OFCCP releases new Voluntary Disability Self-ID form: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has revised the Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form (CC-305) to update the preferred language for disabilities and to include additional examples of disabilities. Federal contractors and subcontractors have until July 25, 2023, to implement the new form into their applicant and employee systems and processes.  OFCCP is committed to providing proactive, meaningful compliance assistance to help contractors solicit disability status information from applicants and employees and meet their equal employment opportunity obligations. For more guidance on implementing the form, please read OFCCP’s Frequently Asked Questions on the topic.

Is it a buyer’s or seller’s labor market? Starting pay expectations are higher than ever previously recorded in the U.S., according to new survey findings showing that workers are demanding more in today’s competitive labor market.  The results of the New York Fed’s latest SCE labor market survey, fielded quarterly since 2014, found that the lowest offer U.S. workers would be willing to take for a new job hit a high of over $75,000 annually in March. The data suggests that workers’ price tags are increasing along with the rising cost of living — and the newfound bargaining power they’re finding in the workforce.  But are employers willing to pay that new price tag?  For the survey, it is the highest recorded, which found that the increase was driven primarily by respondents over 45 and those who have at least a college degree. Companies are still struggling to retain talent. New pay transparency laws that went into effect this year in several states and major metropolitan areas, including New York City, have also forced many companies to make more attractive offers, giving workers yet another advantage.  Michigan pay transparency is next, so the real question will be whether compensation structures will eventually mirror union approaches to salary management.  Source: Yahoo money 4/18/23

Hallucinating ChatGPT an issue for data privacy in Europe:  Ever since the release of OpenAI’s humanlike chatbot, ChatGPT, in late 2022, users were warned about the tool’s potential for hallucinations, meaning the bot could spit out inaccurate or fictitious information in a very confident manner. But more recently, these hallucinations have been used as one of the strategies to challenge the chatbot’s legal standing under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. While OpenAI has denied its chatbot was in violation of the GDPR, ChatGPT has received increased scrutiny from European data protection authorities, including some explicit warnings recently from the Italian Data Protection Authority. One of the complaints comes from a French lawyer, who pointed out the chatbot’s lack of a privacy policy or terms of use regarding EU data, L’informé reported. The lawyer, Zoé Vilain, noted in her complaint that she attempted to contact OpenAI to request access to her personal data collected by the company, a request which was left unanswered. Going forward, EU regulatory action against ChatGPT could become more harmonized. In mid-April, the European Data Protection Board launched a task force to “foster cooperation and to exchange information on possible enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities” with regards to the new chatbot.  Source:  ALM 4.18.23

Go to a bank and the teller may be a union worker: Wells Fargo & Co. leaders are privately expressing increased concern that a years-long effort to unionize the bank’s employees could soon start notching victories — and have made plans to spend millions addressing the “pain points” that can fuel organizing efforts. The lender has seen “an increase in organizing activity” by employees working with the Communications Workers of America, according to an internal PowerPoint presentation viewed by Bloomberg News. The company has estimated the extra expense of having unionized workers, and drafted plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on staffing improvements, the manager said, describing contents of meetings on the subject. That comes amid what it called a broader “resurgence” of U.S. union activity.  Although unions make up a small percentage of the workforce, new areas of opportunities for unions are arising, especially in the service sector. Starbucks and Amazon are prime examples.  Source:  Bloomberg 4/17/23

New York will be the next state to require EEO-1 type reporting:  The New York State Senate has passed a bill that, if enacted, would require certain corporate entities to report data regarding the gender, race, and ethnicity of their employees. On March 27, 2023, an identical version of the bill was introduced in the New York State Assembly. If enacted, the reporting requirements would take effect two years after becoming law.   This proposed legislation would amend the New York Business Corporation Law and the Limited Liability Company Law to require that corporations and limited liability companies that are required to file an employer information report EEO-1 with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also be required to submit substantially similar demographic workforce data to the New York Secretary of State. The Secretary of State would then publish the data on gender, race, and ethnicity of each entity's employees online within 90 days of receipt.  New York would be the third state after California and Illinois to require such reporting and to publish it.  Source:  Proskauer 4/3/23

If gig workers stop being gig workers, are there regular jobs for them? The gig economy has boomed in recent years, luring talent away from the rigidity of a 9-to-5 with promises of freedom and flexibility. But now, is the gig up?  42% of delivery and rideshare drivers are considering leaving gig work within the next 12 months due to low or unpredictable earnings, lack of benefits, and the high cost of performing the work, according to a survey by payroll company Everee and the Restaurant Marketing Delivery Association, a nonprofit that advocates for local and regional delivery companies. According to the Everee survey, gig workers are struggling to manage these economic factors: 40% of drivers are working less due to high gas prices, while 38% find themselves working more to try to combat the rising costs. Nearly half of these workers report picking up multiple jobs to make ends meet. 76% are living paycheck to paycheck, yet 45% have turned down a new gig because of a lengthy onboarding process, and 42% have turned down work because of the time it will take them to receive their wages.  If looking for new pipeline of workers, here is a new channel.  Source:  EBN 4/19/23