Federal Agencies Announce New Initiative To Combat Retaliation Against Workers

On November 10, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that they will soon launch a joint initiative to raise awareness about retaliation against workers when they exercise their labor rights.

In a press release, the NLRB explained the initiative is designed: to protect workers on issues of unlawful retaliatory conduct; to educate the public; and to engage employers, business organizations, labor organizations, and civil rights groups on the issue of retaliation. The agencies will formally announce the initiative on November 17, 2021 with a virtual dialogue with employers. That discussion will focus on the importance of workers’ anti-retaliation protections for those exercising their rights, and the three agencies’ shared commitment to vigorous enforcement.

While the agencies have not released information about how employers can participate in that discussion, Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda pledged, “In the U.S. Department of Labor’s fight against wage theft, misclassification, discrimination, unsafe or unhealthy workplaces, and other unlawful employment practices, we will use all tools available to protect workers from retaliation” and said “this collaboration among federal labor enforcement agencies will form a bulwark against unlawful retaliation.”

Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Charlotte A. Burrows said “charges alleging retaliation have increased as a percentage of the total number of charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission every year for the last 20 years.”

Stay tuned to Connecting the Dots as MSCI learns more about this initiative.