New Executive Order Shines Spotlight on Contractor Compliance With Labor Laws
Client Alert | 1 min read | 08.04.14
On July 31, 2014, the Obama Administration issued a new Executive Order that will lead to regulations requiring contractors bidding on procurement contracts in excess of $500,000 to disclose violations of various labor laws (including the FLSA, Service Contract Act, Davis-Bacon, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, NLRA, OSHA, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and others, as well as "equivalent" state laws) occurring within the preceding 3-year period, make similar representations with regard to certain subcontractors, and provide updated information on a continuing basis after award. The "Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order" will also expand the "Franken Amendment" limitation on contractors’ ability to enforce pre-dispute arbitration agreements as to certain types of employee claims and require federal agencies to designate a Labor Compliance Advisor tasked with facilitating compliance with labor laws, including "helping agency officials determine the appropriate response to address violations of the requirements of the labor laws" and "send[ing] information to agency suspending and debarring officials in accordance with agency procedures" (for additional discussion, see here).
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Client Alert | 3 min read | 06.12.26
DOJ Guidance Backs Away From Disparate Impact Liability
On June 9, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a formal opinion concluding that the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission’s (EEOC) existing interpretations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) disparate-impact liability, including the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP), are unconstitutional. According to the opinion, EEOC’s prior interpretations contemplate liability based on disproportionately adverse effects alone, without regard to an employer’s likely intent, rather than treating disparate impact as an evidentiary mechanism to “smoke out” intentional discrimination. DOJ found that this approach functions as a “qualified racial-proportionality mandate” that places “a racial thumb on the scales, often requiring employers to evaluate the racial outcomes of their policies, and to make decisions based on (because of) those racial outcomes.” The opinion fulfills one mandate of Executive Order 14281, which rejected disparate-impact liability insofar as it “creates a near insurmountable presumption that unlawful discrimination exists wherever there are any differences in outcomes among different [demographic groups].”
Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.12.26
Auto Dealers: The FTC Is Back in the Driver’s Seat — Warning Letters Signal Renewed Federal Scrutiny
Client Alert | 13 min read | 06.12.26
Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.12.26
