With the election just two weeks away, employers can start to draw a sharper focus on the national issues at stake in the upcoming Presidential election. That said, much of what will happen will also depend on what happens with various Congressional races.  In other words, even if Senator McCain is elected President, we’re still likely to see various issues raised in the next session of Congress.

Michael Moore has a terrific piece this week outlining the various bills that are likely to get debated after the election.  I’ll be discussing some of them in upcoming posts (as well as issues relating to Connecticut’s races), but Michael’s post provides a good roadmap to the bills.

Among them:

Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800 and S. 1041)

Summary:  The EFCA amends the NLRA to change the procedures for union certification and first contract negotiation.

Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3685/ no Senate Bill)

Summary:  ENDA adds sexual orientation to the protected classes under Title VII for all employers except religious organizations.

 Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831/ S. 1843)

Summary:  FPA overturns the Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. effectively eliminating the 180 or 300-day statute of limitations for filing a wage-related discrimination claim.

 

Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338/ S. 766)

Summary:  PFA changes the burden of proof in gender based pay claims requiring the employer to affirmatively demonstrate that any pay differential is not based on sex.

 

RESPECT ACT (H.R. 1644/ S. 969)

Summary:  The so-called Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradesworkers (RESPECT) Act would change the NLRA definition of “supervisor” to exclude “working supervisors” who do not spend a majority of their worktime in strictly managerial duties excluding the tradition duties of assigning work and directing the activities of others.

The post also discusses the impact that each bill would have on existing law and the candidates’ respective positions. 

(For another take, see The Word on Employment Law’s collection of posts on the issues here.)