On September 15, 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) proposed a new rule that would prohibit federal contractors from discharging or otherwise disciplining employees who discuss, disclose or inquire about their pay or the pay of another employee or applicant for employment.

“Workers cannot solve a problem unless they are able to identify it. And they cannot identify it if they aren’t free to talk about it without fear of reprisal,” said OFCCP Director Patricia A. Shiu in her press release. “Pay transparency isn’t just good for workers. It’s good for business. Fairness and openness are great qualities for a company’s brand.”

Back in April 2014, the President signed Executive Order 13665, which instructed Secretary of Labor Perez issue a proposed rule within 160 days that required “pay transparency” by federal contractors. The rule proposed would amend the Equal Opportunity clauses in Executive Order 11246. The new rule adds definitions for “compensation,” “compensation information,” and “essential job functions,” terms which appear in the revised clauses of the Executive Order. The proposal also establishes two types of defenses that contractors can use against allegations of discrimination under EO 13665.

The proposed rule will be published in the September 17 issue of the Federal Register and will be open for public comment for 90 days. See  http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/PayTransparencyNPRM.