The Biden Administration: Actions On Labor & Employment In The First 100 Days

• Published date: 08 May 2021
• Subject Matter: Employment and HR, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Health & Safety, Employee Rights/ Labour Relations, Employment and Workforce Wellbeing
• Law Firm: Seyfarth Shaw LLP
• Author: Mr Charles Guzak

Seyfarth Synopsis: On May 4, 2021, Seyfarth attorneys convened a webinar entitled " The Biden Administration: Actions on Labor & Employment in the First 100 Days." A panel composed of Leon Rodriguez, Tracy Billows, Scott Mallery, Scott Hecker,, and Kyllan Kershaw addressed a number of labor, employment and immigration related actions taken by the Biden Administration since the beginning of its term.

The webinar kicked off by introducing the new leadership team at the Department of Labor, including Secretary Marty Walsh, Deputy Secretary Julie Su, and others. Tune in to find out who the Department's shadow secretary might be (no spoilers)!

It then proceeded to a comprehensive account of the COVID-19 vaccine roll out under the Biden Administration, including its impressive success in achieving the goal of 200 million shots in 100 days. The Biden Administration's new goal is to administer at least one dose of a vaccine to 70% of American adults by July, which is extremely ambitious. Discussion of the vaccine rollout concluded with a briefing on recent CDC guidance regarding the activities in which fully vaccinated adults can engage and the restrictions that will still be in place.

The next topic was OSHA's COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard, which is currently waiting to be cleared by the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Although the text has yet to be seen, it is expected to include CDC guidance, OSHA guidance, and some components of state emergency standards, including possibly California's pay and benefits provisions. Lastly, OSHA's National Emphasis Program was outlined and OSHA leadership was introduced, including Cal/OSHA Chief Doug Parker, who was recently nominated to lead OSHA.

The panel then provided a detailed overview of spending bills proposed by the Biden Administration, beginning with the American Jobs Plan and its eye-popping trillion dollar price tag. That bill, the text of which has not yet been released, is also sometimes...