The incoming Trump administration could make numerous changes that affect the workplace, and while it's anyone's guess what shape those changes will take, the president-elect's Cabinet picks and campaign rhetoric offer some clues.
Here are six workplace issues to watch in 2017.
E-Verify. A chief rallying cry of President-elect Donald Trump's campaign involved limiting immigration to boost employment among native-born Americans, and a position paper outlining how he would do that includes mandating E-Verify nationwide to keep employers from hiring those in the country without legal permission.
Quickie union election rule. The National Labor Relations Board in 2014 issued a rule that, among other things, shortened the time period between when a union files for an election and the election itself, which critics believe makes it easier for unions to organize workers because employers have less time to present their arguments against union representation.
Joint employer standard. One of the NLRB's most controversial moves under the Obama administration was to broaden the definition of joint employer such that more companies could be held liable for labor law violations by their subcontractors or franchisees, and be brought to the bargaining table should workers employed by subcontractors unionize.
Mandatory arbitration agreements. A hotly debated topic in labor law is whether it's legal for employers to require workers to resolve disputes through arbitration rather than class-action lawsuits — a big money- and headache-saver for employers.
EEOC pay reporting rule. Amid a national conversation about a persistent wage gap between men and women, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that employers will have to start providing data on employee pay and hours by sex, race and ethnicity in order to help the agency investigate pay discrimination.
Overtime rule. A last-minute injunction against a new Labor Department rule that would double — to nearly $48,000 — the minimum salary someone must make before they can be exempt from overtime pay has left the rule's fate in question.