Today, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), along with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), announced the creation of an interagency initiative to raise awareness of worker retaliation issues. Building upon their pre-existing interagency relationships, the NLRB, DOL, and EEOC seek to further protect workers from unlawful retaliatory conduct, educate the public about unlawful retaliation against workers who exercise their rights under federal labor laws, and engage with key stakeholders, including employers, trade and business associations, labor organizations and civil rights groups.
The initiative is scheduled to officially kick-off on November 17, 2021 with a virtual dialogue with employers on the importance of worker retaliation protections and the agencies’ joint commitment to the “vigorous enforcement” of these protections. In a press release published by the NLRB, DOL, and EEOC, NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo explained that “[retaliation] issues cut across multiple worker protection agencies, which is why it is so important to work collaboratively to effectively prevent and forcefully address retaliatory acts against workers.”
The civil law enforcement agencies have not yet provided further information about the full scope of the initiative or how to participate in the “virtual dialogue” scheduled for November 17. As always, we will keep you informed of any updates on this interagency collaboration.