The post OFCCP Reduces Veteran Hiring Benchmark appeared first on The National Law Forum.
]]>
On June 16th, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, OFCCP, announced that, effective March 4, 2016, the annual hiring benchmark for veterans pursuant to Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act, VEVRAA,regulation is 6.9%. This is a slight decrease from last year’s 7.0% benchmark.
As part of the release OFCCP clarified that
“Contractors who adopted the previous year’s national benchmark of 7 percent after March 4, 2016, but prior to this announcement may keep their benchmark at 7 percent.”
The agency noted that going forward the effective date for the annual benchmark will match the date the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the data from which OFCCP calculates the benchmark. This usually takes place in March every year.
Jackson Lewis P.C. © 2016
The post OFCCP Reduces Veteran Hiring Benchmark appeared first on The National Law Forum.
]]>The post Background Checks Headline in 2014 appeared first on The National Law Forum.
]]>
In 2014, background checks were a hot topic in state and local legislatures. Before this year, only 8 jurisdictions in the country had passed laws preventing private employers from asking job candidates about their criminal histories on an employment application (i.e., “banning the box”). This year alone, however, 9 jurisdictions enacted ban-the-box laws covering private employers—Baltimore, Columbia (MO), Illinois, Montgomery County (MD), New Jersey, Prince George’s County (MD), Rochester (NY), San Francisco, and Washington D.C. Louisville, Indianapolis, and Syracuse also banned the box for private employers with city contracts, while Delaware and Madison (WI) “encouraged” the same.
Several of these so-called “ban the box” laws also restricted the types of arrests or convictions about which employers may inquire or consider when hiring. For example, the new San Francisco law bans inquiries about convictions that are more than seven (7) years old; the new Washington D.C. law prohibits questions about arrests and criminal accusations that are not pending or did not result in conviction; and New Jersey’s new law bars queries about expunged records. Some of the new laws, such as those in San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties also imposed certain notice obligations on employers.
In addition to this state and local legislative activity, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) continued to scrutinize employer background check procedures, though without much success. In EEOC v. Kaplan Higher Education Corp., 748 F.3d 749 (6th Cir. 2014), the Sixth Circuit affirmed an award of summary judgment against the EEOC in its suit alleging that Kaplan’s use of credit checks disparately impacted African-American applicants in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Despite setbacks in litigation, the agency issued guidance on the use of background checks in hiring and personnel decisions. The brochure—Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know—advises employers on their existing legal obligations under federal nondiscrimination laws and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) when obtaining, using, and disposing of background information. The Federal Trade Commission also issued two brochures—Background Checks: What Job Applicants and Employees Should Know & Tips for Job Applicants and Employees—that walk applicants and employees through their rights under FCRA.
Though the primary focus on background checks this year concerned credit and criminal history, there were other noteworthy developments. The governors of California and New Jersey vetoed bills that would have greatly limited employers from considering an applicant’s unemployment status in hiring decisions. And, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Wisconsin prohibited employers from requesting or requiring prospective and current employees to provide their passwords to their personal social media accounts.
If trends are any guide, we expect more developments in 2015. Stay tuned.
The post Background Checks Headline in 2014 appeared first on The National Law Forum.
]]>The post APPLY NOW: Government of District of Columbia Now Hiring: Supervisory Attorney Advisor (Deputy General Counsel) appeared first on The National Law Forum.
]]>DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES
The District of Columbia’s Department of General Services is seeking candidates for the Supervisory Attorney Advisor (Deputy General Counsel) position. The Deputy General Counsel will specifically provide management and support in the following areas: real estate transactions, leasing, real estate portfolio management, energy, sustainability and green initiatives and other agency operational issues as needed. The Deputy General Counsel reports to the General Counsel and will supervise at least two other attorneys.
The incumbent of this position will provide legal counsel and support to DGS in the following activities:
- negotiating and preparing commercial leases and other real estate documents—rights of entry, license agreements, etc.;
- handling real estate transactions;
- providing legal support for lease administration, including preparing amendments, work agreements, estoppels, SNDA’s, extension requests, termination notices, default notices;
- providing litigation support;
- advising the agency in matters related to energy, sustainability and green initiatives; and
- providing assistance, as needed, in all operational areas of the agency including: contracts, procurement, facility management, security services and human resources.
A successful candidate must:
- have a law degree;
- be a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association or eligible for waiver into the bar. If selected and not a member of the District of Columbia Bar, he/she must apply for membership and show proof of such prior to the commencement of employment.
- have at least 10 years of experience in the following areas: local government, real estate, leasing and/or procurement law.
- have the skill and ability to gather, develop, evaluate and analyze investigative information from a variety of sources to determine compliance with District government and federal statutes, rules and regulations.
- have experience in negotiating, drafting and reviewing commercial real estate documents including drafting of commercial leases and land purchase and acquisition contracts.
How to Apply:
Applications for this vacancy must be submitted online at www.dchr.dc.gov for consideration. When completing applications, candidates submit resume and respond to specific ranking factors that will be used in the evaluation process. In responding to the ranking factors, please describe specific incidents of sustained achievements from your experience that show evidence of the level at which you are applying. You may refer to any experience, education, training, awards, outside abilities described in ranking factors. The information given in response to the ranking factors should be complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge, FAILURE TO RESPOND TO ALL RANKING FACTORS WILL ELIMINATE YOU FROM CONSIDERATION.
Deadline: Closing date for the vacancy announcements until 11:59 pm on December 12, 2014.
Contact Information: All inquiries related to employment and job applications should be directed HR Answers, (202)442-9700—please reference agency (DGS) and vacancy number (26253).
2000 14th St. NW, 8th Floor Washington DC 20009 |Telephone (202) 727.2800 | Fax (202) 727-7283
The post APPLY NOW: Government of District of Columbia Now Hiring: Supervisory Attorney Advisor (Deputy General Counsel) appeared first on The National Law Forum.
]]>