Just when you think you have seen politicians like Obama & Biden at their sorriest...
There is a federal law that when a government contractor believes it is going to have to lay off workers.. they have to give their workers at least 2 months / 60 days notice. Due to pending federal budget cuts, many federal contractors anticipate having to lay-off several 1,000's of workers come the first of 2013. So the deadline to notify all those workers will come approx. 5 days before the Presidential election.
Fox News is reporting that the Obama administration is now begging the federal contractors to NOT notify their workersbefore the election. The Obama administration is promising to pay all the contractors legal expenses that might arise from not doing so. That means that if tens of 1,000's of employees turn around and sue the contractor they work for for failing to notify them of the lay-offs in a timely manner.. the Obama administratin is promising to pay all the contractor's legal expenses.. including any financial awards to the employees. That means we [the taxpayer] will be paying the legal expenses for contractors who violated federal law at Obama & his administration's request. All because they know it might cost them the election if workers know before the presidential election they will be being layed off at the first of the year. I think that is as sorry as a man / politician can get!
There is a federal law that when a government contractor believes it is going to have to lay off workers.. they have to give their workers at least 2 months / 60 days notice. Due to pending federal budget cuts, many federal contractors anticipate having to lay-off several 1,000's of workers come the first of 2013. So the deadline to notify all those workers will come approx. 5 days before the Presidential election.
Fox News is reporting that the Obama administration is now begging the federal contractors to NOT notify their workersbefore the election. The Obama administration is promising to pay all the contractors legal expenses that might arise from not doing so. That means that if tens of 1,000's of employees turn around and sue the contractor they work for for failing to notify them of the lay-offs in a timely manner.. the Obama administratin is promising to pay all the contractor's legal expenses.. including any financial awards to the employees. That means we [the taxpayer] will be paying the legal expenses for contractors who violated federal law at Obama & his administration's request. All because they know it might cost them the election if workers know before the presidential election they will be being layed off at the first of the year. I think that is as sorry as a man / politician can get!
Administration doubles down on plea to contractors amid pending layoffs
Published September 29, 2012
FoxNews.com
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...#ixzz27u6pxDUv
Published September 29, 2012
FoxNews.com
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...#ixzz27u6pxDUv
The Obama administration has doubled down on its plea to defense contractors not to warn employees about possible layoffs due to looming budget cuts -- going so far as to offer to cover legal fees in compensation challenges.
The move drew a stern rebuke Friday from South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune.
"For the second time, the Obama administration has now encouraged government contractors to ignore the WARN Act and hold off on warning employees about possible layoffs due to the looming sequestration cuts, Thune, lead author of the Sequestration Transparency Act, said Friday.
The offer to pay the legal fees was included in a memorandum issued by the administration Friday that also restated the Labor Department's position from July that contractors should not issue written notices to employees because of the "uncertainty" over the across-the-board cuts to the defense budget and other federal spending that will occur Jan. 2 unless Congress reaches a new deal.
The notices are required under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and generally require employers with more than 100 employees to provide 60-day notices of "mass layoffs if they are reasonably foreseeable."
The projected $500 billion in Pentagon cuts under the so-called sequestration will occur because Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan this summer.
The guidance issued by the Labor Department this summer stated "it is neither necessary nor appropriate" for federal contractors to issue the warnings.
The memorandum states the federal government would cover employee compensation under the WARN Act "irrespective of the outcome" as long as the contractor follows the Labor Department guidelines.
Still, defense contractor Lockheed Martin -- which might have to lay off employees should the cuts kick in -- is still considering whether to send out the notices, according to The Hill newspaper.
Rep. John Kline, chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, suggested last week that the Labor Department is trying to conceal the full impact of the cuts.
"The Labor Department is trying to hide the consequences of sequestration from workers," Kline, R-Minn., said in a letter to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.
The letter was the second in two months by Republican committee leaders in which they asked for an update and more detailed information about the obligations federal contractors have in giving the advanced notice.
On Friday, Republican Sens. John McCain, Ariz.; Lindsey Graham, S.C.; and Kelly Ayotte, N.H., issued a similar statement, saying in part, "The president should insist that companies act in accordance with the clearly stated law and move forward with the layoff notices."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...#ixzz27u7Edhxr
The move drew a stern rebuke Friday from South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune.
"For the second time, the Obama administration has now encouraged government contractors to ignore the WARN Act and hold off on warning employees about possible layoffs due to the looming sequestration cuts, Thune, lead author of the Sequestration Transparency Act, said Friday.
The offer to pay the legal fees was included in a memorandum issued by the administration Friday that also restated the Labor Department's position from July that contractors should not issue written notices to employees because of the "uncertainty" over the across-the-board cuts to the defense budget and other federal spending that will occur Jan. 2 unless Congress reaches a new deal.
The notices are required under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and generally require employers with more than 100 employees to provide 60-day notices of "mass layoffs if they are reasonably foreseeable."
The projected $500 billion in Pentagon cuts under the so-called sequestration will occur because Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan this summer.
The guidance issued by the Labor Department this summer stated "it is neither necessary nor appropriate" for federal contractors to issue the warnings.
The memorandum states the federal government would cover employee compensation under the WARN Act "irrespective of the outcome" as long as the contractor follows the Labor Department guidelines.
Still, defense contractor Lockheed Martin -- which might have to lay off employees should the cuts kick in -- is still considering whether to send out the notices, according to The Hill newspaper.
Rep. John Kline, chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, suggested last week that the Labor Department is trying to conceal the full impact of the cuts.
"The Labor Department is trying to hide the consequences of sequestration from workers," Kline, R-Minn., said in a letter to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.
The letter was the second in two months by Republican committee leaders in which they asked for an update and more detailed information about the obligations federal contractors have in giving the advanced notice.
On Friday, Republican Sens. John McCain, Ariz.; Lindsey Graham, S.C.; and Kelly Ayotte, N.H., issued a similar statement, saying in part, "The president should insist that companies act in accordance with the clearly stated law and move forward with the layoff notices."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...#ixzz27u7Edhxr
