CLAIRE SAVAGE | The Seattle Times

The emblem of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is shown on a podium in Vail, Colo. Washington workers may soon see the impacts of a key federal employee rights watchdog’s plans to roll back anti-discrimination protections, particularly for transgender people. (David Zalubowski / The Associated Press, 2016)

May 16, 2025 at 12:52 pm

Federal judge strikes down workplace protections for transgender workers

A federal judge in Texas struck down guidance from a government agency specifying protections against workplace harassment based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Business

May 12, 2025 at 1:12 pm

Civil rights agency moves to fire judge fighting Trump directives

The federal agency tasked with protecting workers’ civil rights has moved to terminate a New York administrative judge who has resisted compliance with President Donald...

Business

May 12, 2025 at 3:01 am

Trump’s anti-DEI battle threatens nonprofits trying to fill critical labor gaps VIEW

Recruiting women into construction and manufacturing has for years been a painstaking but broadly popular effort to address persistent labor shortages.

Business

April 18, 2025 at 2:20 pm

EEOC instructs staff to sideline all new transgender discrimination cases, employees say

The federal agency tasked with protecting workers’ civil rights is classifying all new gender identity-related discrimination cases as its lowest priority while also placing them...

Business

April 15, 2025 at 1:58 pm

Federal judge blocks Labor Department from enforcing key part of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders

A federal judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the U.S. Department of Labor from requiring government contractors and grant recipients to certify...

Business

April 9, 2025 at 4:00 pm

Ex-EEOC commissioner fired by Trump files lawsuit demanding reinstatement

A former Democratic commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging her dismissal by President Donald Trump, arguing her removal was...

Business

April 3, 2025 at 6:42 am

EEOC chief shifts focus to investigating DEI, but the methods provoke an outcry

The head of the top federal agency for protecting worker rights has fallen in line with a presidential effort to stamp out diversity, equity and...

Business

March 27, 2025 at 7:34 pm

A federal judge temporarily blocks parts of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Labor from implementing parts of President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at curbing diversity, equity...

Business

Karen Ortiz, an administrative judge at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, poses for photos, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) NYJN102 NYJN102

March 9, 2025 at 9:19 pm

Meet the federal worker who went rogue: ‘I hope that it lights a fire under people’ VIEW

To billionaire Elon Musk and his cost-cutting team at the Department of Government Efficiency, Karen Ortiz may just be one of many faceless bureaucrats.

Business

February 28, 2025 at 10:46 pm

ACLU moves to take up gender identity lawsuit following Trump’s order

The lawsuit against a Culver’s restaurant is one of seven cases involving gender identity discrimination the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed to dismiss.

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