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F. Vincent Vernuccio
President
*Scroll down for list of published works*
F. Vincent Vernuccio, president and co-founder of Institute for the American Worker, brings over 15 years of expertise in labor law and policy. Vernuccio holds advisory positions with several organizations, including senior fellow with the Mackinac Center. Vernuccio served on the U.S. Department of Labor transition team for the Trump Administration and as a member of the Federal Service Impasses Panel. Under former President George W. Bush, he served as special assistant secretary for administration and management in the Department of Labor. He has advised state and federal lawmakers and their staff on a multitude of labor-related issues, and testified before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and Labor Policy.
Published Works by F. Vincent Vernuccio:
- Red States Lead the Way on Protecting Workers
May 5, 2023 Red State
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity
senior labor policy adviser, Workers for Opportunity, President, Institute for the American Worker - Why Congress Should Follow Tennessee’s Lead on Labor Reform
April 26, 2023 The Epoch Times
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity, Institute for American Worker
senior labor policy adviser, Workers for Opportunity, President, Institute for the American Worker - Why Congress Should Follow Tennessee’s Lead on Labor Reform
April 20, 2023 The Epoch Times
F. Vincent Vernuccio, The Epoch Times
President, Institute for the American Worker - Biden Doubles Down on California Blundering With Julie Su Nomination
April 17, 2023
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute For American Worker
President of Institute for the American Worker - Taxpayer Resources Shouldn’t Be Spent on Union Politics
March 30, 2023 Workers for Opportunity
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity, Institute for American Worker
Senior Policy Advisor, Workers for Opportunity; President Institute for the American Worker - Public Funds Shouldn’t Bankroll Union Coercion
March 29, 2023 Beacon Center
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Beacon Center
senior labor policy adviser, Workers for Opportunity, President, Institute for the American Worker - Institute for the American Worker Head Vinnie Vernuccio: Tennessee Is Leading the Way with Right-to-Work 2.0
March 15, 2023 Tennessee Star
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Tennessee Star - DeSantis stands up for teachers
February 10, 2023 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity
Workers for Opportunity - Unions want it to be ‘game over’ for the secret ballot
January 17, 2023 Institute for the American Worker
F. Vincent Vernuccio, The Hill
President, Institute for the American Worker - Op-ed: Congress should be wary of Labor agency’s plea for more cash
December 21, 2022 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio,
Sen. Mike Braun - Tennessee adds right-to-work to state constitution
November 10, 2022 Mackinac Center for Public Policy
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
senior fellow; President, Institute for the American Worker - Labor Relations Radio, Ep. 43—The Institute for the American Worker’s F. Vincent Vernuccio on Independent Contractors, Joint Employers & More
November 8, 2022 Labor News Today, Labor Relations Radio
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Labor Union News
President, Institute for the American Worker - Freedom of Speech? Not if the National Labor Relations Board Gets Its Way
October 31, 2022 Townhall
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute For American Worker
President, Institute for the American Worker - Virginia Drops from A+ to C in Worker Freedom — Largest Decrease in the Country
October 31, 2022 Bacon's Rebellion
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Bacon's Rebellion
Visiting Fellow with the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy and President of the Institute for the American Worker - Voters agree: There’s nothing wrong with employer meetings on unionization
October 13, 2022 Washington Times
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Washington Times
Institute for the American Worker - Right-to-work is a sure bet in an uncertain economy
September 7, 2022 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity, Institute for American Worker
Steve Delie, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Workers for Opportunity, - Op-ed: Worker freedom and choice are still under attack
August 23, 2022 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity, Center for Union Facts
Workers for Opportunity, Charlyce Bozzello, Center for Union Facts - Opinion: With Inflation High, Unions, Suppress Wages
August 7, 2022 Wall Street Journal
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker
President, Institute for the American Worker - Electronic voting means more attacks on worker privacy
July 18, 2022 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute For American Worker - Episode 58: Unions have Forgotten why They were Originally Created
July 13, 2022 Nevada Policy Research Institute
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Free to Offend
Michael Schaus - When Unions Harm Workers’ Ability to Get Raises
June 13, 2022 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute For American Worker - The NLRB doesn’t want Amazon workers to know the truth about unions
May 23, 2022
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute For American Worker, Workers for Opportunity - Sanders hearing: Federal contractors are guilty until proven innocent, keep workers in the dark on rights
May 4, 2022 The Center Square
F. Vincent Vernuccio, The Center Square - Op-ed Employee Rights Act puts workers at the center of labor law
March 22, 2022 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity and I4AW - Op-ed Pro-Worker, Pro-Growth
March 9, 2022 John Locke Foundation
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center, Workers for Opportunity, I4AW - Op-ed Sorry Unions, Workers Just Aren’t That Into You
March 4, 2022 Real Clear Markets
F. Vincent Vernuccio, I4AW
Terry Bowman, I4AW - Opinion: When the Feds Won’t Protect Workers, Tennessee Leaders Should Step Up
February 17, 2022 Tennessee Conservative News
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity and I4AW - Union ‘neutrality’ agreements aren’t neutral for Tennessee | Opinion
February 10, 2022 Jackson Sun
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity and I4AW - Op-ed Labor agency bucks courts to attack independent workers
January 22, 2022 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity and I4AW - Op-ed Labor Legislation Introduced in Richmond
January 20, 2022 Virginia Works
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Virginia Works and I4AW - Op-ed How Tennessee can protect workers’ right to a private union vote
January 18, 2022 The Tennesean
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity and I4AW - Op-ed Virginia election is a teachable moment for unions
November 28, 2021 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Workers for Opportunity and I4AW - Op-ed Vaccine mandates put unions in a bind
November 27, 2021 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy and I4AW - Op-ed Virginia election shows why local officials should take caution on collective bargaining
November 21, 2021 Virginia Works
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Virginia Works and I4AW - Op-ed House tax bill subsidizes union political campaigns
October 7, 2021 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy and I4AW
James Sherk, America First Policy Institute and I4AW - Op-ed: Union-made tax rebate could erode worker freedom
September 28, 2021 The Detroit News
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy and I4AW - Op-ed: Billions in spending, hundreds of millions in grants- union future influence in the infrastructure bill
September 4, 2021 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy and I4AW
Trey Kovacs, I4AW - Op-ed: Local unions are recognized before workers vote?
August 2, 2021 BaconsRebellion.com
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Virginia Works and Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy - Op-ed: Freedom from union dues hangs on Warner
July 16, 2021 BaconsRebellion.com
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy - REPORT: Virginia collective bargaining: Recommendations and models for local collective bargaining in Virginia
June 25, 2021 Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Virginia Works - Op-ed: Manchin is right on the filibuster, but wrong on the PRO Act
June 19, 2021 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: Considering public sector bargaining? Here’s how to protect taxpayers and workplace freedom
June 9, 2021 Jefferson Policy Journal
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Virginia Works - Podcast: Topic: Right to Work
April 25, 2021 Center for Individual Freedom
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: Sectoral bargaining is bad for workers and the American economy
April 17, 2021 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy and I4AW - Video: Policy Debate: “Sectoral Bargaining: Promise of Peril?”
March 26, 2021 Institute for the American Worker
F. Vincent Vernuccio, - Op-ed: Why Alexandria is afraid of Virginia’s unlimited public-sector bargaining
March 19, 2021 Washington Post
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Virginia Works - Explainer: 12 Ways the PRO Act Will Hurt American Workers
March 7, 2021 Institute for the American Worker
F. Vincent Vernuccio, In partnership with the State Policy Network - Explainer: What is the Protecting the Right to Organize Act?
March 7, 2021 Institute for the American Worker
F. Vincent Vernuccio, In partnership with the State Policy Network - Study: Sectoral Bargaining: One-Size-Fits All Collective Bargaining for Entire Industries
March 5, 2021 Institute for the American Worker
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker - Op-ed: Biden should keep the new commonsense independent contractor rule
January 23, 2021 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Steve Delie, Workers for Opportunity, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Study: What’s Ahead for Labor Policy?
January 18, 2021 Mackinac Center for Public Policy
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy and I4AW
Steve Delie, Workers for Opportunity - VIDEO: Policy Gone Viral
November 10, 2020 James Madison Institute
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Study: Collective bargaining transparency: A win for workers and taxpayers
November 9, 2020 Better Cities Project
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker
Jason Mercier, Washington Policy Center - Op-ed: “Protecting Democracy and the First Amendment for Florida Public Employees”
October 25, 2020 The Journal (Fall 2020): The James Madison Institute
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy and James Madison Institute - Op-ed: Voluntary unionism is the answer, not one-size-fits-all national bargaining
October 23, 2020 Real Clear Markets
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - The Worker Flexibility and Small Business Protection Act is a ‘frowning sad face’ of a bill
October 10, 2020 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Back to Business
October 8, 2020 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Blog: Resigning from a union won’t affect seniority, tenure, pay and benefits
September 17, 2020 Mackinac.org
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: Thoughts on a “Yuge” Trump election agenda
July 29, 2020 Wall Street Journal
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: Union front groups try to organize gig economies during pandemic
July 25, 2020 The American Spectator
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker - Op-ed: More states look to protect the free speech of public employees
July 1, 2020 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Report: Labor Policy for COVID-19 and Beyond: Recommendations to get America back to work
June 30, 2020 The Heritage Foundation
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Rachel Greszler, Heritage Foundation and contributions - Explainer: Worker Centers- A Primer
June 25, 2020 Institute for the American Worker
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker - Podcast: State labor reforms for public sector unions
June 23, 2020 American Legislative Exchange Council
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: Welcome to the “Hotel Seattle”
June 22, 2020 Wall Street Journal
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker
Michael Saltsman, Employment Policies Institute - Op-ed: Unions must let COVID-crunched workers keep their money
June 12, 2020 Washington Examiner
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: West Virginia Supreme Court Decision could lead to national right to work
June 3, 2020 The American Spectator
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Backgrounder: Five pro-worker policies and proposals that can jumpstart the American economy amidst COVID-19
May 25, 2020 Institute for the American Worker
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker - Op-ed: Put entrepreneurs, workers, and flexibility in next stimulus package
May 11, 2020 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: We’ll need entrepreneurship and flexibility in the post-COVID economy
May 7, 2020 The Hill
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Blog: Union provisions in the CARES Act are cause for concern
April 21, 2020 Mackinac.org
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Blog: Keep federal COVID-19 package focused on the virus and its effects
March 23, 2020 Mackinac.org
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Blog: Union handout in the Coronavirus Stimulus Act
March 20, 2020 Mackinac.org
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: While Missouri seeks to free public employees, Illinois traps them with pro-union law
March 6, 2020 Chicago Tribune
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: Bills protect employees’ right to quit their union
February 20, 2020 Tallahassee Democrat
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Op-ed: Don’t turn Virginia into California
February 11, 2020 The Washington Post
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Virginia Works - Op-ed: Unions still want to repeal the workers private ballot
November 6, 2019 The American Spectator
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy - Study: Protecting the Secret Ballot: The Dangers of Union Card Check
October 22, 2019 Array
F. Vincent Vernuccio, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Mary Ellen Beatty
Vice President, Communications
Mary Ellen Beatty is a strategic communicator with more than a decade of experience in issue advocacy and non-profit management. She understands how to craft messaging and frame policy issues for both national and state and local campaigns. She has direct experience managing organizational content strategy for various Washington, DC nonprofits, running media outreach efforts and serving as an on-the-record media spokesperson.
Senior Fellows
Senior Fellows Program
Collaborating With Labor Experts
The Institute for the American Worker recently named eight extraordinary labor policy experts to serve as the Institute’s senior fellows (a voluntary position). These distinguished experts have impressive backgrounds ranging from executive agency and regulatory experience to legal and policy leads at the foremost labor policy organizations in the country. I4AW will collaborate and elevate the existing work of these senior fellows to support the shared mission and educational initiatives of their respective organizations including Americans for Prosperity, Freedom Foundation, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, National Right-to-Work Legal Defense Foundation, and the Stand Together Chamber of Commerce. Besides providing for opportunities for collaboration and original research, I4AW will showcase the work these experts are already doing, connecting them to policymakers across the nation’s capital and ensure that decision makers in Washington have access to the most relevant and pertinent labor research available.
- PRITZKER SIGNS BILL ALLOWING CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS PRINCIPALS TO UNIONIZE
February 13, 2023 Illinois Policy
Senior Fellows Program, Illinois Policy
Mailee Smith, Senior Director of Labor Policy and Staff Attorney
Mailee Smith
Honorary Senior Fellow
Mailee Smith is the Staff Attorney and Senior Director of Labor Policy at Illinois Policy Institute. In this role, she focuses on labor relations and their impact on Illinois taxpayers. Her commentary has been featured in media outlets such as the Chicago Tribune, National Review, and Fox Business Network.
Before joining the Institute, Smith was the primary litigation counsel for a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, where she handled various First and Fourteenth Amendment constitutional law issues. She is admitted to practice in Illinois, before the U.S. Supreme Court, and in eight federal appellate courts. She is a former law clerk to Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp of the Southern District of Florida.
David R. Osborne
Honorary Senior Fellow
David R. Osborne is Senior Fellow for Labor Policy at the Commonwealth Foundation, a Pennsylvania-based think tank transforming free-market ideas into actionable public policies, and Counsel to Goldstein Law Partners. Prior to joining the Commonwealth Foundation, David was CEO of Americans for Fair Treatment. He has also served as President & General Counsel of the Fairness Center and as presidential appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel.
Ken Girardin
Honorary Senior Fellow
Ken Girardin is a fellow at the Empire Center, where his work focuses on organized labor’s effect and influence on state and local government policy. Ken earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in materials engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. He previously worked in the New York State Legislature.
Michael Lucci
Honorary Senior Fellow
*A senior fellow is a volunteer position*
Michael Lucci is a Senior Fellow at the Cicero Institute and a Senior Policy Advisor at State Policy Network. Michael has served as a presidential appointee on the Federal Services Impasse Panel. Prior to that he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy to the Governor of Illinois. He was previously the Vice President of State Projects at Tax Foundation and the Vice President of Policy at Illinois Policy Institute. Michael was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, and resides with his family in Leander, Texas. He previously worked as an educator and as an options trader. Michael received a B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in Arts and Sciences from the University of Notre Dame.
Rachel Greszler
Honorary Senior Fellow
*A Senior Fellow is a voluntary position.*
Rachel Greszler is a research fellow for the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at the Heritage Foundation, where she focuses on labor and retirement policies including: employment opportunities; independent work; women’s issues; the minimum wage; federal employee compensation; paid family leave and other family-friendly workplace policies; Social Security; disability insurance, and pensions. Her work focuses on policies that promote economic growth, individual freedom, and well-being.
Before joining Heritage in 2013, Greszler was a senior economist on the staff of the Joint Economic Committee of the Congress for seven years. She completed her graduate studies at Georgetown University, where she earned master’s degrees in both economics and public policy. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Mary Washington.
Greszler, who grew up in a small town in Western New York, currently resides in Bethesda, Md. with her husband and six children.
- Conservative group launches effort to fight Biden administration workplace rules
October 28, 2022
Rachel Greszler, Washington Examiner - Biden’s Abuse of Power Causes CBO to Raise Cost Estimate of Private Pension Bailouts by $4.5 Billion
October 18, 2022 Daily Signal
Rachel Greszler, Daily Signal
Research Fellow, Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget - New California Law Forces Taxpayers to Pay for Union Members’ Dues
October 17, 2022 Daily Signal
Rachel Greszler, Daily Signal - Commentary: The labor market’s double-edged sword
October 14, 2022 MSN
Rachel Greszler, Heritage Foundation
Senior Research Fellow, Grover M. Hermann Center - Railroad Strike Threat Shows How Unions’ Rigid Rules Often Hurt Workers
October 6, 2022 Daily Signal
Rachel Greszler, Heritage Foundation
Senior Research Fellow, Grover M. Hermann Center - Report Shows Corrupt IRS Employees Typically Keep Their Jobs. Some Even Get Promoted.
August 10, 2022 Daily Signal
Rachel Greszler, Heritage Foundation
Heri - Federal Employees’ Job Satisfaction Surged Under Trump, Slips Under Biden, Survey Finds
August 9, 2022 Daily Signal
Rachel Greszler, Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation - Opinion: An unprecedented labor shortage
July 26, 2022 Washington Times
Rachel Greszler, Washington Times - Opinion: Apprenticeships, Not College, Can Help Reduce Unemployment
June 25, 2022 Wall Street Journal
Rachel Greszler, Heritage
Paul Winfree
James Sherk
Honorary Senior Fellow
*A Senior Fellow is a voluntary position.*
James Sherk served as Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy on the White House Domestic Policy Council. At the White House James served as President Trump’s top civil service reform and labor policy advisor between 2017 and 2021. He had primary White House responsibility for developing and coordinating policy with Federal labor agencies, including the Department of Labor, Office of Personnel Management, and the National Labor Relations Board.
James led the inter-agency working group that produced Labor Department regulations updating the salaried overtime threshold, defining joint employment under the Fair Labor Standards Act, clarifying which employee benefits count towards an employee’s regular rate of pay for overtime purposes; and requiring union trust funds to file financial transparency reports. James was the architect of the Trump administration’s Federal labor relations strategy. He was also the principal author of and/or policy lead for approximately two dozen executive orders and presidential memoranda. These included executive orders that streamlined the process for dismissing poor performers, directed the renegotiation of agency union contracts, and limited taxpayer-funded union time (EO’s 13836, 13837, and 13839), as well as Executive Order 13487 that allowed small businesses to offer Association Health Plans. James additionally served as a member of the President’s Council on Improving Federal Civic Architecture.
Prior to his White House service, James was a Research Fellow in Labor Economics at the Heritage Foundation. At Heritage James was a nationally recognized expert on labor markets, labor policy, and the civil service. Congress and state legislatures frequently asked for his expert testimony. James’s commentary and analysis have been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the National Review. He also has been featured as a guest expert on Fox News, CNN, and ABC, among others. James received a B.S. in Mathematics and Economics from Hillsdale College and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Rochester.
- EXPERT INSIGHT: White House Claims that Federal Union Membership Grew Under Biden Appear Incorrect
May 3, 2023 America First Policy
James Sherk, America First Policy Institute
CENTER FOR AMERICAN FREEDOM - Union arbitrators are protecting truly awful government employees
October 10, 2022 Washington Examiner
James Sherk, Washington Examiner
Center for American Freedom - Do arbitrators go easy on federal employees who challenge being fired?
October 4, 2022 Federal News Network
James Sherk, Federal News Network
Center for American Freedom, America First policy institute
John Raudabaugh
Honorary Senior Fellow
*A Senior Fellow is a voluntary position.*
Professor Raudabaugh (J.D., 1977, University of Virginia School of Law/ M.S., Labor Economics, 1974, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University/ B.S., Labor Economics, 1968, Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, University of Pennsylvania) teaches labor law and a labor law practicum. He practiced law for nearly 40 years in the areas of labor law, employee relations, comparative labor and employment law, international labor standards, social responsibility initiatives and compliance, strategic counseling, appropriate unit design, collective bargaining and arbitration, union organizing and corporate campaigns, representation and unfair labor practice litigation, and strikes and injunction proceedings and related litigation. He represents employees before the U.S. National Labor Relations Board and federal appellate courts as staff attorney with the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation.
Professor Raudabaugh served as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Senior Admiral in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps. He was nominated by President George H.W. Bush, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and served as a Member of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board deciding over 4,000 cases. He practiced labor law in nationally and internationally recognized law firms, represented U.S. employers at the International Labor Organization, assisted the U.S. State Department in international discussions regarding trade agreements and labor law compliance, and in advising foreign governments regarding domestic labor law. Professor Raudabaugh assisted U.S. congressional representatives and senators in drafting legislation and testified before House and Senate Committees regarding labor law matters.
List of Published Works
- Labored Law: Bilateralism or Pluralism, Ossification or Reformation?
Indiana Law Journal (2012), Vol. 87: Iss. 1, Article 7
John Raudabaugh, Nixon Peabody, LLP - “NLRB Representation Elections and Initial Collective Bargaining Agreements: Safeguarding Workers’ Rights?”
April 2, 2008, Statement of John N. Raudabaugh
U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations - “National Labor Relations Board 2007 Year in Review: Fueling Union’s Demand for Euro-Centric Labor Law Reform” CCH Labor Law Journal, Spring 2008, pp. 16–25.
- “Employee Free Choice Act…or…Global Outsourcing Act?” 2007.
- “Contract Modification and Unilateral Change—Bath Iron Works,” ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law.
- Secret Ballot Protection Act of 2004,
Statement of John N. Raudabaugh
U.S. House Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. - “National Labor Relations Board 2007 Year in Review: Fueling Union’s Demand for Euro-Centric Labor Law Reform,” CCH Labor Law Journal, Spring 2008, pp. 16–25.
- “Electromation: An Opportunity Lost or Just Postponed?” Chapter 29, Non-Union Employee Representation.
- “Employee Relations Law Reform,” Industrial Relations Research Associations 50th Anniversary Volume, Government Regulation of the Employment Relationship.
- “One Former Board Member’s Recommended Changes to the National Labor Relations Act,” IRRA.
Akash Chougule
Honorary Senior Fellow
*A Senior Fellow is a voluntary position.*
Akash Chougule is Vice President of the Economic Opportunity Initiative at the Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, a community of organizations breaking down barriers in the four key institutions of society – business, communities, government, and higher education – to help people improve their lives. Prior to Stand Together, Akash served as a Professional Staff Member at the Committee on Education and Labor in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to the House, Akash was the Director of Policy at Americans for Prosperity, the nation’s largest free-market grassroots advocacy organization.
Akash has contributed commentary on the Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, and National Public Radio, and his writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, and many other publications. He was previously selected to Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30” for Law & Policy, received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Boston College, and a Master’s degree from George Washington University.
Maxford Nelsen
Honorary Senior Fellow
*A Senior Fellow is a voluntary position.*
Maxford Nelsen is the director of labor policy for the Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit policy advocacy and public interest litigation organization based in Olympia, Wash. with offices around the country. In addition to researching and writing about labor policy issues, with an emphasis on public-sector unions, Max regularly testifies before local governments and state legislatures and submits formal comments to federal agencies considering regulatory actions affecting labor policy. His research has formed the basis of several briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court and dozens of formal complaints submitted to government agencies regarding illegal union activity.
Max’s work has been published in local newspapers around the country and in national outlets like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, National Review and the American Spectator. He has also discussed his work in interviews featured on Fox News, PBS News Hour, One America News, and Newsmax. He is regularly interviewed on local radio and TV stations in the Pacific Northwest. From 2019-21, Max served as a presidential appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel within the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Members serve part-time and resolve contract negotiation disputes between federal agencies and labor unions. Prior to joining the Freedom Foundation in 2013, Max worked for the Washington Policy Center and interned with the Heritage Foundation. Max graduated magna cum laude from Whitworth University with a B.A. in political science. He lives in Washington state with his wife and son.
List of Published Works
- Labor unions would be winners of Seattle’s proposed campaign-finance rules
January 10, 2020, The Seattle Times
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation - Collective bargaining for state employees was win for big labor, loss for taxpayers, workers
June 30, 2020, The Denver Post
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation - Labor department must regulate worker centers
August 21, 2020, Washington Examiner
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation - Labor unions would be winners of Seattle’s proposed campaign-finance rules
January 10, 2020, The Seattle Times
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation - Collective bargaining for state employees was win for big labor, loss for taxpayers, workers
June 30, 2020, The Denver Post
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation - Labor department must regulate worker centers
August 21, 2020, Washington Examiner
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation - Biden’s gift-wrapped union agenda would make Bernie blush
October 1, 2020, National Review
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation - As HHS Secretary, Becerra would back labor unions over home-care workers
March 3, 2021, National Review
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation - Unions and Democrats attack the right to work
March 11, 2021, Wall Street Journal
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation - Big Labor wants to salt the earth
April 27, 2021, Real Clear Policy
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation
- AFT PRESIDENT RANDI WEINGARTEN QUALIFIED FOR PUBLIC PENSION FOR YEARS SPENT OUT OF THE CLASSROOM ON UNION LEAVE
May 17, 2023 Freedom Foundation
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation
Director of Labor Policy, Freedom Foundation; Senior Fellow, Institute for the American Worker - TWO BILLS PASSED BY WA LEGISLATURE EXPOSE UNION HYPOCRISY ON PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PRIVACY
May 3, 2023 Freedom Foundation
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation
Director of Labor Policy - Opinion: Union partisanship puts conservatives in a bind
February 1, 2023 Miles City Star
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation
Director of labor policy for the Freedom Foundation - Big Labor’s Astroturfed Unionization of Starbucks
January 10, 2023 National Review
Maxford Nelsen, Institute For American Worker, Freedom Foundation
Director of Labor Policy, Freedom Foundation; Senior Fellow, Institute for the American Worker - California’s Latest Gift to Big Labor
September 8, 2022 Wall Street Journal
Maxford Nelsen, Wall Street Journal Opinion
Freedom Foundation - Op-ed: Small Business Administration should fight for entrepreneurs, not unions
June 24, 2022 Washington Examiner
Maxford Nelsen, Freedom Foundation
Freedom Foundation
Michael J. Reitz
Honorary Senior Fellow
*A Senior Fellow is a voluntary position.*
Michael J. Reitz is executive vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, an independent, nonprofit research and educational institute based in Midland, Michigan. Reitz oversees policy development, communications, fundraising and the Center’s strategic plan. Since joining the Mackinac Center in 2012, Reitz has overseen efforts to advance free-market recommendations in Michigan. The team’s victories include right-to-work legislation, pension reform for school employees, criminal justice reform and ground-breaking legislation to expand ridesharing in the state.
Before joining the Mackinac Center, Reitz was with the Freedom Foundation in Olympia, Washington, as its general counsel and director of labor policy. While there, he litigated for accurate elections, defended the First Amendment rights of individuals, fought against governmental abuses of power and wrote extensively on constitutional law. Reitz has overseen the Center’s effort to inform public employees of their rights through outreach, legal support and legislative affairs. In the past five years, the Center has educated more than 100,000 government workers about their First Amendment rights.
Reitz is president of the Michigan Coalition for Open Government, an organization that educates citizens about the importance of government transparency. He serves on the board of Americans for Fair Treatment, which offers resources and support to public sector union members. Reitz frequently comments on public policy issues and has been cited by the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Seattle Times and other publications. He is a co-author of “To Protect and Maintain Individual Rights,” a reference guide to the Declaration of Rights in the Washington Constitution. Reitz received his law degree from Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy. He is a member of the Washington bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Austen Bannan
Honorary Senior Fellow
*A Senior Fellow is a voluntary position.*
Austen Bannan is Senior Policy Analyst of Employment at Americans for Prosperity. His previous experience includes as Senior Policy Analyst and Research Fellow at the Charles Koch Institute, a legislative staffer in the U.S. Congress, and Director of Outreach at the Ripon Society. He graduated from the University of Georgia with B.A.s in Political Science and Anthropology and lives with his wife and two children in Northern Virginia.
Austen focuses on employment barriers that undermine freedom of association and freedom of contract for workers and businesses alike, including in labor union policy, flexible work, employment regulations, and occupational licensing reform. In addition to providing regular testimony, public comments, and policy recommendations to government and policy leaders, his work is featured in local and national newspapers, talk radio, podcasts and policy research outlets. You can find more here at his AFP bio page.
Published Works by Austen Bannan:
BLOG: Biden Administration Rolls Back Union Transparency
June 7, 2021
Austen Bannan, Americans for Prosperity
VIDEO: Flex Your Independence: A Cautionary Tale from California
April 14, 2021, Hosted by Americans for Prosperity
VIDEO: PRO Act: How Big Labor Policies Threaten Employment For All
March 8, 2021, Hosted by FreedomWorks
VIDEO: Discussing the PRO Act with Americans for Prosperity-South Carolina
February 19, 2021, Hosted by Americans for Prosperity
PODCAST: Understanding the Dangerous Possibilities of the PRO Act
February 11, 2021, Insight to Action Podcast
Hosted by Americans for Prosperity
RADIO: How the PRO Act Will Hurt Independent Workers
February 12, 2021, The Andy Caldwell Show
OP-ED: California voters rejected restrictions on independent work, and your states should too
January 23, 2021, Business Insider
Austen Bannan, Americans for Prosperity
BLOG: It’s time to update union financial reporting requirements
December 22, 2020
Austen Bannan, Americans for Prosperity
BLOG: Proposed rule shines a light on growing importance of independent contracting
October 29, 2020
Austen Bannan, Americans for Prosperity
BLOG: DOL’s independent contractor rule reduces workplace uncertainty
September 28, 2020
Austen Bannan, Americans for Prosperity
OP-ED: Protecting independent opportunity for everyone in America
September 3, 2020, Washington Examiner
Austen Bannan, Americans for Prosperity
- How Utah Is Protecting Workers Without the Baggage of Unions | Opinion
March 28, 2023 Newsweek
Austen Bannan,
EMPLOYMENT POLICY FELLOW AT AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY - Independent Contracting – Proposed Department of Labor Rule
October 19, 2022 Institute for the American Worker
Austen Bannan, Institute for the American Worker
Senior Fellow, Institute for the American Worker