National Military Appreciation Month, May 2016, includes Loyalty Day (1st), Military Spouse Appreciation Day (6th), VE Day (8th), Armed Forces Day (21th), and Memorial Day (30th).  This month we honor, remember, and recognize all military personnel — those men and women who have served throughout our history, including those who have given their lives in defense of the freedoms we all enjoy today. Both during their training and in their active service, members of the armed fo

By now you may have read about the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) discrimination lawsuit against electronics retailer B&H Photo-Video Company of NYC.  The OFCCP claims systemic discrimination against Hispanic employees and female, black and Asian job seekers at its Brooklyn Navy Yard warehouse.  This is after the EEOC monitored its hiring and compensation practices from 2009 to 2012 as part of a settlement in a prior discrimination

Federal contractors and subcontractors can take a small breath – this Spring’s compliance review letters are all out.  If you have not received an audit letter by now, you can breathe easy for the next couple of months.  After that, a new round of letters is expected! If you are involved in an audit this year you know how aggressive the OFCCP (Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs) has been, and the agency is not going to back down.  There has been a definite decreas

Please be advised that the EEOC has closed the 2012 reporting database and has reset passwords for all users of the online system “in preparation for the 2013 EEO-1 survey.” What this will mean for any company who files an EEO-1 is that you will need to request a new password by emailing your  company name to e1.lostloginpassword@eeoc.gov or by calling 877-392-4647.  If the certifying official (person who was responsible for submitting the EEO-1data in the past) is not longer

OFCCP has given contractors notice that all federal contractors and subcontractors must begin using the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 EEO Tab to develop their  affirmative action plans, effective January 1, 2014 or later.    This will certainly change the goals for minorities and females due to the shifting of population.  Contractors need to be sure that they are using all outreach efforts possible for those areas where under-utilization may exist in their affirmative action analy

How much more can the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) throw at federal contractors and subcontractors?  Contractors are worn out by the continuous changes, directives, intensified audits and additional paperwork expected of them by the OFCCP.  The OFCCP’s Director, Ms. Shiu, is plowing ahead with many of the reforms she has been waiting to implement. There have been two recent announcements from the OFCCP: (1) Directive 306, issued January 29, 2013, “Co