Urgent: Tell DOL That Religion Can't Be An Excuse for Discrimination
A new proposed rule from the Department of Labor would allow government contractors to use “religious freedom” as an excuse for discrimination. And we must raise our voices NOW to stop it. We only have until September 16th to submit comments in opposition of this rule!
The new rule comes from the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP)—an agency that is supposed to “protect workers, promote diversity and enforce the law.” But under this rule, federal contractors would have broad new powers to legally discriminate against employees based upon religious beliefs. That could mean religious minorities, LGBTQ+ people, single parents, people who use contraception, fertility services, or who get an abortion. And so many others.
We can’t let this happen. An estimated 1 in 5 working people is employed by a federal contractor. The economic security, health and wellbeing of millions of people are at risk. We cannot allow OUR taxpayer dollars to fund blatant discrimination.
Women Employed has a long history of advocating for the OFCCP to enforce protections for working people, and we won’t hold back now. Join us. Submit your comments to the Department of Labor today—BEFORE the September 16th deadline. We’ve provided sample text below.
Below is sample text you can use for your comments.
Feel free to edit and personalize!
I strongly oppose the proposed rule that would allow federal contractors to discriminate against workers based upon their religious beliefs. We cannot allow employers to use religion as an excuse to discriminate against religious minorities, LGBTQ+ people, single mothers, women who use birth control, and potentially so many others.
This rule betrays American workers, and it betrays the ideal of religious freedom that our country was founded upon—and it uses our taxpayer dollars to do so. We should be working towards a world where every working person can advance economically and achieve their aspirations. Where we all have access to safe, fair, and inclusive workplaces so that our families and communities can thrive. This rule would undermine those ideals.
We cannot stand for sanctioned discrimination. Reject this rule.