The Department of Labor (DOL), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have announced a joint initiative to raise awareness about retaliation issues related to exercise of employee rights under federal labor and employment laws.
The new initiative kicked off with a virtual panel discussion marketed to the employer community that was held on November 17 and was hosted by key leaders at the three agencies. Contemporaneous with the panel discussion, the EEOC published a set of new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding unlawful retaliation and interference against employees who exercise their legally protected rights in connection with COVID-19. And although not specifically referencing the new anti-retaliation initiative but clearly related, the same day the Labor Department filed a lawsuit in federal court in Texas, based on a complaint filed with the agency 19 months ago, alleging a company unlawfully retaliated against an employee under the Occupational Safety and Health Act for expressing “valid complaints related to workplace safety and COVID-19.”
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.