Trump signs bill that kills Obama-era rule targeting wage theft, unsafe working conditions

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

By Kimberly Kindy – Washington Post
Mar 28, 2018, 8:56 am

President Donald Trump signed a bill Monday that killed an Obama-era worker safety rule that required businesses competing for large federal contracts to disclose and correct serious safety and other labor law violations.

Earlier this month, the Senate voted to eliminate the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule, which applied to contracts valued at $500,000 or more. Votes on the bill in both the House and Senate divided along party lines.
said.

The Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces regulation was finalized in August but most of it was never implemented. Within days of it being finalized, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) sued, securing a temporary injunction that prohibited the federal government from implementing it.

In a last-minute effort to fight for the rule earlier this month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., released a staff report that showed that 66 of the federal government’s 100 largest contractors have at some point violated federal wage and hour laws. Since 2015, the report says, more than a third of the 100 largest OSHA penalties have been imposed on federal contractors.

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Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order makes contracting system more accountable

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Posted August 24, 2016 at 4:40 pm
by Ross Eisenbrey

The final rule implementing President Obama’s executive order on fair pay and safe workplaces has been issued, along with guidance from the Department of Labor. This is a big deal, affecting as many as 28 million employees in the workforce of hundreds of thousands of government contractors.

The executive order puts in place a commonsense principle: when choosing which companies to do business with, choose the ones that follow the rules rather than the law breakers. Tax dollars should go to contractors with a record of integrity and business ethics, and should not be spent on bad actors. The executive order makes it clear that violations of labor law are an indication of bad ethics and a lack of integrity that must be considered when contracts are awarded.

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Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Implementation of Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Contact: Scott Simpson
August 24, 2016

WASHINGTON – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of Labor’s release of regulations governing the implementation of the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, which ensures that federal contractors comply with workplace safety and fair pay laws:

“This is good news for working people and for the entire country. One in five Americans is employed by a federal contractor and this will help protect millions of workers from wage abuse, workplace discrimination, and unsafe working conditions. This measure is a major step forward in ensuring that federal contractors provide fair and safe conditions for their employees. And for businesses that play by the rules, there will be no burden from implementing these new regulations.

This is a commonsense step to protecting workers and boosting our economy. The Leadership Conference coalition of more than 200 national civil rights groups is proud to support it.”

Nancy Zirkin is executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference, visit www.civilrights.org.

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Paralyzed Veterans of America Applauds Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Order strengthens discrimination prevention against veterans and people with disabilities

AUG 25, 2016, 17:47 ET
SOURCE Paralyzed Veterans of America

Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) today applauded the Obama Administration for issuing final regulations and guidance implementing the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, originally signed by the President in July of 2014. The executive order and regulations are of particular importance to veterans and people with disabilities because they provide greater oversight of federal contractors, and hold them accountable for discrimination and civil rights violations.

“Every American should be protected against discrimination of any kind in the workplace, and Paralyzed Veterans of America commends President Obama for taking this action,” said Executive Director Sherman Gillums, Jr. “The American workforce is increasingly diverse. As a result, upholding an equal opportunity to work is vital. The executive order will help prevent discrimination against veterans and people with disabilities by requiring that violations of labor and employment rights laws-such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act-be among the considerations taken into account by the federal government in its contracting process.”

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