With crackdown on DEI, some women fear a path to good-paying jobs will close
In 1980, Lauren Sugerman enrolled in a vocational program aimed at increasing the representation of women and Black Americans in the steel mills. Despite facing discouragement from a hiring supervisor, she took a job maintaining and repairing elevators for the Chicago Housing Authority under Executive Order 11246, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. This order required federal contractors to address employment barriers for women and people of color.
President Trump revoked EO 11246 on his second day in office, citing the need to eliminate “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences” under the guise of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Trump’s Executive Order 14173 directed the immediate cessation of the office enforcing EO 11246, leading to the expected dismantling of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).
Sugerman, who later worked at Sears Tower, fears that the progress made by women in the construction trades since the 1980s will vanish. The Labor Department did not comment on the impact of dismantling EO 11246 on women and people of color.
Federal contractors, employing 20% of the U.S. workforce, are now caught between nondiscrimination laws and anti-DEI orders. Jenny Yang, former head of OFCCP, emphasized the importance of EO 11246 in ensuring compliance with civil rights laws across various industries.
Federal contractors analyzed their hiring and pay practices annually to identify disparities and create plans for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce. Matt Camardella, an employment law attorney, noted the serious risks of non-compliance.
Despite EO 11246, progress has been slow, with women making up less than 5% of workers in construction trades. Wendy Pollack, a lawyer with the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, warned that the end of EO 11246 would lead to a dire situation for women and people of color.
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