Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives

A letter issued by director of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) on February 15 marked a significant shift in federal procurement practices. The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council (CAAC) Letter authorizes federal agencies to deviate from certain provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and procurement practices that were mandated under Executive Order (EO) 11246, which was revoked by President Trump’s EO 14173 (“Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”)

On February 14, 2025, William Cowen (“Cowen”), the Acting General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board (the “NLRB” or the “Board”) issued a memorandum rescinding more than a dozen policy memoranda issued by his predecessor, Jennifer Abruzzo (“Abruzzo”), who served as the NLRB’s General Counsel during the Biden administration until President Trump terminated her from the position on January 27, 2025.

On Tuesday, February 11, the State of Missouri sued Starbucks for violations of federal and state laws prohibiting race discrimination. In a statement regarding the lawsuit, Attorney General Andrew Bailey said, “[r]acism has no place in Missouri. [The State] fil[ed] suit to halt [a] blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks.”

Effective January 1, 2025, Illinois employers face updated regulations under Public Act 103-0879, altering the landscape of E-Verify and Form I-9 compliance. This law applies to companies located in Illinois and any employer with employees working in Illinois, regardless of where the company is headquartered. Illinois employers should read our full coverage published on Hunton’s Business Immigration blog: Illinois Employers: Navigating New E-Verify and I-9 Compliance Requirements

A new law addressing workplace violence restraining orders, which expands employers ability to obtain temporary restraining orders in non-violent situations of harassment, was signed into law on September 30, 2023, became effective on January 1, 2025.

Wednesday evening, February 5, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a series of memos to various divisions of the Department of Justice (DOJ). One memo asserted that the DOJ will take action to enforce President Trump’s efforts to eliminate illegal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, as outlined in Executive Order 14173 (“Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity”).

On Monday, February 3, a group of organizations, including representatives of university diversity officers, sued President Trump and his administration, seeking to halt and declare unconstitutional two executive orders aimed at ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

On January 16, 2025, three days before President Trump’s inauguration, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) jointly issued the Antitrust Guidelines for Business Activities Affecting Workers (the “2025 Guidelines”). 

On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a statement titled “Removing Gender Ideology and Restoring the EEOC’s Role of Protecting Women in the Workplace,” marking a shift to align with the Trump administration’s Executive Order 14166 issued last week.

Since taking office on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has issued dozens of Executive Orders (EOs), several of which, if implemented, will impact employers and sponsored employees who utilize legal temporary and permanent visa programs.