LogFAQs > #924283288

Ban companies that want federal contracts from using forced arbitration and non-compete clauses that restrict workers rights. Forced arbitration and collective action waivers make it harder for employees to fight wage theft, discrimination, and harassment harms that fall disproportionately on women of color. And abusive non-compete clauses for low- and middle-wage workers needlessly hold them back from pursuing other job opportunities. Companies that impose these restrictions on their workers will be ineligible to receive federal contracts.

Ban contractors from asking applicants for past salary information and criminal histories. Companies will be barred from winning federal contracts if they request previous salary information or violate the EEOCs criminal records guidance, which prevents discrimination against formerly arrested or incarcerated people.

Ensure fair pay and benefits for all workers. Federal contractors must extend a $15 minimum wage and benefits (including paid family leave, fair scheduling, and collective bargaining rights) to all employees. This will have an outsized effect on Black and Brown women, who perform a disproportionate share of lower-wage work.

Make the senior ranks of the federal government look like America. The federal government does a dismal job on diversity and inclusion. The share of Latinas in the federal workforce is about half that of the entire workforce. And even though Black women are disproportionately represented in the federal workforce, they are nearly absent from its leadership ranks. White workers make up nearly 80% of the senior civil service despite making up only 63% of the overall federal workforce. If were going to demand more of the private sector, we should demand more of the federal government too. My Equal Opportunity Executive Order will recruit and develop leadership paths for underrepresented workers by:

Diversifying recruitment: Direct real resources towards attracting entry-level applicants from HBCUs, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other minority-serving institutions, and reforming our higher-level recruiting process to attract diverse experienced hires into senior management positions.

Supporting development: Create new paid fellowship programs for federal jobs for minority and low-income applicants, including formerly incarcerated individuals, focusing especially on agencies where Black and Brown women are most underrepresented.

Opening up promotion pathways: Require every federal agency to incorporate diversity as part of their core strategic plan and create support networks through a government-wide mentorship program that centers Black and Brown employees.

Strengthen and target enforcement against systemic discrimination. Sectors that disproportionately employ Black and Brown women such as the low-wage service industry have higher rates of discriminatory practices. But women in these sectors are much less likely to report violations. My EEOC will more closely monitor these fields and bring in top talent to enforce claims in those areas. It will also issue first-of-its-kind guidance on enforcing claims involving the intersectional discrimination that women of color face from the interlocking biases of racism and sexism.