Obama’s transition team has named the Agency Review Team leads for, among others, the Education and Labor Team and the Justice and Civil Rights Team. These individuals will review how agencies integral to labor and employment law and enforcement are operating, determine the direction the new administration will want these agencies to take, and identify key administrative candidates for presidential appointment. Since many of the team leaders are former Clinton Administration officials and/or have close ties with organized labor, it is expected that the Obama Administration will likely favor a marked increase in business and employee regulation and oversight. Additionally, it is expected that agencies charged with workplace oversight and employee protections will receive increased funding and thus an enhanced ability to enforce workplace laws.

This blog will track agency appointments of import, including those slated to fill the following positions:

• Two Commissioner openings on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;
• Three vacant seats, including the Chair, on the National Labor Relations Board;
• Secretary of the Department of Labor;
• Leaders of the following components of the Department of Labor:
  • Employment Standards Administration
    •  Wage and Hour Division
    •  Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
  • Occupational Health and Safety Administration