make the laws and authorities passed by Congress real. This tool, like DOGE’s broader project, aims to slash and burn for the sake of slashing and burning. It could facilitate further cuts to the federal workforce on the theory that their jobs could be done by AI. It also undermines the government’s legal obligation to genuinely consider and respond to public comments on proposed actions - not to simply feed them through an AI chatbot. The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed to roll back more than 60 regulations, from civil rights to mine safety. More could be coming, especially if the agency unleashes an untested artificial intelligence program on the regulations that workers rely on to protect them on the job.
Census Bureau to Hire Fewer Workers for 2030 Count
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is reporting that the U.S. Census Bureau plans to hire fewer temporary workers to collect data for the 2030 Census count, which could lead to an undercounting of certain populations.
Impact:
The U.S. Census count of demographic and population data is crucial in determining federal funding for states, allocating seats in the U.S. House of Representatives based on population, and informing other governmental policies and programs. Accurate counting of the census is a civil rights issue. For example, if some states are undercounted (or overcounted), those states may be underrepresented (or overrepresented) in Congress.
DOL Will Halt Enforcement of Home Care Rule Wage Requirements
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it will no longer enforce the 2013 home care rule, which extended minimum wage and overtime protections to home health and personal care aides.
Impact:
The DOL has proposed rolling back the 2013 home care rule, which would mean that employers would not be required under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to pay home care workers at least the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour, or pay overtime. As the process to roll back the 2013 rule continues, DOL has issued guidance for field staff to discontinue enforcement of the 2013 rule, including open cases. The comment period on the proposed rule is open until September 2, 2025.
USDA to Force Thousands of D.C.-based Workers to Relocate or Quit
The Agriculture Department is planning to relocate more than half of its Washington, D.C.–based workforce to five new regional hubs and consolidate regional offices across the country.
Impact:
The reorganization of USDA offices is part of the Trump administration’s larger goal to reduce USDA’s workforce. Workers from one of the two main buildings in D.C., as well as from several regional D.C. area offices in Maryland and Virginia, will be forced to relocate to new regional hubs at lower locality pay or leave the agency.