Backgrounder
Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Theft Recovery Backgrounder
The Wage Prevention and Wage Recovery Act applies heavy-handed stipulations, stifling costs, is an unwarranted expansion of DOL powers, and grants government policing powers to special interest groups like unions.
Small Businesses Before Bureaucrats Backgrounder
Under this bill, the jurisdictional standard for non-retail businesses would increase from $50,000 to $500,000 and retailers from $500,000 to $5 million.
Blacklisting Federal Contractors
Congressional Democrats have taken a renewed interest in resurrecting a failed Obama-era executive order, “Fair Pay and Safe Workplace (EO 13672),” also known as “Blacklisting.”
Employee Rights Act Backgrounder
The ERA allows employees to receive merit-based pay raises outside of the wage scales set by their union’s collective bargaining agreement, guarantees the right to a secret ballot in union elections, provides new privacy protections, allows workers to decertify a union more easily, provides legal clarity for small business owners and gig workers, and more.
Democrats’ Proposed Labor Funding Increases Fall Nearly Flat
After months of delay, Congress finally approved federal funding legislation for fiscal year 2022. Democrats in both chambers, as well as the White House, initially sought massive funding increases for federal labor agencies and programs but Republicans objected.
White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment
A report from the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment recommends some 70 actions the federal government can take to increase union membership rather than promote the interests of workers.
America COMPETES Act
The America COMPETES Act, as introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, is intended to support domestic manufacturing and bolster our critical supply chain. Within the bill, however, are requirements for some federal grant or loan programs that private sector companies must remain neutral to union organizing.
Featured
BLS Report Summary: Union Membership Declined in 2021
The 2021 Union Members Summary was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and states that union membership declined in 2021 by 241,000 members. Click to find out more details.
Ensuring Workers Get PAID Act
This bill would reinstate and make permanent the Department of Labor’s Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, which allowed employers to self-audit, report, and correct their potential violations of federal overtime and minimum wage laws.
Labor-Related Items in Reconciliation Bill
UPDATE: On November 19, 2021, the House of Representatives approved a pared-down version of the reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Act, by a vote of 220-213. Find out what labor handouts are inside the reconciliation bill.
Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act
The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act would overturn public sector state collective bargaining laws in almost every state in the country.
PRO Act Would Hurt Virginia Workers, Take Away Choice
The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act would allow unions to get workers in Virginia fired for not paying them. Download our state backgrounder to find out how many workers would be affected and how much it would cost them.
PRO Act Would Hurt Georgia Workers, Take Away Choice
The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act would allow unions to get workers in Georgia fired for not paying them. Download our state backgrounder to find out how many workers would be affected and how much it would cost them.
PRO Act Would Hurt Arizona Workers, Take Away Choice
The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act would allow unions to get workers in Arizona fired for not paying them. Download our state backgrounder to find out how many workers would be affected and how much it would cost them.
IRS Customer Service Improvement Act
The IRS Customer Service Improvement Act was introduced to refocus IRS employees on performing their jobs to serve the taxpayer rather than performing union work during the busy tax filing season.
Legislation to Ban Neutrality Agreements
Legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives to ban union “neutrality agreements,” which is when a company provides organizing assistance to a union seeking to organize the company’s workers.
Davis-Bacon Repeal Act
The Davis-Bacon Repeal Act would eliminate the Davis-Bacon Act, a law from 1931 requiring workers to be paid the local "prevailing wage" for federally-funded construction contracts worth more than $2,000.
Save Local Business Act
The Save Local Business act would amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to only consider a business a “joint employer” if it directly, actually, and immediately exercises control over employment decisions, such as the hiring, pay structure, and overall contractual employment of each employee.
PRO Act: Resources Round-Up
Whether you're just learning about the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act or want to do a deep dive into its harmful provisions, this roundup of resources can assist in your research.
Executive Order on Worker Organizing and Empowerment
On April 26, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order establishing the Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment with a mission to “promote worker organizing and collective bargaining in the public and private sectors, and to increase union density.”
BACKGROUNDER: Protecting the Right to Organize Act
The PRO Act would weaken worker freedom and protections, increase regulation of businesses, and strengthen collective bargaining to increase the union share of the workforce.
Paycheck Fairness Act
UPDATE: The Paycheck Fairness Act seeks to create new federal mandates on employers and employees in a misguided effort to further prohibit pay discrimination.
POLICY DEBATE: “Sectoral Bargaining: Promise or Peril?”
VIDEO: Institute for the American Worker partners with American Compass in this policy debate on sectoral bargaining in America.
EXPLAINER: What is the Protecting the Right to Organize Act?
The PRO Act would overturn worker freedom throughout the country, stifle independent workers’ ability to support their families, harm small business, and add additional burdens to job creators—among many other troubling provisions.
EXPLAINER: 12 Ways the PRO Act Will Hurt American Workers
The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act is making its way through Congress and, if approved, would fundamentally change the US economy and the way Americans work. Find out 12 ways the PRO Act would harm American workers and businesses.
Institute for the American Worker Announces Inaugural Group of Senior Fellows
I4AW is pleased to announce that it has named eight extraordinary labor policy experts to serve as the Institute’s senior fellows.
VIDEO: How the PRO Act Will Harm Workers, Entrepreneurs, and Job Creators
On March 8, 2021, the Institute for the American Worker partnered with Americans for Prosperity and the State Policy Network to host a virtual briefing about the dangers of the PRO Act. Our line-up of speakers tell their stories about how the PRO Act could take away their rights, jeopardize their ability to earn a living, and harm job creators.
American Rescue Plan Act- Reconciliation Bill
Congress intends to approve major parts of the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan via the budget reconciliation process. Find out more.
Emergency Pension Plan Relief (EPPRA) Act
The Emergency Pension Plan Relief (EPPRA) Act would bail out failing multiemployer pension plans and the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC).
Raise the Wage Act
The Raise the Wage Act would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025 through incremental, annual increases.
Warnings from California, the harms of attacking entrepreneurship and freelancing
Assembly Bill (AB) 5 has had devastating effects on independent contractors and freelancers in the Golden State. Read real stories of Californians whose lives and livelihoods have been turned upside down by AB5.
Helping Gig Economy Workers Act
This legislation would allow companies in the digital marketplace to provide gig economy workers with paid leave, training, PPE, and other assistance during the COVID-19 crisis without penalizing the worker or company or threatening their independent contractor legal status.
VIDEO: The Future of Work and Unions in America
In this webinar, we explore both positive and negative ideas for long-term labor reform; from sectoral bargaining, which would mandate one-size-fits-all wages and benefits across entire industries, to more positive recommendations that would instill flexibility and voluntarism in collective bargaining.
VIDEO: Election Outcomes and Labor Policy in 2021
In this virtual webinar, we explore what the 2020 election outcomes mean for labor policy in the near-term, including insights about what to expect in 2021 from the next Congress, Administration, and State and Local governments.
EVENT: Safeguarding Worker Freedom in 2021 and Beyond
Join the Institute for the American Worker and the Heritage Foundation for a two-part series on the future of labor policy in America on December 9 and 16, 2021.
VIDEO: How Restricting Independent Contracting Hurts Women and their Families
California's Assembly Bill (AB) 5 law has had devastating effects on independent contractors and freelancers- especially impacting women and their families.
Worker Flexibility and Small Business Protection Act
Under the Worker Flexibility and Small Business Protection Act, independent contractors would become “employees” within a company’s wage and benefits structure and thus become new targets for union organizing.
COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act
The COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an “Emergency Temporary Standard” and permanent standard to protect some workers from exposure to Coronavirus in some workplaces.
Five Pro-worker Policies and Proposals that can Jumpstart the American Economy Amidst COVID-19
Despite the COVID-19 economic downturn, there are simple pro-worker policies that can eliminate unnecessary barriers to entrepreneurship, increase employment, and raise wages without increasing the debt or putting mandates on job creators.
A Closer Look at the Coronavirus Bills: A breakdown of Democrat labor proposals
Throughout the negotiations for the last two coronavirus response bills, several recurring themes have emerged from Congressional Democrats’ priorities in the labor and employment space. Click to read through a summary.
FAMILY Act
The FAMILY Act would create a federal family and medical leave insurance program, a new federal mandate to provide workers with paid family and medical leave.
Fair and Open Competition Act
The Fair and Open Competition Act aims to promote fair competition for federally funded construction projects by requiring neutrality in the bidding process as it relates to Project Labor Agreements.
Labor Provisions in the HEALS Act
Get a breakdown of all the labor provisions included in the Help End Abusive Living Situations (HEALS) Act that will provide help for local businesses and independent contractors.
Secure and Fair Elections for (SAFE) Workers Act
The SAFE Workers Act requires the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to conduct union organizing elections via electronic voting during a federally-declared pandemic.
PAID Leave Act
The PAID Leave Act creates several mandates on employers, both during an emergency medical situation and ongoing mandates at all other times.
Families First Coronavirus Response Act
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, would require employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide employees with up to 12 weeks of paid leave for medical or family care situations related to the coronavirus public health emergency.
Working Families Flexibility Act
The Working Families Flexibility Act would give workers the choice of accruing additional paid time off or accepting overtime pay when overtime compensation is required from their employer.
Union Member Protection Act
The Union Member Protection Act seeks to empower union members with a right to vote on how their union intends to spend their dues for political purposes.
Worker’s Choice Act
The Worker’s Choice Act would allow employees the option to opt-out of union representation and negotiate employment terms individually with their employer.
RAISE Act
Under the RAISE Act, employers could grant merit-based pay raises irrespective of the wage scales within that workplace’s collective bargaining agreement.
Union Transparency and Accountability Act
The Union Transparency and Accountability Act would require labor organizations to provide greater transparency as it relates to union officers’ compensation packages, trust funds, and conflicts of interest, respectively.
National Right to Work Act
The National Right to Work Act would grant private sector workers the ability to opt-out of a union and prohibit unions from getting workers fired for not paying them.
Healthy Families Act
Proposed legislation to require paid sick leave for private-sector workers to care for a child, parent, spouse or domestic partner.
Restoring Justice for Workers Act
The Restoring Justice for Workers Act would prohibit arbitration agreements in employment contracts.
Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act
Requires states and local government to collectively bargain with public safety employees― namely law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMTs.
Protecting American Jobs Act
The Protecting American Jobs Act would remove adjudication authority from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act
The Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act would create the Pension Rehabilitation Administration, a new government loan program for failing multiemployer pension plans.
Modern Worker Empowerment Act
The Modern Worker Empowerment Act seeks to update the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to better address the current economy and encourage additional growth.
Respect Graduate Student Workers Act
The Respect Graduate Student Workers Act would grant graduate student teaching and research assistants the right to organize.
Schedules That Work Act
The Schedules That Work Act creates new requirements for employers to provide consistent, inflexible work schedules.
What They Are Saying About David Weil
Find out what labor stakeholders and policy leaders think about DOL Nominee David Weil.
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