|
|
Office of Communications & Legislative Affairs
[email protected]
131 M Street NE
Washington DC 20507
202-921-4191
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2021
EEOC TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON APRIL 28 TO EXAMINE CIVIL RIGHTS IMPLICATIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE WORKPLACE
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold its first all virtual Commission hearing on Wednesday, April 28, at 10:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) to consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers, the difficulties faced by employers in navigating potential employment discrimination issues raised by COVID-19, and future challenges the pandemic may present for employees and employers.
The hearing will be held virtually, as a videoconference, via Zoom for Government and is open to the public, in accordance with the Sunshine Act. The public may observe the livestream or connect to the audio-only dial-in by following the instructions that will be posted on www.eeoc.gov. Closed captioning and ASL services will be available. We anticipate the links and audio-only dial-in information to be posted on Monday, April 26 and no later than 24 hours prior to the hearing.
The Commission will hear testimony from a wide variety of experts on job discrimination and other barriers to employment during the ongoing health and economic crisis and how to help promote compliance with equal employment opportunity laws as employers and workers navigate unprecedented conditions. The Commission will hear from the following panelists during the hearing:
Panel 1:
- Heidi Shierholz, Senior Economist and Director of Policy, Economic Policy Institute
- John Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
- Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO, National Women’s Law Center
- Johnny C. Taylor, President and CEO, Society for Human Resources Management
- Mónica Ramírez, Founder/President, Justice for Migrant Women, Co-founder, The Latinx House, Poderistas & Alianza Nacional de Campesinas
- Damon Hewitt, Acting President and Executive Director/Executive Vice President of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Panel 2:
- Eric Henson, Executive Vice President, Compass Lexecon, and Research Fellow, The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development
- Julie Hocker, former U.S. Commissioner on Disabilities
- Brian East, Senior Attorney, Disability Rights Texas
- Michael Eastman, Senior Vice President, Policy and Assistant General Counsel, Center for Workplace Compliance
- Laurie McCann, Senior Attorney, AARP Foundation
- Amrith Kaur, Legal Director, Sikh Coalition
The Commission agenda is subject to revision. A recording and transcript of the Commission hearing will be posted on www.eeoc.gov after the hearing. For information about the hearing, please contact Christine Nazer, Acting Director of Communications, at 202-921-4191.
Members of the media are kindly asked to RSVP to [email protected] before April 28.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
|
Domonique Thomas, Assistant to the Vice President
|
Region 1 Call for Nominations
The Region 1 MOU will expire at midnight on August 6th, 2021. To get a head start on preparations, we are officially opening a call for nominations for five members in good standing to be the Region 1 Bargaining Team. The Bargaining Team’s main term of office will be until the end of the new contract that is negotiated. Thereafter, the elected team members, together with the Executive Board, may be called upon to negotiate meet and confers that may arise during the interim period until the next bargaining team is elected.
We are encouraging people to first contact anyone they wish to nominate and ascertain if they are willing to run and serve on a bargaining team. Nominations close at 5:00 PM on April 30th, 2021.
Candidates must accept or decline their nomination no later than 5:00 PM on May 5th, 2021. This ballot will be conducted via electronic vote, so make sure that the local has your correct email on file. If there is any question as to the local having your correct email, please call or send an email to [email protected], and be sure to put “Email Update” in the subject line.
The deadline for casting the electronic ballot is set for 5:00 PM, May 26th, 2021.
If there are only five nominees, and they accept the nomination, they will be declared to be the bargaining team by acclamation, and there will be no ballots sent out for voting.
We look forward to meeting the new team soon.
In solidarity,
Michael Ferreira
President
CFI Local 39000 TNG-CWA |
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed SB 95 legislation
You Have A Right to an Additional 80 Hours of
Emergency Paid Sick Leave for COVID Issues: Vaccinations and Reactions to Them Included!
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed SB 95, legislation reestablishing statewide supplemental paid sick leave for reasons related to COVID-19 and expanding the covered reasons that qualify an employee for the leave.
- The new law, which takes effect on March 29, 2021, is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021 and sunsets on Sept. 30, 2021.
In a long-forecasted move, on March 18, 2021, the California Legislature passed SB 95, reestablishing supplemental paid sick leave for COVID-19-related reasons. A day later, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law, which takes effect on March 29, 2021. The requires employers with more than 25 employees nationwide to provide up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave to their California employees.
Qualifying Reasons
Under SB 95, employers of more than 25 employees will be required to provide supplemental paid sick leave to employees (bold text indicates additional qualifying reasons):
- If you are in a COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation period per order or guideline of the State Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or local health officer who has jurisdiction over the workplace
- If you have been advised by a healthcare provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19
- If you are attending an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine
- If you are experiencing symptoms related to a COVID-19 vaccine that prevent the employee from working or teleworking
- If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis
- If you are caring for a family member who is subject to a COVID-19-related quarantine/isolation order or who has been advised by a healthcare provider to self-quarantine
- If you are caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed or otherwise unavailable due to reasons related to COVID-19 on the premises
Amount of Leave
The amount of supplemental paid sick leave is determined by the employee's status as full-time or part-time employee.
- Full-time employees are entitled to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave, including those who work, on average, at least 40 hours per week in the two weeks preceding the date that COVID-19-related leave was needed.
- Part-time employees working a normal weekly schedule are entitled to supplemental paid sick leave in an amount equal to the number of hours scheduled to be worked over two weeks.
- Employees who are F category (LASC), intermittent, or as-needed are entitled to supplemental paid sick leave equal to 14 times the average number of hours worked each day in the six months preceding the date that leave was required.
Maximum Monetary Benefit
Each hour of supplemental paid sick leave must be paid at the employee's regular rate of pay unless an alternate statutory calculation provides for a higher payment. The maximum payable benefit is $511 per day or $5,110 in the aggregate. These monetary caps will automatically increase if the federal government passes a federal supplemental paid sick leave bill that provides for payments at an amount exceeding the benefit payable under the now-expired Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
Setoff for Already-Provided Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
If any courts paid supplemental sick leave benefits for any of the reasons covered under SB 95 between Jan. 1, 2021 and March 29, 2021, they are entitled to count the previously provided paid benefit towards the total benefit required under the new law. For example, a court that provided a full-time employee 40 hours of supplemental paid sick leave in February 2021 pursuant to city or county ordinance can deduct the already-provided 40 hours toward the new 80-hour obligation.
Retroactive Effective Date
Critically, the law is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021. Therefore, courts should review any requests for unpaid leave of absence between Jan. 1, 2021 and March 29, 2021, to determine whether any such requested leaves of absence were taken for qualifying reasons under SB 95. If so, payment of supplemental paid sick leave will likely be required for the time spent on unpaid leave.
There is a time limit for retroactive payment. Retroactive payment must be made on or before the payday for the next full pay period after the employee requests, orally or in writing, a retroactive payment for time off for qualifying reasons. Of course, any retroactively paid sick leave would count toward an employee's paid sick leave allotment under SB 95.
This is good news for our members; if you have any questions or need help with any aspect of accessing this additional Emergency Paid Sick Leave under SB95, contact your local steward or board representative for your region. Of course, you may directly call the court administrative department that handles COVID issues, leave requests, and/or human resources.
In solidarity,
CFI Local 39000 TNG-CWA
|
|
RSVP: The David E. Feller Memorial Labor Law Lecture
You are invited to join us on Thursday, April 15th, 2021 at 4pm as the Berkeley Journal of Employment & Labor Law presents the 2021 Feller Lecture. This year's lecture will feature Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.
When: Thursday, April 15th at 4pm PST
Where: Online, link will be sent out before event
What: The 2021 Feller Lecture, followed by Q&A
David E. Feller Memorial Labor Law Lectureship
To honor the memory of David E. Feller, the well-known labor law professor and advocate who died in 2003, the David E. Feller Memorial Labor Law Lectureship annually presents a scholar or practitioner to speak about his or her work in the field of labor law. The primary goal of the Lectureship is to bring attention to the study and practice of American labor law and to spur the academic exchange of ideas about its contemporary significance.
About David E. Feller
David E. Feller was a renowned labor law expert and professor emeritus of Boalt Hall when he passed away in 2003. He was a prominent member of the Boalt faculty for over 35 years and a revered practitioner in the field of labor law for nearly two decades prior to coming to Boalt. Professor Feller’s distinguished career included serving as general counsel to the United Steelworkers and the Industrial Union Department of the AFL-CIO, arguing several important cases before the United States Supreme Court, and participating significantly in ground-breaking civil rights litigation in the 1950s.
|
|
|
