Posted May 19th, 2015 in Legal Insights
Federal Contractors: Special Employment Rules for Me, But Not for Thee?
Contractors that provide services directly to the federal government may be wondering if they’re getting picked on or put on a pedestal. According to one labor attorney, the answer is both: government rules governing federal contractor employment practices have become radically different compared to those serving private enterprises. Under President Obama, a series of Executive Orders and revised regulations have created special obligations to which these enterprises must comply when dealing with federal contractors. The President has instead focused on the area in which he has direct control – federal contractors. Special rules for federal contractors include a higher minimum wage ($10.10), a requirement to ask applicants and employees to self-identify any disabilities, additional pregnancy accommodations, protection against sexual orientation discrimination, and a requirement to hang a labor law poster in the workplace that informs employees of their rights to form a union. David James is a labor and employment attorney with Nilan Johnson Lewis who specializes in federal contractor compliance issues, and he can address the topic of how the federal contractor workforce has become somewhat of a testing ground for policy recommendations by the executive branch. James can talk about the unique circumstances that federal contractors must deal with that are different from other businesses. Contact David James at (612) 305-7573 or djames@nilanjohnson.com.
