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Equitable Transition Models: Improving employment opportunities for disabled youth As 2025 begins to ramp up, so do the U.S. Department of LaborOffice of Disability Employment Policy’s (ODEP) Equitable Transition Model (ETM) demonstration grants. Awarded in April 2024 to four state agencies—the Kansas Department of Commerce, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and the Departments of Labor in Connecticut

Celebrating two years of the PUMP Act When my mother was pregnant with me, she was a farmworker in South Carolina working the seasonal tobacco harvest. A few months after my birth, when she returned to work full-time, she no longer had access to a clean, private and accessible space to nurse or pump breast milk while at work. So,

The gender wage gap 16 years after the Ledbetter Act The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which was signed into law by President Obama on January 29, 2009, amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and is the most recentfair pay legislation to be signed at the federal level. To mark the anniversary and to

A foundation for lasting change in the world of work It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor, leading the inspirational, talented and passionate team at the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB). Under the extraordinary leadership of Acting Secretary Julie Su, President Biden and Vice

How to improve women’s retirement security in 2025 Savingfor old age is challenging for most people, but recent data suggest women are less likely than men to consider their retirement savings on-track. Nearly half of women find making retirement savings decisions to be complicated and confusing and nearly six in 10 women feel they do not earn enough to save

From coast to coast, the gender wage gap is worse for older women No matter where they live, older women face a considerable wage gap. Across all 50 states and the 35 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., they are paid less than older men. Prime-age women (ages 25-54) are also paid less than prime-age men, but the wage gap

Stepping into leadership? Keep the door open “May you be proud of the work you do, the person you are, and the difference you make.” I’ve had a sign with this quote hung in my offices over the years, guiding me through every chapter of my career—from my time as an attorney in private practice representing benefit plans to the

A new chapter for fairness: Modernizing schedule award procedures As the director of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP), I am proud to announce a transformative new policy and set of procedures for administering schedule awards under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). These updates, published on January 7, 2025, and outlined in FECA Bulletin 25-3, are designed to

Four Years of Progress for Working Women The author and her child. In 2020, I was pregnant and filled with questions most new working moms in America face: What will my baby need? How soon will I have to go back to work after I deliver? And what will childcare look like after I return to work? Now, I find

Updating procedures to protect female federal firefighters and their families Under my leadership, the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) has just taken a transformative step forward in addressing the unique challenges faced by female federal firefighters. These brave individuals, especially those serving as Wildland Firefighters, put their lives and health on the line each year to