Vigilant Blog

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has revised the approval process for creating or maintaining optional functional affirmative action plans (AAPs). Unlike traditional AAPs, which are organized by location, functional AAPs allow employers with federal contracts to organize their data and reports by business unit (e.g., research and development, production, sales, etc.). The…

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) was entitled to take enforcement action on the basis of voluntarily submitted affirmative action data, a U.S. Department of Labor administrative law judge recently ruled. The employer received an audit scheduling letter five months and 26 days into its affirmative action plan (AAP) year. When a federal…

Patricia Shiu, the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), recently More staff and better training  Coordinating with other agencies  Strengthening veterans regulationscommented on behalf of our members.: Within the next few weeks, the agency expects to release proposed regulations that would completely revamp the affirmative action rules for employment of people…

It’s time once again to begin compiling data for the annual VETS-100/100A Reports, the system is offline because of technical problems. The Department of Labor expects everything to be back up and running by October 1, and is therefore extending the deadline for filing until November 30, 2011. These reports contain a snapshot of the…

AstraZeneca, a major pharmaceutical company, has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle allegations that female sales specialists were underpaid compared to their male counterparts. The alleged discrepancies were discovered during a routine affirmative action audit by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).   This case is notable for two reasons. First, the agency’s…

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently published the new, aggressive audit procedures it began implementing this year. The Active Case Enforcement (ACE) directive for federal supply and service contractors generally requires at least a full desk audit for each facility selected for a compliance review. The agency will go onsite if the…

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is signaling it intends to significantly increase its ability to enforce affirmative action compliance for covered employers with federal contracts and subcontracts. Recent developments include: Representatives from OFCCP, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) met to discuss budget request for FY…

Officials from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently confirmed several changes to affirmative action audits, during a meeting of the Northwest Industry Liaison Group in Seattle on November 19, 2010. Vigilant is a long-standing participant in these meetings with OFCCP and federal contractors, representing our members with affirmative action obligations. Among the…

Big changes are afoot at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Patricia Shiu, the civil rights attorney who took over leadership of the OFCCP a year ago, announced in a   The OFCCP is already soliciting input on ideas for a proposed rule to strengthen the affirmative action regulations for individuals with disabilities…