Tag: President Barack Obama

Feds Propose Job-Driven Training Initiatives to Close Skills Gap

Federal officials are hoping that federal job-driven training initiatives will equip jobseekers with in-demand skills and then match them with employers looking for skilled labor. “To put people on the path to meaningful careers, we need to provide them with the skills, credentials, and certifications that businesses are looking for right now. We must ask […]

Obama’s three NLRB recess appointments were invalid, Supreme Court rules

On June 26, 2014, the U.S Supreme Court unanimously upheld the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Noel Canning v. NLRB, concluding that President Barack Obama’s three recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)—Sharon Block, Richard Griffin, and Terence Flynn—were not valid.  Accordingly, since three out of the […]

Are Your Employees Trained on Discrimination Definitions?

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently grappled with the question of what constitutes actionable harm to an employee in an employment discrimination case. Let’s look at what the court decided. Facts Mark Laster, an African-American male, worked for the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan. In June 2010, President Barack Obama was a guest speaker […]

Obamacare—Love It or Loathe It—Offers Lessons for Every Manager

(Dan Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on Obamacare in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter.) It’s not unusual for a talented, newly appointed executive to announce a bold and innovative course of action for the department or company she was just chosen to lead. And with bold plans come risk and detractors. […]

Obamacare provides lessons for every manager

by Dan Oswald It’s one of the most controversial pieces of legislation passed in my lifetime, with its legality being ruled on by the U.S. Supreme Court, but whether you support or reject Obamacare, it’s obvious that its execution has been deeply flawed. There’s a lesson in this for all of us. It’s not unusual […]

Criticism in store for Obama’s choice for DOL

President Barack Obama’s choice of Thomas E. Perez for secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor is likely to face tough questions during the process of confirmation by the Senate. If confirmed, Perez will replace Hilda L. Solis, who stepped down as labor secretary in January after serving in the post four years. Foes of […]

Obama unveils compromise on health reform contraception rule

The Obama administration released a compromise plan February 1 on how contraception is covered under the healthcare reform law, but it’s not clear whether foes of the original requirement will approve. Under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, contraception is included as a free preventive service. The original rule exempted religious groups that employ mostly […]

Court ruling puts NLRB future in jeopardy

A court ruling has put the brakes on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and possibly invalidated decisions the Board has made for the last year. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on January 25 that President Barack Obama acted unconstitutionally when he made three […]

Memorandum Extends Benefits to Same-Sex Partners of Executive Branch Employees

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama signed a federal memorandum requiring executive agencies to extend to same-sex partners the employment benefits equivalent to those granted to opposite-sex partners. The memorandum expands benefits previously provided to same-sex partners in an executive memorandum signed last October and is the latest in a handful of government moves to preserve […]

Harvard Law Grad Reflects on Employers’ Prospects If Kagan on Court

by Joanna R. Vilos President Barack Obama today nominated Elena Kagan to replace Justice John Paul Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court. Stevens has a reputation for making employee-friendly decisions in cases that have reached the high court, but most employers don’t have much familiarity with Kagan or her views on employment-related issues. So how […]