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Dec 16 2021
Affirmative ActionHarassment & Discrimination

Security services contractor to pay $1,175,000 after OFCCP audit

AlliedBarton Security Services LLC agreed to pay $1,175,000 in back pay and interest to resolve allegations of pay discrimination uncovered during a routine affirmative action audit by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). The OFCCP found pay disparities based on race and gender among employees in unarmed security officer jobs in New York…

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Dec 16 2021
Q&AWage and HourWashington

WASHINGTON Q&A: Pay door-to-door for out-of-town travel

Question: We have a non-exempt (hourly) employee in Washington who’s going to be traveling out of town for work. What travel time hours do they need to be paid for? Answer: The safest approach is to pay the employee door-to-door (from their home to the out-of-town destination and from the out-of-town destination back home). As…

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Dec 07 2021
Affirmative ActionCOVID-19

ALERT: Nationwide hold placed on federal contractor vaccine mandate

On December 7, 2021 a federal district court in Georgia issued a nationwide order prohibiting enforcement of the federal contractor COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine mandate until a full hearing can be held. A coalition of states, governors, state agencies, and a construction industry trade association had sued to stop the federal government from requiring covered federal…

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Dec 02 2021
COVID-19

OSHA vaccine mandate for employers with 100+ workers still on hold

Employers with 100 or more employees remain in limbo while awaiting a federal appeals court decision on the fate of OSHA’s regulation requiring workers to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 (coronavirus) or tested weekly. As we previously reported, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals put a hold on OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS)…

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Dec 02 2021
Affirmative ActionCOVID-19

Federal contractor vaccine mandate on hold in 3 states

A federal district court in Kentucky has issued a preliminary order that places the federal contractor COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine mandate on hold in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. Until a full hearing can be held, the court prohibited the federal government from enforcing the vaccine mandate on federal contractors in these three states. The court ruled…

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Dec 02 2021
COVID-19

Nationwide orders put Medicare and Medicaid vaccine mandate on hold

Two federal district courts have issued preliminary orders that will prevent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from enforcing its regulation requiring workers in most health care settings that receive reimbursements from Medicare or Medicaid to be vaccinated against COVID-19 (coronavirus). CMS issued its rule on November 5, 2021, the same day that…

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Dec 02 2021
COVID-19OregonSafety and Health

OREGON Q&A: N95s used for source control aren’t PPE

Question: We’re thinking of requiring employees who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 (coronavirus) to wear an N95 mask at work, but would we have to implement a full respiratory protection program? Answer: No, if your primary reason for requiring an unvaccinated worker to wear a filtering facepiece respirator such as an N95 is for source control…

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Dec 02 2021
Safety and Health

Are your company vehicles ready for winter?

With winter driving season upon us, now is the time to ensure company vehicles are ready for cold weather. Servicing a company car or truck should include: Checking the battery. Most battery failures happen during the first cold weather snap.   Replacing wiper blades. After a long, hot summer, wiper blades will get hard and…

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Dec 02 2021
Affirmative ActionDisability

Federal contractors must certify AAP compliance by June 30, 2022

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has announced that employers with federal supply or service contracts/subcontracts will be required to annually certify that they have developed written affirmative action plans (AAPs), with an initial deadline of June 30, 2022. The certification requirements apply to employers who are already required to prepare written AAPs,…

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Nov 18 2021
Safety and HealthWorkers’ Comp

Understaffed and overworked? Apply these safety measures

How do we keep our employees safe when we’re understaffed and overworked, and our employees are feeling the associated mental and physical fatigue? If you’re like most of Vigilant’s members, you’re feeling the pressure of the times—more work than you have the resources to fulfil, making you feel behind and in “catch-up mode” most of…

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Nov 18 2021
COVID-19DisabilitySafety and Health

Q&A: Consider options while awaiting ruling on OSHA COVID-19 ETS

Question: I read your Alert, announcing a hold on federal OSHA’s COVID-19 (coronavirus) emergency temporary standard (ETS) for employers with 100 or more employees until a federal court hearing occurs. Does that mean we can stop preparing for the rule (which requires vaccination or weekly tests), or is there something we should still be doing?…

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Nov 18 2021
Affirmative ActionCOVID-19Safety and Health

FAQs updated for federal contractor vaccine mandate

On November 10, 2021, revised versions of the COVID-19 Workplace Safety Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors and accompanying contractor FAQs were posted on the Safer Federal Workforce website. The new guidance incorporates the current deadline for covered contractor employees to receive their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine: January 4, 2022, instead of the…

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