Happy New Year 2025

Tag: hiring

Missouri AG sues Starbucks over ‘race-based’ hiring, DEI initiatives

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Starbucks on Tuesday for using “race-based hiring practices” in alleged violation of anti-discrimination laws.

Bailey’s lawsuit alleges that Starbucks violates the Missouri Human Rights Act. The lawsuit highlights programs Starbucks offers to promote “BIPOC” employees, referring to Black, indigenous and people of color. It also targets the company for “setting and tracking annual inclusion and diversity goals of achieving BIPOC representation of at least 30 percent at all corporate levels and at least 40 percent of all retail and manufacturing roles by 2025,” according to a draft of the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.

“With Starbucks’ discriminatory patterns, practices, and policies, Missouri’s consumers are required to pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services that could be provided for less had Starbucks employed the most qualified workers, regardless of their race, color, sex, or national origin,” Bailey claimed in a statement.

Starbucks did not respond by press time to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Starbucks is facing a lawsuit in Missouri over its hiring practices and other programs. (Getty Images)

“As Attorney General, I have a moral and legal obligation to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination,” Bailey said. “Racism has no place in Missouri. We’re filing suit to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks.”

Bailey’s lawsuit relies on the Supreme Court ruling that federal law prohibits discrimination based on race in college admissions, arguing that the decision also applies to hiring practices.

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By allegedly linking its hiring practices to race and gender quotas, Starbucks has “blatantly violated the law,” the lawsuit claims.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Starbucks on Tuesday. (Vanessa Abbitt/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“Additionally, the company discriminates based on race and gender when it comes to board membership. All of these actions are unlawful,” Bailey’s office said in a statement.

The lawsuit comes just weeks after news that Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol warned the company’s employees about incoming layoffs in March.

In a message to employees, he highlighted how the company aims to deliver on its “Back to Starbucks” strategy, a series of changes announced last year that aims to enhance customers’ in-store experience, but also said it needs to strive for better efficiency, which will ultimately result in layoffs.

A Starbucks barista works at one of the company’s stores. (iStock)

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“We have recently begun the work to define the support organization for the future. We are approaching this work thoughtfully, but it will involve difficult decisions and choices. I expect that, unfortunately, we will have job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward,” Niccol wrote.

Read the full Missouri lawsuit below

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 11, 2025
Sen. Schiff urges Trump admin to exclude firefighters from federal hiring freeze

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called on multiple federal agencies to exempt federal seasonal firefighters from President Donald Trump’s executive order implementing a federal hiring freeze.

In a letter to the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget, Schiff noted that Trump’s hiring freeze issued on Jan. 20 had stopped the onboarding of thousands of seasonal firefighters that could harm readiness to respond to wildfires, as Southern California is still grappling with the aftermath of last month’s wildfires.

“The memo issued on January 20 states that it does not apply to positions related to public safety, but this onboarding delay is directly contrary to that claim,” Schiff said in the letter dated Friday. “Our constituents and communities rely on the hard work and sacrifice of our more than 15,000 seasonal federal wildland firefighters each year.”

LOS ANGELES FIRE VICTIMS TO BE BOOTED FROM RED CROSS SHELTER TO MAKE SPACE FOR FILM CREWS, EVENTS

Adam Schiff talks to the media after voting at McCambridge Recreation Center in Burbank on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

“Seasonal firefighters are essential to the public safety of those who live in fire-prone areas, and I am alarmed that federal firefighters are not party to this exemption,” he said. “In light of this, I am requesting information from your agencies explaining why the federal hiring freeze has extended to the hiring of seasonal federal wildland firefighters.”

Southern California was devastated last month by two major wildfires and several smaller ones that killed nearly 30 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

Some of the firefighters subject to Trump’s order that halted the onboarding of thousands of seasonal federal firefighters were from agencies that helped in the response to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, according to NBC News.

A Fire firefighter works a fire during the Eaton fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

A Bureau of Land Management official told the outlet that despite Trump’s order excluding positions related to “public safety” from the hiring freeze, federal firefighters are not exempt.

“In the face of increasingly destructive wildfires, we cannot afford to diminish the tools at our disposal to fight these fires,” Schiff said in his letter. “Impeding the onboarding of federal firefighters and encouraging the early retirement of others, threatens California’s firefighting capacity and puts communities at great risk. Californians rely on the support of federal firefighters, and I hope you share my appreciation for the essential role these individuals play in keeping residents safe.”

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Vehicles and a house burned as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area forced people to evacuate the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, Jan. 8, 2025. (REUTERS/David Swanson)

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The senator also requested information on how the hiring freeze impacts federal firefighting applicants, the number of voluntary resignations and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency’s role in the hiring, preparedness or readiness of federal wildland firefighters.

February 9, 2025
Google drops diversity hiring targets: report

‘Barron’s Roundtable’ panelists Jack Hough, Al Root and Megan Leonhardt discuss the top three headlines of the week.

Google is dropping its diversity target of hiring more employees from “underrepresented groups” and is reviewing their DEI policies in the wake of President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the Wall Street Journal reported.

An employee email stated that Google would no longer pursue goals related to increasing minority representation in its workforce, and is “evaluating changes to our programs required to comply” with Trump’s executive orders combating DEI initiatives with federal contractors.

“We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the last year we’ve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there. We’ve updated our 10-k language to reflect this, and as a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

GOOGLE, META, OTHER TECH GIANTS SLASH DEI-RELATED JOBS, RESOURCE GROUPS IN 2023: REPORT

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – 2024/07/29: Logo of Google in skyscraper in the downtown district. (Google is rolling back their DEI policies. / Getty Images)

The tech giant’s CEO Sundar Pichai announced in 2020 that the company would seek to increase the “leadership representation of underrepresented groups” 30% by 2025 as the U.S. was gripped in national turmoil following the police murder of George Floyd.

“Listening to the personal accounts of members of our Black Advisory Leadership Group and our Black+ Googlers has only reinforced for me the reality our Black communities face: one where systemic racism permeates every aspect of life, from interactions with law enforcement, to access to housing and capital, to health care, education, and the workplace,” Pichai wrote in a memo at the time.

META ENDS CORPORATE DEI PROGRAMS

Google CEO Sundar Pichai had announced the diversity targets in 2020. (Photo by Christoph Soeder/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Google is the latest domino to fall in Silicon Valley as company after company has announced that they are ending or rolling back their DEI initiatives. Meta announced that they are dropping their DEI initiatives in January following Trump’s historic election win. The social media conglomerate has also added UFC boss Dana White to their board and removed tampons from the men’s bathroom.

Amazon announced that they would be assessing their DEI policies in December, with HR executive Candi Castleberry telling employees that the company would be “evaluat[ing] their effectiveness.”

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Meta announced they are dropping their DEI policies in January. (FOX)

“We worked to unify employee groups together under one umbrella, and build programs that are open to all, rather than have individual groups build programs, we are focusing on programs with proven outcomes – and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive culture,” Castleberry wrote.

Paypal has also removed its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from its latest 10-K SEC filing. Its 2023 filing stated that the company believes that “fostering diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging (“DIE&B”) is critical to our global talent strategy and pivotal to building a culture that embraces individual characteristics, values diversity, minimizes barriers, and enhances feelings of security and support across the workplace,” but the entire section was removed from their 2024 filing.

February 6, 2025
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: Hiring Brian Schottenheimer is ‘as big a risk as you can take’

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was sitting right next to Brian Schottenheimer, his new head coaching hire, on Monday when he said what a lot of fans and various team alumni were thinking when the news broke.

This hire is a big risk.

Schottenheimer was introduced as the Cowboys’ next head coach after Jones’ decision to not re-sign Mike McCarthy, who had Schottenheimer as his offensive coordinator this past season. The hire, as well as the process Jones and the organization went about making it, has been blasted by fans and experts alike.

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaks to the media at a press conference at the Star. (Tim Heitman-Imagn Images)

Despite Schottenheimer being to his right, Jones responded to those critics on Monday.

“I get my proverbial a– kicked over needing people in my comfort zone,” Jones said to reporters, via The New York Post. “Without this thing being about me in any way, if you don’t think I can’t operate out of my comfort zone, you’re so wrong it’s unbelievable.

“This is as big a risk as you can take. As big a risk as you can take. No head coaching experience.”

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Not much of a vote of confidence from that quote during what’s usually an optimistic outlook on a new coaching chapter for a franchise.

But the tone changed from Jones when discussing Schottenheimer, who has loads of coaching experience even if he hasn’t run his own program yet. He began his career as an assistant for the Rams in 1997, and he’s worked his way up through various organizations, including serving as offensive coordinator for the Rams, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and the University of Georgia. He’s also the son of famed NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Jones pointed to the younger Schottenheimer’s family tree, while discussing his qualifications.

Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones speak to the media at a press conference at the Star. (Tim Heitman-Imagn Images)

“We know what osmosis is and we know what Schotty grew up around,” Jones explained, per NFL.com. “Frankly, from the standpoint of Schotty, those X hairs crossed. Schotty might never had been in our mirror, our view, had he not joined us to be with Mike as a consultant three years ago. … I’ve sat in handful of meetings with Schotty. I’ve listened. I’ve watched him. I’ve watched him have deference to his head coach. I’ve watched him have deference to experienced guys like [defensive coordinator Mike] Zimmer. … I’ve watched him bite his lip sometimes when he didn’t necessarily agree with that direction. But he bit his lip, as his daddy would have told him to bite your lip.

“You go around to the countless number of coaches that Schotty has served on staff with and been around. The countless players. How often do you have someone that has 25 years of working through the human relationship?” Jones added.

Schottenheimer is said to have a great relationship with Cowboys franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, which will be critical in making this work post-McCarthy. Prescott was one who said toward the end of the season, as he was rehabbing from a surgically-repaired hamstring, that he would champion McCarthy returning as head coach.

Schottenheimer owns the keys to “America’s Team” now, and he knows how big of a responsibility it is leading this Super Bowl-hungry team back to the playoffs.

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But he now knows his owner believes what’s been put out there on social media: He’s a risky hire. It’s up to Schottenheimer to prove the risk was worth the reward.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 28, 2025
Elon Musk’s DOGE ramps up hiring

FOX Business’ Lydia Hu reports on the Department of Government Efficiency’s latest plan to cut spending during an appearance on ‘Varney & Co.’

The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is making another hiring push, asking for “world-class talent” to apply to work for the government cost-cutting initiative – and making it easier to apply than before.

DOGE, voluntarily led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, has officially launched a webpage where candidates may fill out an application to join the team, after launching its website last week. Prior to the hiring page, DOGE was accepting applications through X direct messages.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall on Oct. 26, 2024 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images / Getty Images)

“The DOGE Team is looking for world-class talent to work long hours identifying/eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse,” DOGE said in a message on X on Sunday. “These are full-time, salaried positions for software engineers, InfoSec engineers, financial analysts, HR professionals, and, in general, all competent/caring people.”

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When DOGE officially opened hiring in November, the initiative asked for “super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting,” to apply, saying none of the positions would be paid.

Azoria CEO James Fishback discusses DOGE’s mission under President Donald Trump on ‘The Bottom Line.’

However, DOGE announced earlier this month that it is currently recruiting a “very small number” of full-time salaried software and info security engineers. The account also posted on Dec. 27 that it plans to hire for full-time human resources, IT and finance positions.

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DOGE, which President Donald Trump officially established via executive order upon his return to the White House last week, aims to slash government waste and provide increased transparency when it comes to government spending.

Elon Musk, President Donald Trump (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Some of the cuts proposed by Musk include simplifying the U.S. tax code, auditing the Pentagon, ending federal employees’ remote work, reevaluating expired congressional programs, modernizing IT systems and protecting federal health care and Social Security benefits, to name a few.

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For now, DOGE is operating out of glass-walled office space in Washington, D.C., leased by SpaceX, about four blocks away from the White House. DOGE employees are required to come to the office and work in person.

FOX Business’ Kevin Gora and Kristen Altus contributed to this report.

January 27, 2025
Fans roast Cowboys for hiring Brian Schottenheimer as next head coach: ‘Clown show’

The Dallas Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer, their offensive coordinator, as the team’s next head coach, announcing the move on Friday with a Jerry Jones message attached to it.

“Brian Schottenheimer is known as a career assistant,” Jones said, per ESPN. “He ain’t Brian no more. He is now known as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.”

The hire comes at a shock to some and a surprise to many, as the Cowboys’ process this offseason has been a head-scratcher.

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Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer of the Dallas Cowboys during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 24, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Cowboys 28-16. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Cowboys fans voiced their opinions on social media, and they weren’t too happy with their team’s choice.

“Hiring Brian Schottenheimer as head coach without even trying to talk to Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn or other top candidates is 1000% the same thing as not calling Derrick Henry and just signing Zeke,” one fan said on X. “Same. Exact. Thing.”

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To understand where Cowboys fans may be coming from, one must understand the odd process the team went through since the offseason began.

First, the dilemma for Jones and the rest of the organization was what to do with Mike McCarthy, the veteran head coach who went 7-10 on the final year of his deal without quarterback Dak Prescott for a good chunk of the season.

Players like Prescott and others publicly voiced their support for McCarthy, but the Cowboys moved on.

In doing so, though, they were already behind the 8 ball, as other head coach-needy squads were already out conducting interviews and getting their candidates in order.

When Dallas got their list together, it was an interesting group. Robert Saleh, the ex-New York Jets head coach who was fired midseason in 2024, came in despite not being high on anyone’s list except for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He eventually returned to the Bay Area to assume his old job as defensive coordinator under Kyle Shanahan.

Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer looks on prior to the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on November 28, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

There was also Pete Carroll, who ended up returning to the NFL by taking the Las Vegas Raiders job. Kellen Moore, the former Cowboys offensive coordinator who is now with the Eagles, came in for an interview, as did Leslie Frazier, who serves as assistant head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

While these candidates all have their credentials, fans were not happy that top candidates like the ones mentioned above, who have all landed elsewhere, never came into the building.

Fox Sports’ David Helman broke down the situation from a Cowboys process perspective.

“We don’t know Brian Schottenheimer will be a failure any more than we know Ben Johnson will be a success,” he posted on X. “Coaching hires are weird & hard to predict.

“We do know that it REEKS of bad process to fart around for eight days with a head coach who needs a new contract, fail to retain him after missing an interview window for coveted candidates, bring in two former head coaches who are not in high demand, one outside assistant you already have a relationship with and *then* choose the guy down the hall who a) is not drawing interest elsewhere b) has not been a head coach c) has not called plays for you and d) has had mixed results when he has called an offense in the past.”

Finally, some feel Schottenheimer is similar to Jason Garrett, who took over the job after Wade Phillips, whom he worked under, was fired.

Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer during training camp at the River Ridge Fields. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)

“Quick, easy, CHEAP, and the Jones’ retain control just the way they like it,” one disgruntled fan wrote. “This team doesn’t want to win. It’s about attention. It’s about egos. Cowboys fans are exhausted with this clown show.”

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Schottenheimer joined McCarthy’s Cowboys staff in 2022 as a coaching analyst before replacing Moore as offensive coordinator in 2023. His first year in the position was also Prescott’s best season, as the team went on to win the NFC East before flopping in the Wild Card Round to the Green Bay Packers. The team had the fifth-ranked offense that season.

Schottenheimer, the son of decorated NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer, has almost three decades worth of coaching under his belt, spending time with the Jets, Rams and Seahawks before joining the Cowboys. He served in an offensive coordinator role for each of those teams.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 25, 2025
Trump hiring freeze prompts DOJ to pull job offers in AG’s Honors Program: report

The Department of Justice is rescinding job offers for the Attorney General’s Honors Program amid President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze, according to a new report.

The Attorney General’s Honors Program, established in 1953, hires graduating law students or recent law school graduates from top law schools such as Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, Stanford and the University of Virginia.

But the Department of Justice notified those who had been selected for the program, which serves as a pipeline to recruit top legal talent into the public sector, that their offers were being revoked, several people familiar with the decision told the Washington Post.

CAREER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS REASSIGNED TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS: REPORTS

A sign at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Department’s Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management distributed an email to those affected via email on Wednesday.

“Pursuant to the hiring freeze announced Jan. 20, 2025, your job offer has been revoked,” said the email,” according to an email the Post obtained.

Those familiar with the program said it may take on more than 100 lawyers annually, with recent hires assigned to the antitrust, national security, criminal and other divisions.

They told the Post that the program is critical in recruiting new top talent to the Justice Department in order to replace outgoing legal talent. The two-year program places young attorneys on a career path to stay at the Department once the program concludes.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FREEZES ALL CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION CASES: REPORT

The seal of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The Post reports that it is uncertain whether the program will resume once federal hiring starts again.

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Trump signed a series of executive orders on Inauguration Day this week, including those initiating the federal hiring freeze as well as withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, and directing every department and agency to address the cost-of-living crisis.

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U.S. President Donald Trump sings a second executive order during the inaugural celebration inside Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on the first day of his second term, January 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

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“As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law,” a White House memo said. “Except as provided below, this freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.”

Those exempt from the hiring freeze include military personnel and other federal jobs pertaining to immigration, national security or public safety.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

January 24, 2025