Vigilant Blog

News, trends and analysis in employment law, HR, safety & workers' comp

Showing posts by Karen Davis

Photo of Karen Davis
Sep 16 2021
COVID-19Employee BenefitsLeave LawsSafety and Health  

OREGON: Health care workers get paid leave for COVID-19 exposure

Oregon OSHA has published a temporary rule that requires employers with 11 or more employees to pay their health care workers who take time off to quarantine or isolate after a work-related exposure to COVID-19 (coronavirus). This rule on “medical relief benefits” (also referred to as “medical removal protection benefits”) is effective from…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Sep 16 2021
Affirmative ActionWage and Hour  

Federal contractor minimum wage rises January 1, 2022

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has raised the minimum wage for certain federal contracts related to services and construction as of January 1, 2022. The minimum wage for federal contracts covered by Executive Order 13658 (“Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors”) will rise to $11.25 per hour effective January 1, 2022, up from $10.95 per hour…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Sep 16 2021
Affirmative Action  

New Census data required for AAPs beginning January 1, 2022

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently announced that federal supply and service contractors who prepare written affirmative action programs (AAPs) under Executive Order 11246 must begin using updated U.S. Census data for women and minorities by January 1, 2022. This new Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Tabulation was…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Sep 14 2021
Affirmative ActionCOVID-19DisabilitySafety and Health  

ALERT: Do federal vaccine mandates apply to your organization?

President Biden announced three different federal COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine mandates on September 9, 2021, which may potentially affect Vigilant members. Many details have yet to be released, but here’s a summary of what we know at this point: Employers with 100 or more employees: The President is directing federal OSHA to draft an…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Sep 02 2021
Affirmative Action  

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: OFCCP will review Component 2 pay data after all

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has reversed course and announced that it intends to analyze compensation data that employers submitted in “Component 2” of the EEO-1 Report for calendar years 2017 and 2018. After a hard-fought legal battle, employers with 100 or more employees were required to submit…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Sep 02 2021
Affirmative ActionHarassment & DiscriminationHiringWage and Hour  

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: Both women and men benefit from recent OFCCP settlements

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently announced two financial settlements from federal contractors following routine affirmative action audits that revealed potential discrimination issues in their hiring processes. Interestingly, one company allegedly discriminated against women and the other company allegedly discriminated against men. Neither company admitted liability but…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Aug 19 2021
COVID-19Safety and Health  

OREGON: Safety rules updated in light of new mask mandate

On August 13, 2021, Oregon OSHA updated its workplace COVID-19 safety rules to be consistent with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA)’s general statewide emergency temporary rule requiring masks to be worn indoors in nearly all business settings as of August 13, 2021. (See our recent Alert on OHA’s mask mandate.) Employers must require…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Aug 19 2021
COVID-19DisabilityHarassment & DiscriminationSafety and Health  

Be aware of vaccine rules in your area

As some jurisdictions roll out mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 (coronavirus) for some workers, it’s important to keep an eye on requirements in your local area. Here’s a summary of where things stand as of today:   Federal requirements: On July 29, 2021, President Biden announced that federal agencies must require federal contractors who work on site at…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Aug 12 2021
COVID-19Safety and Health  

OREGON: Mask mandate applies to all businesses August 13, 2021

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has released emergency temporary rules requiring masks to be worn indoors in nearly all business settings as of August 13, 2021, to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). The rules are in effect through February 8, 2022, unless rescinded sooner. The new rules define indoor…

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Photo of Karen Davis
Aug 05 2021
Leave LawsSafety and Health  

OREGON: Sick time covers evacuation orders, bad air, and high heat

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) recently issued temporary rules expanding the reasons for Oregon paid sick leave to include time off related to emergency evacuation orders as well as unhealthy air quality or outdoor temperatures. The rules are effective from July 22, 2021, through January 17, 2022.…

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