Agencies pursue retaliation initiative

In November 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced they had joined forces to target employer retaliation. This multiagency initiative is intended to spotlight their collective commitment to the vigorous enforcement of worker protections in the name of racial and economic justice. This initiative builds on existing Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), which could enable the agencies to collectively pursue and eliminate workplace retaliation through greater coordination of investigations, settlements, and litigation.

In furtherance of this initiative, the three agencies held a virtual discussion, Ending Retaliation, Securing Racial and Economic Justice in the Workplace, on February 24, 2022. The discussion focused on the impact employer retaliation has on workers, particularly low-wage workers, who may also suffer race discrimination in the workplace. Top agency leaders—along with regional leaders from the EEOC, the NLRB and the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division and Solicitor’s Office—discussed their roles and steps they are taking to protect workers from adverse employment decisions that can have serious impacts on their livelihood.