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Celebrating Black History Month

During Black History Month the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) celebrates and honors the vast contributions Black Americans have made in the United States. While recognizing that the nation has made significant progress, there is important work for us all ahead. President Biden stated,

“During National Black History Month, we celebrate the legacy of Black Americans whose power to lead, to overcome, and to expand the meaning and practice of American democracy has helped our Nation become a more fair and just society. This country was established upon the profound but simple idea that all people are created equal and should be treated equally throughout their lives.”

According to a Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) August 2022 report, Black Americans continue to face challenges in the pandemic labor market at the same rate as they did prior to the pandemic, but there are signs of progress. CEA’s analysis using the Current Population Survey shows that recent wage growth for Black workers is stronger than that of the workforce as a whole—and slightly outpacing inflation. Additionally, Black Americans have gained some ground moving up the ladder to traditionally higher-paying industries and occupations. A central goal of the Biden-Harris Administration’s economic strategy is generating sustainable growth that is equitably shared.

At OFCCP we play an important role in ensuring an equitable future for workers. Our longstanding mission is to protect workers, promote diversity through equal employment opportunity, and enforce the legal and contractual promise of nondiscrimination and affirmative action applicable to federal contractors and subcontractors. We are committed to tackling employment policies and practices that create barriers to opportunity and perpetuate inequality.

This past fiscal year, the agency recovered nearly $4,000,000 for more than 5,000 Black workers who we found to have experienced workplace discrimination. We entered into a settlement agreement with LAZ Parking California LLC who will pay $320,000 in back wages and interest to 678 affected job seekers to resolve allegations of race and gender-based hiring discrimination affecting Black and female applicants at its Southern California facilities. In addition to back wages, LAZ Parking California, LLC agreed to revise its recruiting and selection procedures to ensure its personnel practices comply with federal law. The employer will extend 49 job offers and take proactive steps to ensure its application and hiring processes are not discriminatory.

We are also working to promote access to good jobs for underrepresented workers through our joint initiative with EEOC, the Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity (HIRE). In 2022 we held a roundtable on Skills Based Hiring: Removing Barriers and Paving Pathways to an Inclusive Workforce to explore how skills-based hiring can promote equal employment opportunity in the workplace. Despite the strong demand for workers, many qualified job seekers from underrepresented communities face challenges in accessing good jobs. The roundtable explored how employers have integrated skills-based hiring into their employment practices and how it has helped them remove barriers to hire and retain workers. 

In addition, the agency is working with the Department of Labor’s Good Jobs Initiative to ensure that the landmark federal investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act create good jobs, and to assist federal agencies in promoting equal opportunity in their infrastructure contracts so that underrepresented communities can access these jobs.

Our work to advance equal opportunity and eradicate systemic discrimination is critical to effectively addressing the longstanding barriers embedded in many employment policies and practices. At OFCCP we will continue to work tirelessly to tackle employment discrimination impacting Black workers and partner with covered federal contractors and subcontractors to ensure their workplaces are free from discrimination. We are a nation grounded in liberty and justice for all. As we build back a more equitable future, OFCCP urges federal contractors to seize the opportunity to lead by example by taking concrete action to promote racial equity. 

Protecting Workers. Promoting Diversity. Enforcing the Law.