Federal Contractor Minimum Wage Mandate Revoked: What You Need to Know

On March 14, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order rescinding the federal contractor minimum wage mandate, a policy originally established under the Biden administration. This decision removes the requirement for federal contractors to pay workers at least $17.75 per hour, allowing wages to be set according to the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per…
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PAY DISPARITY Part I: Gender Pay Gap – The Simple Truth

36 years ago, as a new single female attorney working for a large corporation, I learned that I was being paid 10% less than my male counterpart, “because he had a family to support”. My married female colleague was being paid 15% less than our male counterpart “because she lived in a 2-income household and…
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HR’s Responsibility and Compliance Obligations in a Recession

The possibility of a recession on the horizon and the inevitability of one eventually has many businesses and their employees worried. During extended financial instability, sales drop, jobs disappear, and productivity decreases because people are preoccupied with their personal finances. Customers spend less and companies have less revenue to invest, therefore people are less likely…
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What the Olympics Teach Us About Diversity, Inclusion and Bias

“Unity in Diversity”—one of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games’ three core themes. The unifying power of the Games, bringing athletes from around the world together to example the virtues of peace, solidarity, and excellence is indescribable. Still, Tokyo’s proclamation of “Unity in Diversity” falls flat in light of the many disparities that still plague participants…
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OFCCP Director Highlights Universities’ Equal Pay Missteps

Federal contracts are lucrative but come with their share of burdensome compliance obligations. Among others, these include equal employment opportunity and affirmative action requirements that are enforced by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Universities and colleges that provide contract services, like research, for the federal government are no exception to these requirements….
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