Tag Archives: Labor Department

Bloomberg Law reports: A recently appointed Trump Labor Department official with a history of advancing controversial conservative and faith-based causes in court has resigned after revelations that he wrote a 2016 Facebook post suggesting the Jewish-controlled media “protects their own.” Olson, 43, started at the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division Aug. 12 as a senior policy adviser, after being …

Axios reports: President Trump on Tuesday announced his intention to nominate Eugene Scalia, son of the late conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, as labor secretary. Why it matters: The Cabinet position has been filled by acting Secretary Patrick Pizzella since Alex Acosta resigned in July amid backlash for his involvement in negotiating the sweetheart plea deal Jeffrey Epstein received …

MarketWatch reports: Turns out hiring wasn’t nearly as strong in 2018 and early 2019 as the government initially reported — by about a half-million jobs. The economy had about 501,000 fewer jobs as of March 2019 than the Bureau of Labor Statistics initially calculated in its survey of business establishments. That’s the largest revision since the waning stages of the …

Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed News: The Trump administration on Wednesday formally proposed a new rule to let businesses with federal contracts cite religious objections as a valid reason to discriminate against their workers on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, LGBTQ status, and other characteristics — thereby skirting worker protections created by past presidents. But the Trump …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump is likely to nominate Eugene Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to be the next Labor secretary, according to three sources familiar with the plans. The younger Scalia, a partner at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, is a management-side attorney who in 2006 argued on behalf of Wal-Mart against …

CNBC reports: Incoming acting Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella will take the helm of the department following the resignation Friday of Alex Acosta, who faced scrutiny over his role in prosecuting alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago. But Pizzella, currently deputy Labor secretary, has his own controversial past that will likely come to the fore. Democratic senators …

Bloomberg Law reports: A Labor Department official who worked for a steel company in a lawsuit against a worker union after joining the Trump administration has stepped down from his post in the face of ethics questions. Associate Deputy Labor Secretary Michael Avakian resigned effective April 5, a Labor Department official told Bloomberg Law. The move comes less than one …

Yahoo News reports: The U.S. economy added a sharply lower-than-expected 20,000 non-farm payrolls in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Consensus expectations called for 180,000 positions to be added for the month, according to Bloomberg data. February’s headline reading for new payrolls was the weakest in 17 months. The unemployment rate fell to 3.8%, from 4% in January. …

Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed News: President Donald Trump offered skeptical LGBT Americans an olive branch when he took office in January 2017. The White House promised to safeguard a 2014 executive order that protects workers, announcing former President Obama’s ban on anti-LGBT discrimination by federal contractors “will remain intact.” But on Aug. 10 of this year, the Department of …

Via press release from Labor Secretary Alex Acosta: This June, we recognize Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) Pride Month at the Department of Labor. The department honors the impactful contributions of all Americans, no matter their ethnic background, gender, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation. Pride at DOL, the Department’s Affinity Group for LGBTQ Employees and Allies, helps educate …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump will announce Alexander Acosta as his new Labor Secretary choice on Thursday afternoon, NBC News confirmed. Trump is set to announce the pick at a Thursday afternoon press conference. CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder withdrew his nomination Wednesday ahead of his confirmation hearing amid mounting bipartisan opposition. In a statement, Puzder did not specify why …

The New York Times reports: President-elect Donald J. Trump is expected to name Andrew F. Puzder, chief executive of the company that operates the fast food outlets Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. and an outspoken critic of the worker protections enacted by the Obama administration, to be secretary of labor, people close to the transition said on Thursday. Mr. Puzder has …

Via press release from the US Department of Labor: Frank Kameny, who for decades fought to end discrimination in the federal workplace, will be honored by the U.S. Department of Labor in June with an induction to its Hall of Honor. Kameny’s legacy as a civil rights leader has made a monumental difference in improving the lives of all workers …

From the blog of the Labor Department Secretary Tom Perez: Today, President Obama’s Executive Order on LGBT Workplace Discrimination goes into effect. It prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Because of this Executive Order, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people employed by federal contractors across the country will now receive …

Last night a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against a recently-issued Labor Department policy that grants family medical leave benefits to married same-sex couples in states that forbid same-sex marriage. Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: In a 24-page decision, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, an appointee of George W. Bush, issued the preliminary injunction based on the …

Via press release: The regulations published on December 3 by the U.S. Department of Labor implement the objectionable Executive Order that President Obama issued in July to address what the Administration has described as “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” discrimination in employment by federal contractors. We will study the regulations carefully, but we note the following initially. Our Church teaches …

“This is unconstitutional and just as he did with executive amnesty, this administration has pushed forward where he cannot get his radical legislation passed. This President is going to effectively insert that thereby discriminating against Bible-believing Christian organizations, who recognize biblical sexual morality and live out their faith in their everyday life, including in the workplace. This President has said, …

Earlier this week the Department of Labor issued its final rule on the implementation of President Obama’s executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees. House Republicans are now trying to stall the order’s enactment. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed: House Education and Workforce Committee Chair John Kline, a Republican from Minnesota, and Rep. Tim Walberg, the Republican …

Via press release: A new rule prohibiting discrimination on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity in the federal contracting workforce is being announced today by the U.S. Department of Labor. The rule implements Executive Order 13672, which was signed by President Obama on July 21. “Americans believe in fairness and opportunity. No one should live in fear of …

From Patricia Shiu, director of the Office Of Federal Contract Compliance Programs: The federal government holds contracts with about 200,000 establishments, and these contractors and subcontractors play an important role in making our country work. They provide food, clothing, energy, transportation, medical treatment and thousands of essential services all around the country. As the director of the Office of Federal …