Posts tagged BLS
Commentary: Washington, We Have a Problem
December 27, 2024 // The problem is that the figure 11.9 million is significantly lower than figures the government has previously stated about the number of independent contractors in the United States. Those figures, in turn, have been significantly lower than figures we’ve all seen released year after year by numerous other researchers. Several experts were quick to point out that with this new data, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics may have accurately counted what the government set out to count—by asking questions in its own wonky way—but the result is absolutely going to confuse a lot of people.
The Bureau for Labor Statistics data only reported 16 strikes in 2021. A new database argues there were 14x as many
March 1, 2022 // Prior to 1982, the Bureau for Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on all work stoppages that involved at least six workers and lasted for a full shift or longer. Reagan-era budget cuts changed its methodology, and for the past four decades, the institution has only reported on work stoppages it considers “major” — those involving at least 1,000 workers.
Union membership hits new low
January 24, 2022 // Those numbers have fallen steadily, if not uniformly, over the last two generations, even as the number of American workers has increased substantially. Today, there are about 50 million more workers in the American economy than there were in 1983, and 3 million fewer union members.
Big Labor Grinches Undermining Freelancing With PRO Act
December 21, 2021 // The bill, if passed, would abolish right-to-work laws, make employment conditional on union membership and misclassify independent workers as employees under a proposed ABC test, among many proposed provisions. Who seeks to benefit most from the PRO Act? Powerful labor union special interests.