New nomination for EEOC: President Donald Trump nominated Matthew Zandi, an attorney with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, to fill one of two vacancies on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, potentially solidifying a three-member Republican majority through at least 2029. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, his term would run through July 2031, according to the White House. Zandi would join EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas and Commissioner Brittany Bull Panuccio, who were appointed by Trump, and Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal, an appointee of former President Joe Biden. It would confirm a quorum when Commissioner Kotagal’s term ends in July. Source: Law360 11/10/26

EEOC now asking for American citizens to file EEOC charges: Taking a page from last year’s Instagram approach to increase white males to file charges, EEOC Chair Lucas shared a video on social media encouraging workers to report instances of anti-American discrimination. Per the video Lucas states: "Have you been harassed at work for speaking English or for being too American, or has your employer preferred workers of one foreign national origin to serve customers with that same background?" Lucas asked in the video. "Have you applied to a foreign-owned or operated business in the United States, and noticed that it mostly hires or promotes non-American workers?" She also suggested that companies may be finding ways around the federal steps required before sponsoring a foreign worker. "Are you a tech worker who's seen a job ad in a newspaper of all places for a PERM labor market test and then been told to apply by mail or even fax instead of the company's normal online job platform, or have you even heard that employers say that they prefer foreign workers because they consider American workers lazy? . . .If any of this sounds familiar, you may have experienced unlawful anti-American national origin discrimination.”  Source: Law360 9/14/26

Manufacturing jobs are up, but not the usual jobs—degree required: The U.S. is adding manufacturing jobs again. The catch: You might need a college degree to get one. That shift has big ramifications for the U.S. economy. Higher-skill jobs tend to pay better and create greater profits for their employers, boosting growth. But because these roles require more education, companies risk a skilled-worker shortage if training programs don’t keep pace. “The kind of manufacturing that is returning back to the U.S. is not the same as what we used to have in the ’70s or ’80s or ’90s,” said Binil Starly, director of Arizona State University’s School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks. “You need this new worker that is very technology-centric.” Between 2015 and 2025, U.S. manufacturers shed 244,000 jobs in so-called production occupations like assemblers and machine operators, according to Labor Department data. Over the same period, they added 358,000 jobs in management, business, and financial operations. One factor driving the change is automation. Robots have replaced many shop-floor workers, but not managers and engineers, increasing their share of the workforce. Automation has also made factory work more complicated. As companies rely more on sensors and data to track machines and spot potential problems, they need analysts to sift through the numbers. Robots require skilled technicians who can maintain them. Source: Wall Street Journal 8/25/26

Be careful of Limited Partner Health plans: With soaring healthcare costs, new products are making way into the marketplace that may not be ACA compliant. Marketers are selling more self-insured limited partner health plans to consumers who are seeking relief from soaring major medical insurance prices. A limited partner charges individual consumers for classifying the consumers as employees or limited partners of a company. The consumers face few or no work responsibilities at the company. Part of the marketing states that these plans are self-insured health coverage that's backed by stop-loss insurance and is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration. However, the truth is that these only cover preventive care, like checkups and annual health screenings. Tempting as they may be with promises of low premium costs, consumers often end up with higher out-of-pocket costs due to uncovered medical bills. Source: BenefitsPro 9/14/26

U.S. DOL adds new website for disability job seekers: The Office of Disability Employment Policy (IODEP) unveiled the Make Work Pay Hub, a new website that helps job seekers, workers, retirees, and employers find financial planning resources for people with disabilities. The Hub features ABLE accounts, which let eligible workers save for disability-related expenses without affecting federal benefits, and Trump accounts, new tax-advantaged savings accounts for any U.S. citizen under 18. Source: U.S. DOL

Applications for apprenticeship incentive payments program is open: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announced that applications are now being accepted for incentive payments under its Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program, which provides funding to Registered Apprenticeship sponsors based on apprentice participation and advancement outcomes. ETA said applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until available funding is exhausted. The initiative is intended to support the expansion of Registered Apprenticeship programs in industries identified as workforce priorities.  According to the department, eligible Registered Apprenticeship sponsors may apply for payments of up to $6,000 per apprentice. The funding is available through the Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program, which links payments to specified program outcomes rather than providing awards upfront. The announcement follows a separate Labor Department initiative involving a $40 million investment, led by the Florida Department of Commerce, to support apprenticeship expansion in shipbuilding and the defense industrial base. The department said that effort is expected to support the creation of nearly 10,000 apprenticeship opportunities over a four-year period. DOL said incentive payments are intended to support apprenticeship growth in sectors including shipbuilding and the defense industrial base, super intelligence, semiconductor and nuclear energy infrastructure, telecommunications, information technology, and transportation.

New York updating severance agreement requirements: New York now has a law, the “No Severance Ultimatums Act,” which would mandate a minimum 21-day review period and 7-day revocation period for any separation agreement requiring an employee to release claims against the employer, similar to the federal Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) regardless of the employee’s age. A “severance agreement” is defined as an agreement offered by an employer to an employee upon separation of employment and related to such separation that requires the employee to release waivable claims against their employer. Specifically, the law requires an employer offering a covered severance agreement would have to notify the employee that they: have the right to consult an attorney regarding the agreement; have no less than 21 calendar days to consider the agreement; may revoke the agreement within 7 calendar days after signing it, and the agreement will not become effective or enforceable until the revocation period has expired; and may sign the agreement before the end of the 21-day consideration period, but only if the decision to do so is knowing, voluntary, and not induced by fraud, misrepresentation, threats, or an offer of different terms to sign earlier. Source: Proskauer 9/10/26