Biden’s Diversity Policies May Line Up With Corporate America’s
The Trump administration was at odds with companies that responded to investor and worker demands for employment equity.
In a twist, companies probably will find themselves more in line with the diversity and inclusion policies of President-elect Joseph Biden than with the departing administration of Donald Trump.
Part of the explanation can be found in the upending of the traditional alliance of business and Republican administrations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable and large companies such as Microsoft Corp. have been at odds with Trump’s Labor Department and other regulators on workplace policy. Outrage over the killing of George Floyd and the disproportionately high death rate of Black Americans from Covid-19 have led many companies to expand programs to promote workplace fairness, drawing opposition from the Trump administration.
Biden is expected to quickly dispense with some Trump policies, said James Plunkett, the former director for labor law policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Biden’s comments during the election campaign suggest he will push for more pay transparency and a tougher line on diversity among federal contractors, who employ about a quarter of U.S. workers, he said.