March 2016

As we previously reported, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) released a proposed rule on February 25, 2016 to implement Executive Order 13706, which requires federal contractors and subcontractors to give their workers seven days of paid sick leave annually. The proposed rule comes on the heels of a number of state and local initiatives to provide paid sick leave to employees.

The DOL’s proposed rule closely tracks the Executive Order, and largely parallels its language and structure. The DOL currently estimates that, within 5 years, its proposed rule would extend paid sick leave to more than 800,000 employees, including more than 400,000 workers who currently do not receive any paid sick leave.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) filed an administrative lawsuit against B&H Foto & Electronics Corporation (“B&H”), a major New York-based electronics retailer, alleging systematic discrimination against Hispanic, black, female, and Asian employees.

Following a two-year compliance review, OFCCP’s complaint accuses B&H