Social Media Strikes Back! The Impact of Off-Hours Communications with Employees on Claims of Discrimination
How many of us have stared at a Facebook friend request from a boss or co-worker and wondered if clicking “accept” was a good decision? I know I’ve wondered if I really want my boss to know how many tattoos my sister has or what festival I spent the day at on Saturday instead of churning out more work. I’m willing to bet you’ve wondered something similar and for good reason. There is a massive amount of information stored on . . . Read More
Potential Blacklisting of Government Contractors Based on Labor Law Violations
On July 31, 2014, President Obama signed Executive Order 13673 , which will require companies bidding on federal contracts to disclose to agency contracting officers any violations (whether by administrative merits determination, arbitral award or decision, or civil judgment) of various federal wage and hour, discrimination, safety and health, labor and other laws (such as OSHA and workers’ compensation laws), as well as equivalent state laws during the previous three years. In addition to violations, the Executive Order requires prospective contractors to disclose . . . Read More
SCA H&W Rate Increases to $4.02 per hour Effective July 22, 2014
The prevailing health and welfare (H&W) fringe benefit rate was increased effective July 22, 2014 to $4.02 per hour, with the exception that the benefit rate in Hawaii will be $1.66. The new H&W rate applies to “all invitation for bids opened, or other service contracts awarded on or after July 22, 2014.” The contracting agency must include a new wage determination reflecting the new H&W rate to trigger the contractor’s obligation to pay the higher H&W rate. The contracting . . . Read More
Minimum Wage for Contractor Employees on Fast Track to Your Contracts
At some point in the past few months, you may have heard about Executive Order 13658 (EO), issued on February 12, 2014, wherein President Barack Obama establishes a $10.10 per hour minimum wage for employees of federal contractors and subcontractors by January 2015, adjusted annually thereafter by the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. There is a disagreement about the actual impact the EO will have since most federal contractors and subcontractors subject to the provisions . . . Read More