DOL, OMB direct agencies to hire labor advisors

On January 10, 2023, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young and Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh issued a joint memorandum directing all federal agencies to designate labor advisors who will be responsible for advising agency officials on federal contract labor issues. The memo asks agencies to designate labor advisors by February 15 and should be posted on the agency’s website and on the System for Award Management. The DOL and OMB will establish and run a Contract Labor Advisor Group to help agencies better understand and implement contract labor laws and improve interagency communication.

The memo indicates that labor advisors will work with acquisition workforce and other agency staff to promote federal contractors’ awareness and understanding of labor law requirements and to assist agency contractors who need help preventing and addressing labor law violations. The labor advisors will help the agencies understand and properly apply contractor labor practices and serve as liaisons with DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Federal contractors should expect the labor advisors to increase the focus by their contracting agencies on whether contractors are compliant with federal labor and other regulatory requirements.