The Obama Administration has made it clear that closing the persistent gender “wage gap” is one of its top EEO priorities. As such, OFCCP has ramped up its enforcement of equal pay laws, including rewriting its compensation investigation guidelines with Agency Directive 307, revamping its Division of Statistical Analyses, and reinventing the pay
Laura A. Mitchell
As co-leader of the firm’s ESG group, Laura Mitchell partners with her clients to evaluate, set, achieve and monitor their organizational culture and human capital goals. She focuses her practice on data analytics, including pay equity and other employee analytics, working side-by-side with employers to build programs that benefit employees and create a stable, high-functioning workplace. Understanding that an inclusive, values-based culture provides a crucial competitive advantage in the modern workplace, Laura enjoys counseling companies on the development of proactive and equitable pay and diversity practices.
In Laura’s version of the reimagined workplace, attention to human capital issues, especially DEI and pay equity, would be the rule rather than the exception nationwide and she works with companies across all industries—both new and well-established multi-national organizations of all sizes—to realize this vision for her clients’ ongoing success. She helps clients understand all issues across the spectrum of their journey, helping to establish regular analyses as well as counseling organizations on implementation and compliance obligations, where applicable. Committed to putting her clients’ organizational goals first and foremost, Laura views herself as an extension of her clients’ team, responsible for providing proactive guidance and engaging in transparent, ongoing communication.
Laura also represents companies in OFCCP matters, preparing for and defending OFCCP audits, and counseling employers on issues stemming from OFCCP regulations. She personally oversees the development of hundreds of Affirmative Action Plans for clients each year and is intimately involved in the defense of OFCCP audits. Her approach to compliance is one of facilitation and conciliation while simultaneously advocating in the best interests of her clients.
U.S. Supreme Court to Again Review Higher Education Affirmative Action Case
In a week full of front-page news, the United States Supreme Court has agreed to again review the appropriateness of the University of Texas at Austin’s race-based admissions process in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.
The Supreme Court first reviewed the school’s consideration of race as a component of…
EEOC Issues Updated Pregnancy Discrimination Guidance
Responding to the recent United States Supreme Court decision in Young v. UPS, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued revised Enforcement Guidance on Pregnancy Discrimination and Related Issues. In its press release announcing the updated guidance, the Agency explained the update to its previously released guidance were limited in scope and…
Complimentary JL Webinar Discussing the New “Blacklisting” Executive Order Proposed Guidance and Regulations
As part of our continued efforts to analyze and disseminate information about the recently published proposed guidance implementing Executive Order 13673, JL will be hosting a complimentary webinar Tuesday, June 30, 2015 from 2:00 – 3:00 Eastern, entitled “Understanding the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces (“Blacklisting”) Executive Order – Ten Steps Contractors Should Take…
OFCCP’s Section 503 Regulations Withstand Challenge
The United States Supreme Court has declined to accept Associated Builders & Contractor’s request to review the legality of OFCCP’s recently enacted regulations for individuals with disability. This rejection signals the end of ABC’s year and a half long challenge of the Agency’s Section 503 regulations.
While this may be the final chapter for…
Save the Date: 2015 ILG National Conference in New York City, July 28-31, 2015
With the official start of summer roughly a week away, it’s not too early to start planning for the upcoming ILG National Conference. This year, the 33rd Annual Conference will be held in New York City from July 28-31, 2015 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.
With the theme “Onward and Upward: Building the…
Complimentary Webinar: What to do When OFCCP Conciliation Efforts Fail
While we all hope that our OFCCP compliance reviews will end with a Notice of Closure with no violations, many employers are faced with a Notice of Violation citing technical or discrimination-based violations. In these instances, OFCCP will demand the contractor enter into a Conciliation Agreement to remedy the violations. But what happens when negotiations…
U.S. Department of Labor and FAR Council Publish Proposed Guidance and Rules Implementing “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” Executive Order
As we previously reported, the U.S. Department of Labor has published proposed guidance (“DOL Guidance”) and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (“FAR”) Council has published proposed regulations (“FAR Proposed Rule”) implementing President Obama’s “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” Executive Order (E.O. 13673), often called the “Blacklisting” or “Bad Actors” executive order. …
Breaking News: Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Proposed Rule and Guidance Released
The Department of Labor has released proposed guidance to assist with implementation of Executive Order 13673 – Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces. The proposed guidance is expected to be published in the Federal Register tomorrow which will start a 60-day public comment period.
The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council has likewise released proposed regulations implementing…
Additional States Add Veteran Hiring Preference
As an update to our recent post on the growing trend of veteran hiring preferences, Indiana and Georgia are now on the list of states with voluntary veteran preference programs. The addition of these two states increases the number of states with veteran preference to 19.
Stay tuned for further updates.