The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) issues timely statements regarding federal legislation and regulations, executive branch and judicial nominations, and federal court decisions that impact workers’ rights. We invite the media to contact us about workplace issues, our legislative initiatives and regulatory comments, and our efforts to preserve an independent and fair judiciary. NELA’s membership includes the nation’s leading experts in the field of employment and labor law, and we work with the press to identify the best commentator for print, television, or digital media stories. Below you will find our current and archived news releases.
To read NELA’s comments, letters, and testimony on our legislative & public policy initiatives, visit our Statements, Letters and Testimony page.
For general media inquries, please contact us at media@nelahq.org.
News Release
NELA celebrates the confirmation of Karla Gilbride as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) General Counsel. Ms. Gilbride’s breadth of experience makes her well qualified to coordinate regional and field office litigation to maximize enforcement of federal employment anti-discrimination laws in harmony with the broader strategy of the agency. The EEOC is the first defense for workers seeking justice when they have experienced discrimination, harassment, or other illegal treatment at their place of employment. In her hearing before the Senate HELP Committee, Ms. Gilbride’s responses demonstrated her deep knowledge of the issues for which the EEOC has responsibility and her […]
NELA celebrates the confirmation of Kalpana Kotagal as the newest commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Ms. Kotagal’s extensive record of fairness and justice will strengthen the EEOC as it continues its mission to protect workers from discrimination. Ms. Kotagal has extensive litigation experience handling cases on behalf of employees under a range of federal civil rights and employment discrimination statutes, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), the Equal Pay Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Americans with Disabilities […]
For immediate release Concord, CA – June 24, 2022 Contact: Andrea Hansen, (509) 306-1867, ahansen@flyingcrow.com Since the founding of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) in 1985, and the National Institute for Workers’ Rights in 2008, our shared vision for working people has remained constant: a future in which all workers are treated with dignity and respect; workplaces are equitable, diverse, and inclusive; and the well-being of workers is a priority in business practices. Full civil rights and equality for women and people of color are essential to workplace equity. As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling today in […]
Yesterday, the Senate passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (S. 2342). The bill gives survivors the chance to have their case heard in a court of law, rather than being forced into arbitration, away from public view. NELA and its public education and advocacy organization, the National Institute for Workers’ Rights (formerly the Employee Rights Advocacy Institute For Law & Policy), have worked for over a decade to end forced arbitration in the workplace. In 2009, the Institute coined the term “forced arbitration” following the release of significant public opinion research. Recently, […]
The Ending Forced Arbitration Of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (H.R. 4445) passed with bipartisan support yesterday, 335–97. NELA has been working for two decades to end forced arbitration, the pernicious employer practice of barring workers from pursuing justice in open court. The “Me Too” movement exposed aspects of the terrible harm done by forced arbitration clauses, which shield employers from accountability for sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace, enabling this conduct to continue unabated. Yesterday’s House vote is a victory in the fight to end forced arbitration. We applaud the House on this bipartisan […]
NELA In The News
The National Employment Lawyers Association, an organization of over 2,000 employment attorneys that has been a vocal advocate for what it sees as some of the most important issues affecting workers, has a new director who previously led a state chapter of the ACLU.
Two dozen progressive organizations want Congress to expand the lower courts beyond what the federal judiciary itself has recommended.
Lawyers from around the country recently weighed in on the need for amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and future national emergencies
Our Members in the News
Law360 takes a look at four of the biggest wage and hour developments in the regulatory and legislative space in 2020.
As employment lawyers who have devoted our careers to fighting discrimination in the workplace, we are heartened to see the world awaken to systemic and structural racism after the egregious killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. We are also keenly interested to watch corporate giants weigh in from their positions of privilege and power, as they post online messages supporting Black Lives Matter, tweet condemnation of racist police violence and donate to organizations such as the NAACP.
“You get treated like an animal,” Rayshard Brooks stated in a 2019 interview regarding his experiences in the criminal justice system. “Some of the system could look at us as individuals; we do have lives, you know.” Black lives matter. Mr. Brooks, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor have all recently given their lives to teach our society a truth that we still, somehow, have not learned.
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