BIDEN’S PROPOSED FY 2025 BUDGET SPELLS BAD NEWS FOR EMPLOYERS

President Joe Biden recently issued his proposed FY2025 budget. It includes large budget increases for government compliance agencies related to employment/employees. Some examples of compliance agencies are:

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (up by $488M)
• Department of Labor, which includes Wage & Hour Division, OSHA & Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs among other agencies (up by $318M to $13.9B)
• National Labor Relations Board (up by $21M to $320M)

Significantly Increased Penalties for EEOC, DOL, EEOC & NLRB

In providing additional funding, the proposed budget calls for “significantly increasing” penalties for employer violations. They are intended to “create meaningful deterrence for employers from violating workers’ rights”.

The higher penalties impact a comprehensive range of employment matters, such as:

• Hiring, promotions & training, as well as any other term, condition or privilege of employment
• Pay, including equal pay & overtime pay
• Workplace health & safety
• Union organization to “bolster the NLRB’s Board’s “capacity to enforce workers’ right to organize and collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions”.

National Paid Family & Medical Leave Proposed

The budget proposes a national paid family and medical leave program providing up to 12 weeks of leave for workers to recover from an illness or care for a new child or sick family member, among other situations.

National Paid Sick Leave Proposed

President Biden also called on Congress to enable legislation providing employees with seven paid sick days annually. Currently, a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both the House and Senate is working on paid leave legislation.

Author: Salvatore LoDico

  The HR Godfather ^TM 

  CEO, Trinity HR Consulting, Inc