The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has once again proposed modifying its procurement rules to require its contractors to certify compliance with “all applicable labor laws” as a condition of doing business with the agency. Under the USDA’s proposal, contractors also would be required, “to the best of their knowledge,” to certify that their subcontractors and suppliers are compliant.
The USDA’s proposal is similar to, but more detailed than, an ultimately withdrawn “blacklisting” proposal that the agency floated ten years ago during the Obama Administration, but which was ultimately abandoned in response to “adverse comments.” Now, with a union-friendly Biden Administration in power, the agency is trying again, perhaps setting the stage for similar proposals from other federal agencies or even a government-wide blacklisting policy that was attempted by both the Clinton and Obama Administrations with strong support from organized labor.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.