Latest news with #EndingIllegalDiscriminationandRestoringMerit-BasedOpportunity
Fox News
19-04-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Mayo Clinic renaming DEI office to ‘Office of Belonging'
The Mayo Clinic is renaming its DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) office to instead be called the "Office of Belonging." "Since 2020, Mayo Clinic has intentionally focused on belonging as a cornerstone of staff wellbeing," Andrea Kalmanovitz, Mayo's director of media relations, said in a statement quoted in the Minnesota Star Tribune. "In keeping with this focus and recent national events, we're embracing an opportunity to accelerate Mayo Clinic's belonging journey to reflect our culture of collaboration and respect and support positive patient experiences," Kalmanovitz added. The rebrand comes following President Donald Trump's January executive order "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" directing federal agencies to end all DEI practices and asking the private sector to "end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences." The "Office of Belonging" page on Mayo Clinic's website says that "Our vision is to create a global environment of empowered belonging. This requires building an environment of psychological safety, making Mayo Clinic a place where people from all backgrounds, cultures and experiences can access the best health care and where all staff can bring their authentic best selves." On its website, Mayo Clinic says that it received $500.7 million in 2024 from federal and state sources for research funding. The "Office of Belonging" page gives a nod to DEI priorities, stating that "Equity is embodied in every aspect of Mayo Clinic, from the individuals who constitute it to the organization as a whole. We embrace all people who come through our doors, whatever their race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, military service, faith, or culture. Success is only possible when we include diverse experiences, perspectives, thoughts and voices in everything we do." The Mayo Clinic, established in 1864, now says its "work regarding belonging is delivered through the internal community of passionate people, committees and initiatives ― recognizing that this work is neither centralized nor hierarchical." Fox News Digital reached out to Mayo Clinic for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicago employees of federal contractor oversight agency put on paid leave: ‘It's open season out there for all these contractors'
The Chicago staffers of the U.S. Department of Labor's federal contractor oversight agency were put on paid administrative leave this week, along with workers in most other regions of the country. The staffers put on paid leave are employees of the agency's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which investigates federal contractors to ensure they comply with nondiscrimination laws. Employees in the OFCCP's national enforcement branch and staff throughout five of the agency's six regions were notified they were being placed on paid administrative leave, according to a Wednesday email to staff from OFCCP Director Catherine Eschbach, who was appointed to the role at the end of March. Bloomberg Law first reported on the email, which the Tribune reviewed. Brent Barron, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 648, which represents OFCCP employees in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, estimated that 20 to 25 Chicago-based employees of the agency are affected, around a dozen of whom are in the union's bargaining unit. Most of those workers had already agreed to take early retirement or deferred resignation offers that would have ended their time on the job Friday, Barron said. Those put on paid leave include investigators, clerical employees and regional office staff, Barron said. 'Their primary function was to go out and investigate the contractors and their hiring practices to make sure that when they hired somebody … they weren't discriminating against anybody,' Barron said. Now, Barron said, there is no one left in the Midwest to perform that work. 'It's open season out there for all these contractors,' he said. The Wednesday email said employees were being placed on leave 'pending further compliance' with an executive order from President Donald Trump that significantly reduced the scope of the agency's work. That executive order, titled 'Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,' rescinded the 1965 executive order from former President Lyndon B. Johnson that established much of the agency's authority to oversee federal contractors. 'This agency now has a significantly reduced scope of mission,' Eschbach wrote in the Wednesday email. 'This action is consistent with the iterative process to 'right-size' and optimize the agency, consistent with its current statutory functions.' Staffers in the agency's Southwest and Rocky Mountain region and in certain branches of the Washington, D.C., office were not impacted, according to the email. Neither the Labor Department nor the White House responded to requests for comment. The Chicago staffers worked out of the Kluczynski Federal Building at 230 S. Dearborn St.
Chicago Tribune
18-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago employees of federal contractor oversight agency put on paid leave: ‘It's open season out there for all these contractors'
The Chicago staffers of the U.S. Department of Labor's federal contractor oversight agency were put on paid administrative leave this week, along with workers in most other regions of the country. The staffers put on paid leave are employees of the agency's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which investigates federal contractors to ensure they comply with nondiscrimination laws. Employees in the OFCCP's national enforcement branch and staff throughout five of the agency's six regions were notified they were being placed on paid administrative leave, according to a Wednesday email to staff from OFCCP director Catherine Eschbach, who was appointed to the role at the end of March. Bloomberg Law first reported on the email, which the Tribune reviewed. Brent Barron, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 648, which represents OFCCP employees in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, estimated that 20 to 25 Chicago-based employees of the agency are affected, around a dozen of whom are in the union's bargaining unit. Most of those workers had already agreed to take early retirement or deferred resignation offers that would have ended their time on the job Friday, Barron said. Those put on paid leave include investigators, clerical employees and regional office staff, Barron said. 'Their primary function was to go out and investigate the contractors and their hiring practices to make sure that when they hired somebody… they weren't discriminating against anybody,' Barron said. Now, Barron said, there is no one left in the Midwest to perform that work. 'It's open season out there for all these contractors,' he said. The Wednesday email said employees were being placed on leave 'pending further compliance' with an executive order from President Donald Trump that significantly reduced the scope of the agency's work. That executive order, titled 'Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,' rescinded the 1965 executive order from former President Lyndon B. Johnson that established much of the agency's authority to oversee federal contractors. 'This agency now has a significantly reduced scope of mission,' Eschbach wrote in the Wednesday email. 'This action is consistent with the iterative process to 'right-size' and optimize the agency, consistent with its current statutory functions.' Staffers in the agency's Southwest and Rocky Mountain region and in certain branches of the Washington D.C. office were not impacted, according to the email. Neither the labor department nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
Fox News
18-04-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Al Sharpton holds 'constructive and candid' meeting with Target CEO over DEI initiatives
The CEO of Target met MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton on Thursday as the latter's organization puts pressure on companies that previously scaled back DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives. Sharpton met with Brian Cornell, Target's CEO, to discuss how Sharpton has encouraged his followers to boycott the chain as it has reduced its DEI efforts. The news of the meeting was first reported by CNBC. He called the meeting with Cornell "very constructive and candid," and said that he would "inform our allies, including Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, of our discussion, what my feelings are, and we will go from there." Bryant is an Atlanta pastor who organized a Target fast for Lent to protest that chain's scaling down of its DEI policies. Fox News Digital reached out to Target, Cornell, and Sharpton for comment but did not immediately receive a response. In a reported statement to CNBC, Sharpton said that Target reached out to him for the meeting. "You can't have an election come and all of a sudden, change your old positions," Sharpton said. "If an election determines your commitment to fairness, then fine, you have a right to withdraw from us, but then we have a right to withdraw from you." In January, President Donald Trump signed the executive order "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" directing federal agencies to end all DEI practices and asking the private sector to "end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences." On Feb. 20, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a class action lawsuit with America First Legal, and law firms Boyden Gray and Lawson Huck Gonzalez, against Target for the company's alleged intentional deception of investors regarding its "radical LGBTQ activism." The lawsuit says that Target shareholders lost tens of billions of dollars and that the company "actively misled" investors, claiming that they would look out for the possible risks of their DEI and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) policies, but actually only tracked the response of left-leaning activist groups. Part of Target's Pride merchandise that drew headlines in 2023 included an adult one-piece swimsuit featuring a "tuck-friendly construction" and "extra crotch coverage." The retailer also reportedly sold chest-binders. Following the rollout of the merchandise, the store's market value fell to $57.7 billion from $74 billion. In a Thursday post on Instagram, Sharpton wrote, "As attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion escalate nationwide, we're standing up, not backing down. DEI is under siege, and some are acting like it's already dead. But at NAN, we know the fight is far from over. Today marks 67 straight weeks of action. We've been on the frontlines outside Bill Ackman's office in NYC, demanding accountability and pushing back on the corporate rollbacks. Now is not the time to slow down, it's time to turn up."
USA Today
21-03-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump admin no longer requires ban on segregated facilities in government contracts
Trump admin no longer requires ban on segregated facilities in government contracts Show Caption Hide Caption Trump removes segregated facilities ban in government contracts The Trump administration has removed a requirement prohibiting segregated facilities in new government contracts, however, segregation remains illegal under US law. unbranded - Newsworthy The Trump administration is no longer requiring an explicit prohibition of segregated facilities in new government contracts. The Feb. 15 memo from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) was first reported by NPR Tuesday. Segregation is still illegal in the U.S. and the memo states contractors are still subject to laws on civil rights and nondiscrimination. But the directive from the GSA, which manages federal property and sources contracting options for other agencies, came in response to one of President Donald Trump's executive orders aimed at rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion in the federal government. Here is what to know about the order: More: Department of Defense article on Jackie Robinson taken down from website amid DEI-scrubbing Following anti-DEI order, federal agencies nix 1960s segregation prohibition from contracts The memo states that the changes to contract and solicitation terms for federal agencies are necessary after Trump's Jan. 21 executive order titled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity." Along with other programs Trump considered under the diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility umbrella, the order revoked the 1965 Equal Employment Opportunity executive order signed by former President Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson's order required government contracts to include nondiscrimination language. In its place, as the memo lays out, contracts "do not include" provisions including 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities, which includes restrooms, drinking fountains and transportation. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump posted on X about the measure, saying, "this change sends a CLEAR message." Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization Council on American-Islamic Relations also criticized the measure. "As our nation unfortunately becomes more divided and polarized, the last thing we need is any effort that could be perceived as allowing racial segregation,' said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper in an emailed statement. 'We must not turn back the clock to a time in our nation's history when racism and white supremacy were written into laws and contracts.' But GSA spokesperson Stephanie Joseph defended the measure saying that duplicative regulations in the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the regulation standard for government suppliers, put an "unnecessary burden" on American companies working with the government. "This is why reforming the (Federal Acquisition Regulation) is such a high priority for GSA and this administration," Joseph said in a statement to USA TODAY. "We are moving at the speed of need to quickly undo the damaging policies of the past administration. The entirety of the clause in question was originally implemented because of an EO under a former administration." What the Trump administration means for your identity: Sign up for USA TODAY's This is America newsletter. Contributing: Reuters Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @
