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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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.
Thousands of federal workers are reinstated per the terms of a federal judge’s ruling that their terminations were illegal
The Trump administration has taken steps to reinstate 24,000 probationary federal workers at 18 federal agencies after U.S. District Judge James Bredar orders rehiring of the wrongly terminated federal workers, though most have been put on administrative leave.
Impact:
Judge Bredar’s ruling is the second of two recent rulings that deemed the firings of probationary federal workers illegal. The majority of the 24,000 probationary workers reinstated have been put on administrative leave instead of rehired to full employment. This will continue to put those workers at risk if an appeals court rules against Judge Bredar’s reinstatement.
Federal Judge Rules that the Dismantling of USAID is Likely Unconstitutional
U.S. District Court Judge Theodore Chuang of Maryland blocks the administration from making any further cuts to the agency and orders the administration to resintate computer and email access to all fired employees.
Impact:
The order stops short of requiring the employees to be rehired and there will be further judicial proceedings to determine what happens next.
Crystal Carey is Nominated to be General Counsel at the National Labor Relations Board
Carey is a management side attorney at the well-known union-busting firm Morgan Lewis.
Impact:
This is one of the many steps that the Trump administration is taking to stack the deck against workers who want to unionize and collectively bargain with their employers over the terms and conditions of their labor.
Trump Signs an Executive Order to Close the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
The FMCS works with employers, workers and unions to reach consensus and avoid strikes, impasses, and litigation during labor disputes.
Impact:
Experts have long praised the cost-effective services that the FMCS provides in helping to maintain labor peace and successful resolution of labor disputes.
Trump Administration Mandates that Federal Agencies Detail the Costs of Negotiating Collective Bargaining Agreements with Federal Sector Unions
The administration continues its attack on the legally and duly certified federal sector unions who help make sure that public servants have good terms and conditions of work.
Impact: The information gained could be used, without providing appropriate context, to make the case that agencies should not bargain with federal sector unions any longer, which would be illegal.
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.
USDA Allows Dangerous Speeds at Meat Processing Plants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended waivers for poultry and pork processing plans to operate at high speeds and announced plans to formalize these speed increases across the industry with forthcoming rulemaking. Workers in these types of jobs face high rates of injury due to unsafe speeds and need common-sense regulation, inspection, and enforcement to protect them on the job.
Impact:
These meat processing jobs are some of the most dangerous jobs in the country, and the industry is seeking to increase their profits at the expense of worker safety.