Obama Order "Ends Corporate Immunity" for Federal Contractors

Public Justice executive director Paul Bland says Obama's new executive order will end the practice of corporate-paid arbitrators settling discrimination suits, and this has the Chamber of Commerce fuming - August 1, 14


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Bio

Paul Bland, Jr. is executive director of Public Justice, overseeing its docket of consumer, environmental and civil rights cases. He has argued or co-argued and won more than 25 reported decisions from federal and state courts across the nation, including cases in six of the federal Circuit Courts of Appeal and at least one victory in nine different state high courts. He has been counsel in cases which have obtained injunctive or cash relief of more than $1 billion for consumers. He was named the "Vern Countryman" Award winner in 2006 by the National Consumer Law Center, which "honors the accomplishments of an exceptional consumer attorney who, through the practice of consumer law, has contributed significantly to the well being of vulnerable consumers." In 2013, he received the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition's "Legal Champion" award. In 2010, he received the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau's "Champion of Justice" Award. In the late 1980s, he was Chief Nominations Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

transcript: snip*PAUL BLAND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PUBLIC JUSTICE: Thanks so much for having me, Jessica.

DESVARIEUX: So, Paul, when I heard about this executive order in some of the key provisions, like the fact that prospective contractors will now be required to disclose labor law violations from the past three years before they can get a contract, I thought to myself, wait, why aren't we doing this now? What's been the business relationship like between the federal contractors and the government in the past?

BLAND: Well, there's definitely been a situation where the government's overlooked a lot of problems. You have some contractors who have terrible labor records, who treat whistleblowers badly, who discriminate against people based on their gender, against people of color, this sort of thing. And I think it's a great thing to have some transparency and to force these contractors to come out and really set out there full record in a public way that people can look at it. So I think it's a great step forward in that respect.

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