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OFCCP’s Significant Changes for Federal Contractors: AAP Verification Approval and Review of EEO-1 Pay Data

At long last, on August 31, 2021, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the new system that the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) developed for federal contractors to submit affirmative action programs (AAPs). The Affirmative Action Program Verification Interface (AAP-VI) is designed to provide covered federal contractors a method of entering, tracking, and submitting AAPs for review by OFCCP.

Leigh M. Nason Columbia Author

Lauren B. Hicks Atlanta
Indianapolis Author

EEOC Extends Filing Deadline for EEO-1 Reports to October 25, 2021

On August 18, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that the prior August 23, 2021, EEO-1 filing deadline for the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 reports has been moved to October 25, 2021. The EEOC cited the “continuing impact of the pandemic on business operations” as the justification for this two-month extension of the earlier deadline.

James A. Patton, Jr. Birmingham Author

Rhode Island Amends Pay Equity Law, Bans Salary History Inquiries, and Requires Pay Scale Disclosures

Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed pay equity legislation (H 5261A, S 0270A) that will go into effect on January 1, 2023. The new legislation amends Rhode Island’s existing pay equity law and contains the following key provisions.

Sarah J. Platt Milwaukee Author

Rachel C. Stone Philadelphia Author

EEO-1 Filing Platform: More Changes for Acquisitions, Spinoffs, and Mergers

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced that it is loosening the requirement on companies to provide notice to the federal agency of acquisitions, mergers, and spinoffs. By way of background, in addition to requiring the submission and certification of two years of EEO-1 reports, the EEOC had created a new filing platform for the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 filings, which are due by August 23, 2021. The transition to the new platform and the requirement to file two years of EEO-1 reports has resulted in a rocky EEO-1 filing cycle. As a continued sign of these difficulties, the EEOC implemented a major change to the procedure for handling mergers, acquisitions, and spinoffs for EEO-1 reporting.

James A. Patton, Jr. Birmingham Author

Tina Lam Birmingham Author

Canada’s Pay Equity Act to Take Effect on August 31, 2021: Key Considerations for Federal Employers

The Pay Equity Act, which Canada’s federal government passed in 2018, is going into effect on August 31, 2021. The act aims to address the systemic gender-based discrimination faced by women in federally regulated sectors by achieving pay equity through proactive measures. The act will require all federally regulated employers to analyze their compensation practices, even if they have not received a complaint and even if they believe there is no wage gap in their organization.

Ryan Martin Montréal Author

Shir Fulga Toronto Author

Colorado’s Pay Transparency Law Survives Preliminary Injunction: Next Steps for Employers

Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act went into effect on January 1, 2021. The act creates significant compliance burdens for employers with even one employee in Colorado. In fact, the act is the only law in the United States to require employers to (1) post compensation and benefits information with each job posting for Colorado jobs and (2) internally post promotional opportunities to current Colorado employees on the same day and sufficiently in advance of promotion decisions.

Sarah J. Platt Milwaukee Author

EEOC Extends Deadline to File EEO-1 Reports to August 23, 2021

On June 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it is extending the July 19, 2021, deadline to submit and certify 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 reports to Monday, August 23, 2021. The EEOC still “encourage[s] eligible employers to file the required EEO-1 Component 1 report(s) as soon as possible.

James A. Patton, Jr. Birmingham Author

Kiosha H. Dickey Columbia Author

Pay Equity in Connecticut: New Legislation Requires Disclosure of Salary Ranges

In January of 2019, Connecticut implemented legislation that, among other things, prohibited employers from inquiring about an applicant’s prior salary history. The Nutmeg State took it a step further yesterday, when Governor Ned Lamont signed House Bill No. 6380, titled “An Act Concerning the Disclosure of Salary Range for a Vacant Position.” As the name suggests, the new law requires employers to disclose the “wage range” for vacant positions to employees and prospective employees, under a variety of circumstances.

John G. Stretton Stamford Author

William C. Ruggiero Stamford Author

UK Equal Pay Comparators: Supreme Court Rules Comparators May Work in Different ‘Establishments’

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has held in Asda Stores Ltd v. Brierley and others that Asda supermarket retail employees can appoint Asda depot workers as their comparators in an equal pay claim despite their working in different ‘establishments’ of the business.

Daniella McGuigan London Author

Illinois Enacts Stronger Anti-Discrimination and Equal Pay Laws Focusing on Criminal Convictions and Demographic Reporting

In 2021, the Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Bill (SB) 1480, which amends the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Illinois Equal Pay Act, and the Illinois Business Corporation Act. On March 23, 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law.

Cyle R. Catlett Chicago Author

Jennifer L. Colvin Chicago Author

Michael H. Cramer Chicago Author

California Employers Can Seek One-Month Extension for Reporting 2020 Pay Data, State Agency Says

On February 3, 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) updated its frequently asked questions (FAQs) to make clear that employers can seek an extension for reporting year 2020—known as a request for an “enforcement deferral period”—as to its newly enacted pay data reporting requirement that reports are otherwise due on March 31, 2021.

James A. Patton, Jr. Birmingham Author

The Top 10 Labor and Employment Issues Keeping Retailers Up at Night in 2021

Now that the inauguration has passed and the Biden administration has begun its work, it is a good time for retailers to take stock of the labor and employment issues that are likely to assume prominence in 2021, and to consider preparing to meet the challenges each of these issues pose. In no particular order, below are the top 10 issues that are likely to keep retail employers up at night in 2021.

Diane M. Saunders Boston Author

California Pay Data Reporting: New Web Page and 10 FAQs for Employers That Report to the DFEH

On September 30, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a pay data reporting requirement for employers that assigns responsibility for collecting such data to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). To assist employers with this filing requirement, the DFEH recently established a web page and published answers to a a series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that address several topics related to the upcoming filings, which are due no later than March 31, 2021.

James A. Patton, Jr. Birmingham Author

Seventh Circuit Decision May Portend Increase in Equal Pay Act Claims for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin Employers

On January 5, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued a decision in Kellogg v. Ball State University that expanded the scope of potential evidence plaintiffs may rely on to support their Equal Pay Act (EPA) claims. The decision serves as a warning to Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin employers to consider reviewing employee compensation to ensure compliance with pay equity requirements.

Jesse R. Dill Milwaukee Author

UK Publishes Updated Guidances on Gender Pay Gap Reporting Requirements

As the 4 April 2021, gender pay gap reporting deadline approaches, the UK government has published an updated set of guidance for employers on the gender pay gap reporting requirements. Although the reporting requirements have not changed, the guidance has been updated to include information for employers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular relating to furlough leave and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

Daniella McGuigan London Author

EEO-1 Filers Must Wait a Little Longer—EEOC Announces Filing Platform Will Not Open Until April 2021

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a press release on January 12, 2021, notifying EEO-1 filers that the EEO-1 filing platform will not open until April 2021. This is of particular interest for employers because the EEOC delayed the 2019 EEO-1 filings, which would normally have been due in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic—meaning that both the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 filings will be due this year.

James A. Patton, Jr. Birmingham Author

New California Pay Data Collection Law Establishes March 31 Reporting Deadline

On September 30, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill 973 into law as Government Code Title 2, Division 3, Part 2.8, Chapter 10, § 12999. The bill authored by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (Santa Barbara) is titled “Employers: annual report: pay data,” and it states that while “progress [has been] made in California in recent years to strengthen California’s equal pay laws,” there is still a significant gender pay gap and for women of color that pay gap is greater. To address these pay issues, the California Government Code’s new section 12999 requires pay data reports from covered employers and delegates additional powers to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing relating to the new pay data reporting requirement. Section 12999 requires covered employers to file pay data reports no later than March 31, 2021, and on or before every March 31 thereafter.

Tracie L. Childs San Diego Author

James A. Patton, Jr. Birmingham Author

California Legislature Advances Numerous Labor and Employment Bills

Despite all that is going on in the world, the California legislature has been busy this year. Below is a summary of the major employment law bills that are working their way through the state Assembly and Senate.

Christopher W. Olmsted San Diego Author

Michael J. Nader Sacramento Author

Philadelphia Employers Alert: Wage Equity Ordinance Will Be Enforced Starting September 1

On September 1, 2020, the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations will begin enforcing a previously-enjoined provision of the city’s Wage Equity Ordinance, which addresses the disparity in the pay of women and minorities.

Jacqueline R. Barrett Philadelphia Author

Jessica M. Bocchinfuso Philadelphia Author

The Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Pay Equality in the UK Workplace

In May 2020, the United Kingdom welcomed the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act 1970, which was enacted to ensure the equal treatment of men and women in terms of pay and the conditions of employment. However, in recent months, research has revealed that women have suffered a larger fall in earnings in the United Kingdom and are losing their jobs in greater numbers than men during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daniella McGuigan London Author

Maryland Legislature Passes Hairstyle Discrimination, Facial Recognition in Hiring, Retaliation, and Equal Pay Laws

COVID-19 has certainly not slowed down legislators in Annapolis. Far from sitting idle, the Maryland General Assembly recently passed a broad array of workplace legislation without the governor’s signature. In addition to a significant expansion of Maryland’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, three new employment laws are set to take effect on October 1, 2020.

Robert R. Niccolini Washington D.C. Author

Patrick T. Wilson Washington D.C. Author

EEOC Delays 2019 EEO-1 Filings and Ends Pay Data Collection—But What About the VETS-4212?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced a pair of major changes to the EEO-1 filing process. The most recent was on May 7, 2020, when the EEOC announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was filing a notice in the Federal Register delaying collection of the 2019 EEO-1 report this year and requesting approval to collect both 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 data beginning in the first quarter of 2021.

James A. Patton, Jr. Birmingham Author

Second Verse, Same as the First: Ninth Circuit Reiterates That Salary History Does Not Justify Pay Differences Under the Equal Pay Act

On February 27, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in Rizo v. Yovino, (again) found that salary history is not a “factor other than sex” that can justify a pay disparity in defense of a claim under the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA). The Ninth Circuit made the same finding in 2018, but the Supreme Court of the United States remanded the case because the judge who authored the original opinion died before it was published.

Sarah J. Platt Milwaukee Author

Tracie L. Childs San Diego Author

Philadelphia Employers No Longer Free to Inquire About Prospective Employee Salary History

On February 6, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated U.S. District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg’s prior order partially blocking the City of Philadelphia’s pay equity ordinance from going into effect.

Jacqueline R. Barrett Philadelphia Author

Jessica M. Bocchinfuso Philadelphia Author

New Requirements and Looming Deadlines in October 2019: What New York Employers Need to Know

As we previously reported this past summer, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed Senate Bill 6549, which amended Section 194 of the New York Labor Law to prohibit wage differentials based on any protected class. As we also reported, the State Senate and Assembly also passed an omnibus bill that overhauled New York’s antidiscrimination laws. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed these bills into law on July 10 and August 12, 2019, respectively. As a result, several new laws are slated to take effect in October 2019.

Simone R.D. Francis St. Thomas
New York Author

Component 2 No More After 2019? EEOC Doesn’t Request Renewal of EEO-1 Component 2

On September 11, 2019, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a new notice of information collection regarding the Employer Information Report (EEO-1).

Leigh M. Nason Columbia Author

Hera S. Arsen, Ph.D. Torrance Author

Alabama’s New Pay Equity Law Takes Effect September 1, 2019

Alabama became the 49th state to adopt equal pay legislation when Governor Kay Ivey signed the Clarke-Figures Equal Pay Act (CFEPA) on June 11, 2019. The CFEPA, effective September 1, 2019, prohibits an employer from paying an employee less than another employee of a different race or sex for equal work.

T. Scott Kelly Birmingham Author

Morgan Pike Epperson Birmingham Author

California Pay Equity Data Collection Legislation Closer to Passing

Currently, certain employers are required under federal law to file annual Employer Information Reports (EEO-1) with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. These EEO-1s must contain data regarding demographics of the employer’s workforce. Accordingly, employers covered by federal EEO-1 reporting requirements were required to file EEO-1 Component 1 data from 2018 by May 31, 2019, and must still submit Component 2 EEO-1 (pay and hours worked) data for their workforces by September 30, 2019. Not to be outdone, the State of California is poised to impose a similar requirement on employers.

Christopher W. Olmsted San Diego Author

Hera S. Arsen, Ph.D. Torrance Author

Illinois Governor Signs Changes to State Equal Pay Act Including Salary History Ban

As we previously reported, the Illinois legislature passed House Bill 834 and Governor J. B. Pritzker signed the bill into law. It will become effective September 29, 2019. The new law prohibits employers from requesting or requiring prospective employees to provide their salary histories as a condition of being considered for employment.

Sarah J. Platt Milwaukee Author

Kansas City Joins Movement to Ban Salary History Inquiries

Employers in Kansas City, Missouri, are now prohibited from asking applicants about their prior salary or pay histories. Kansas City’s ordinance, which becomes effective on October 31, 2019, is part of a growing national trend to ban salary history questions.

Walter M. Brown Kansas City Author

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