Camille Olson Quoted in HR Magazine
"First 100 Days of Next President, Congress Will Be Busy"

Camille Olson was quoted in the article, "First 100 Days of Next President, Congress Will Be Busy," which appeared in the November 19, 2008 issue of HR Magazine. The article examined major pieces of legislation that will be priorities for President-Elect Barack Obama and the new Congress. As Camille mentioned in the article, the first 100 days of President-Elect Obama’s and the new Congress’ tenure will be busy and are likely to include activity on paycheck fairness bills and the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).

In light of Obama's co-sponsorship of the paycheck bills, Camille predicted that they will be top priorities in the next Congress. The bills—The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Pay Act— have all been introduced to negate a 2007 Supreme Court ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Camille noted that the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would amend the statute of limitations for pay discrimination claims filed under Title VII to make it easier for employees to file claims. She further noted that the Paycheck Fairness Act would amend the Equal Pay Act to enhance remedies for sex-based disparities in pay by allowing compensatory and punitive damages. Finally, Camille noted that the Fair Pay Act would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require that employers provide equal pay for jobs with comparable skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions. She explained that action on the paycheck fairness bills could be as swift in the next administration and Congress as action was on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the first piece of employment legislation signed into law after President Clinton took office.

In terms of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), Camille remarked that “EFCA is not going to pass in its current form, and I would be very surprised to see the elimination of secret ballots.” According to her, employers have a good shot at preserving secret-ballot elections. She believes unions might compromise and instead press for a significantly shorter period of time to campaign before elections. A shorter campaign period would mean that employers “can’t parachute in and provide employees with information,” Camille noted. She recommended that employers prepare now for EFCA.

Continuing on, Camille pointed out other legislation that may be considered in the next Congress, which included: the Workplace Freedom Act; the Crime Victims Employment Leave Act, which Rep. Rahm Emanuel D-Ill, recently named as Obama's White House chief of staff, introduced; H1-B visa cap measures; E-Verify program; the RESPECT Act; the Arbitration Fairness Act; and the America's Workers Act, which Obama co-sponsored.