On Thursday, February 26, the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), and the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, chaired by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), held a joint subcommittee hearing on “The Blacklisting Executive Order: Rewriting Federal Labor Policies Through Executive Fiat.”
President Obama issued Executive Order 13673 in July 2014, which gives the federal government the ability to deny employers federal contracts if they or their subcontractors violated or allegedly violated various federal labor laws. Each agency’s contracting officer and a newly created Labor Compliance Advisor will review an employer’s three-year compliance history and decide whether the employer’s actions demonstrate a “lack of integrity of business ethics.”
In a press release, the Subcommittee said, “employers have expressed concerns the executive order demands an unreasonable scope of reporting requirements, undermines their due process protections, disregards existing remedies to address labor law violations, and relies on a highly subjective review process.” The hearing provided Subcommittee members an opportunity to examine the effect of the President’s executive order on the federal procurement system, as well as concerns raised by employers and stakeholders.
The Witness List included:
Mr. Willis Goldsmith – Partner, Jones Day, New York, NY **Testifying on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce**
Mr. Stan Soloway – President and CEO, Professional Services Council, Arlington, VA
Ms. Angela Styles – Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, D.C.
Ms. Karla Walter – Associate Director, American Worker Project, Center for American Progress, Washington, D.C.
Click here for an archived webcast of the hearing.
Click here for the opening statement by Rep. Tim Walberg.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
July 15
The Department of Labor announces new guidance around Occupational Safety and Health Administration penalty and debt collection procedures; a Cornell University graduate student challenges graduate student employee-status under the National Labor Relations Act; the Supreme Court clears the way for the Trump administration to move forward with a significant staff reduction at the Department of Education.
July 14
More circuits weigh in on two-step certification; Uber challengers Seattle deactivation ordinance.
July 13
APWU and USPS ratify a new contract, ICE barred from racial profiling in Los Angeles, and the fight continues over the dismantling of NIOSH
July 11
Regional director orders election without Board quorum; 9th Circuit pauses injunction on Executive Order; Driverless car legislation in Massachusetts
July 10
Wisconsin Supreme Court holds UW Health nurses are not covered by Wisconsin’s Labor Peace Act; a district judge denies the request to stay an injunction pending appeal; the NFLPA appeals an arbitration decision.
July 9
the Supreme Court allows Trump to proceed with mass firings; Secretary of Agriculture suggests Medicaid recipients replace deported migrant farmworkers; DHS ends TPS for Nicaragua and Honduras