A special thanks to Adam Bennett for his work on this article.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently released its final rule requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to provide their employees with at least seven days of paid sick leave each year. The final rules were published on Friday, Sept. 30 and will go into effect 60 days after publication (Nov. 29, 2016). Despite the “effective date,” the sick leave rule will only apply to federal contractors and subcontractors entering into new contracts where the solicitation was issued or the federal contract was awarded on or after Jan. 1, 2017.

The new rule further is limited to contracts or subcontracts that are:

  • Covered by the Service Contract Act or the Davis-Bacon Act
  • Concessions contracts
  • Service contracts in connection with federal property or lands

Continue Reading DOL releases final rules on paid sick leave for federal contractors

In December, 2014, Jamie LaPlante wrote here about expanded obligations under the affirmative action laws that cover federal contractors and subcontractors. Among the changes she mentioned was the April 8th effective date for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity among the classes protected under affirmative action laws. The expanded protections apply to

Recently, we pointed out that the effort by the National Labor Relations Board to impose on all employers an obligation to post notices about union organizing rights remains stalled. That article resulted in some questions about whether federal contractors and subcontractors are still required to post a notice about union organizing.
Continue Reading Union Organizing Posting Rules: Reminder that Federal Contractors and Subcontractors Must Still Post

You may have noticed a spate of recent articles and announcements indicating that “all federal contractors” will be required to begin using the federal government’s E-Verify system beginning September 8, 2009. Originally set to take effect on January 15, 2009, there have been three prior delays in implementing mandatory use of E-Verify for federal contractors. On August 26, however, a federal district judge rejected a request for further delay, so it appears the E-Verify regulations will actually go into effect on September 8. (See our recent blog post.) In light of this, current contractors should start thinking about how E-Verify will affect them – if at all.  

Even though many of the articles on this topic indicate that “all federal contractors” are required to start using the system on September 8, the reality is that not all contractors will be covered and that even covered contractors have time after September 8 to enroll and start using E-Verify. Continue Reading E-Verify: What Does This Mean For My Company?