Hello from the 2016 Industry Liaison Group National Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina!
Today marked the first day of this year’s annual conference being held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The festivities kicked off this morning with opening remarks from Charlotte Mayor, Jennifer Roberts, before conference goers were addressed by OFCCP Director Patricia Shiu.
In her final speech to the NILG as Director of OFCCP, Director Shiu to a look back at the “profound changes” the Agency has seen over the past seven years, including “ground breaking” regulations for veterans and individuals with disabilities as well as LGBT regulations and the recently released updated Sex Discrimination rule.
Director Shiu also highlighted the Agency’s three fundamental principles to:
- Protect workers
- Promote diversity
- Enforce through impartial, thorough and comprehensive compliance reviews
Over the past seven years of the Obama administration, Director Shiu reported 28, 811 federal contractors had been reviewed, encompassing 12 million workers, resulting in $75 million in relief and 12,000 jobs. Director Shiu acknowledged “most of the time we find contractors comply with the laws,” but “our job is not done until grieved individuals are made whole.”
In addition to highlighting regulatory changes, Director Shiu re-emphasized the Agency’s focus on pay discrimination noting pay is a “high priority for the Agency because it is a high priority of the Obama administration” and commented she doesn’t believe the emphasis on pay “is going to change anytime soon.”
Director Shiu expressed the Agency’s desire to conduct reviews in a “fair, neutral, efficient and expeditious manner” and reminded contractors that the obligation to review pay annually “is not new.”
In closing, Director Shiu shared her thoughts for the future and requested the NILG community “make a business case for change” by engaging senior leadership to set milestones and track progress involving not only veterans and individuals with disabilities but minorities and females as well.
Director Shiu in her final remarks noted that while there may only be a year left in the current administration, the agency “plans to build on successes of the past years”
Stayed tuned for more updates over the coming days as the conference continues.