Latest news with #AndreaLucas
Wall Street Journal
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Administration Takes Fight With Harvard to University's Hiring Practices
The Trump administration is investigating whether Harvard University discriminated against white, Asian, male or heterosexual workers in its hiring and promotion practices, the latest escalation of the battle between the government and the Ivy League school. In opening the probe, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's acting chair, Andrea Lucas, pointed to now-deleted documents on Harvard's website tracking its progress in diversifying its faculty over a decade.
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Civil rights agency moves to fire judge fighting Trump directives
The federal agency tasked with protecting workers' civil rights has moved to terminate a New York administrative judge who has resisted compliance with directives from the White House, including President Donald Trump 's executive order decreeing male and female as two 'immutable' sexes. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in response to Trump's order has moved to drop at least seven of its own pending cases representing transgender workers alleging discrimination, and is classifying all new gender identity-related discrimination cases as its lowest priority, signaling a major departure from its prior interpretation of civil rights law. EEOC Administrative Judge Karen Ortiz, who in February criticized the agency's Trump-appointed head, Acting Chair Andrea Lucas, in an email copied to more than 1,000 colleagues, on Wednesday was placed on administrative leave. She also received notice that the EEOC leadership sought to fire her, accusing her of 'profoundly unprofessional' conduct. 'Of particular concern, your February email was ultimately circulated to multiple press outlets, potentially resulting in significant reputational harm to the agency," according to the notice, which included a PDF of a March 10 article by The Associated Press on Ortiz along with other materials. An EEOC spokesperson said on Monday that the agency had no comment on Ortiz's termination proceedings. Ortiz may reply to the dismissal notice within 15 days, and has the right to request a time extension, an attorney, a union representative, or another representative of her choosing, according to the document, which was acquired by The AP. 'This proposed action does not pertain to the content of your disagreement with the Agency policy, but rather the disrespectful and disparaging manner in which you have conveyed your message,' the notice reads. A final decision will be issued after the reply period has passed. In her February mass-email criticizing the agency's efforts to comply with Trump's order, Ortiz wrote to Lucas that 'You are not fit to be our chair much less hold a license to practice law,' adding: 'I will not compromise my ethics and my duty to uphold the law.' The letter was leaked on Reddit, where it gained more than 10,000 'upvotes.' Many users cheered its author. The EEOC subsequently revoked her email privileges for about a week and issued her a written reprimand for 'discourteous conduct.' Ortiz's actions were cited in an April 18 White House proposal aimed to make it easier to fire some federal workers. It listed Ortiz as an example of bureaucrats who 'use the protections the system gives them to oppose presidential policies and impose their own preferences." Ortiz said she was unphased after being called out by the nation's highest office. Trump 'just gave me an even bigger platform,' she said in an April 19 message to The AP. Since February, Ortiz said she has continued to 'raise the alarm' and convey her opposition to the agency's actions, including in an April 24 email to Lucas and several other internal email groups with the subject line, 'If You're Seeking Power, Here's Power' and a link to Tears for Fears' 1985 hit 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World.' 'Take in the lyrics,' Ortiz wrote to Lucas. 'Ponder what you're allowing yourself to be a part of.' Her ability to send emails was again promptly revoked. Ortiz said she plans to fight the termination, and is strategizing with her attorneys and union on how best to respond. 'I've been quite the thorn in the agency's side,' she said Monday in a phone interview with The AP. 'But, you know, it's warranted.' ________ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Civil rights agency moves to fire judge fighting Trump directives
The federal agency tasked with protecting workers' civil rights has moved to terminate a New York administrative judge who has resisted compliance with directives from the White House, including President Donald Trump's executive order decreeing male and female as two 'immutable' sexes. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in response to Trump's order has moved to drop at least seven of its own pending cases representing transgender workers alleging discrimination, and is classifying all new gender identity-related discrimination cases as its lowest priority, signaling a major departure from its prior interpretation of civil rights law. EEOC Administrative Judge Karen Ortiz, who in February criticized the agency's Trump-appointed head, Acting Chair Andrea Lucas, in an email copied to more than 1,000 colleagues, on Wednesday was placed on administrative leave. She also received notice that the EEOC leadership sought to fire her, accusing her of 'profoundly unprofessional' conduct. 'Of particular concern, your February email was ultimately circulated to multiple press outlets, potentially resulting in significant reputational harm to the agency,' according to the notice, which included a PDF of a March 10 article by The Associated Press on Ortiz along with other materials. An EEOC spokesperson said on Monday that the agency had no comment on Ortiz's termination proceedings. Ortiz may reply to the dismissal notice within 15 days, and has the right to request a time extension, an attorney, a union representative, or another representative of her choosing, according to the document, which was acquired by The AP. 'This proposed action does not pertain to the content of your disagreement with the Agency policy, but rather the disrespectful and disparaging manner in which you have conveyed your message,' the notice reads. A final decision will be issued after the reply period has passed. In her February mass-email criticizing the agency's efforts to comply with Trump's order, Ortiz wrote to Lucas that 'You are not fit to be our chair much less hold a license to practice law,' adding: 'I will not compromise my ethics and my duty to uphold the law.' The letter was leaked on Reddit, where it gained more than 10,000 'upvotes.' Many users cheered its author. The EEOC subsequently revoked her email privileges for about a week and issued her a written reprimand for 'discourteous conduct.' Ortiz's actions were cited in an April 18 White House proposal aimed to make it easier to fire some federal workers. It listed Ortiz as an example of bureaucrats who 'use the protections the system gives them to oppose presidential policies and impose their own preferences.' Ortiz said she was unphased after being called out by the nation's highest office. Trump 'just gave me an even bigger platform,' she said in an April 19 message to The AP. Since February, Ortiz said she has continued to 'raise the alarm' and convey her opposition to the agency's actions, including in an April 24 email to Lucas and several other internal email groups with the subject line, 'If You're Seeking Power, Here's Power' and a link to Tears for Fears' 1985 hit 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World.' 'Take in the lyrics,' Ortiz wrote to Lucas. 'Ponder what you're allowing yourself to be a part of.' Her ability to send emails was again promptly revoked. Ortiz said she plans to fight the termination, and is strategizing with her attorneys and union on how best to respond. 'I've been quite the thorn in the agency's side,' she said Monday in a phone interview with The AP. 'But, you know, it's warranted.' ________ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This week in 5 numbers: Workers are insecure about their jobs
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. A majority of college graduates say they are confident about their job prospects, and existing workers without training are more likely to feel insecure about their jobs than those with training. Here's a look at some of the numbers making headlines in the HR world. By the numbers 3 The number of law students who alleged that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Acting Chair Andrea Lucas are acting outside of their authority in threatening to investigate the diversity, equity and inclusion practices of 20 major law firms, according to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 25 The number of top U.S. metros where a $100,000 household salary won't stretch far enough to cover the basic expenses for a family of three, according to a report by Lending Tree. 60% The percentage of Michiganders that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hopes to see with a post-secondary degree or certificate by 2030. 83% The percentage of 2025 college graduates who said they were confident about landing a job soon after graduation, according to Monster's annual State of the Graduate Report. 140% How much more likely workers who said they hadn't received any training in the past year were to feel insecure about their jobs, according to researchers at TalentLMS. Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
03-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Republican-led states demand 20 law firms disclose DEI practices
April 3 (Reuters) - Attorneys general from 12 Republican-led U.S. states sent letters on Thursday to 20 major law firms demanding information about their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) employment practices, building on a similar request to the same firms by the U.S. agency that enforces federal laws banning workplace discrimination. Andrea Lucas, acting chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, warned last month that the firms' employment policies related to DEI may be illegal. The letters, opens new tab, sent by a group of states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, said that information in the EEOC's request "indicates that your firm may have acted in violation" of federal and state law. Two of the law firms named in the letter, Perkins Coie and WilmerHale, were also targeted by Republican President Donald Trump in executive orders that focused partly on their DEI policies. Perkins Coie and WilmerHale have sued to challenge Trump's actions. Five other firms, including Skadden Arps and Milbank, have reached deals with Trump since targeting the legal industry, agreeing in part to adopt only merit-based employment practices. Representatives from those firms did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "The blatantly illegal employment discrimination perpetuated by law firms and other businesses under un-American DEI ideology must be brought to an immediate and permanent end," Paxton said in a statement. The attorneys general said that the firms should comply with the EEOC's request for information and send the same details to the states by April 15. Lucas said that some of the firms had publicly touted their commitment to diversifying their workforces and at least two had adopted explicit numerical goals for recruiting lawyers based on their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity. The EEOC's letter asked the law firms for information about the internships, scholarships and fellowships they offer to law students and their hiring and compensation practices, along with other detailed demographic information.
