Posts tagged Democrat
Sen. Hawley Introduces Bill to Raise Minimum Wage to $15
June 10, 2025 // Some business advocacy groups still oppose minimum rate hikes, including Hawley's proposed bill. "This proposal would more than double the minimum wage and slash over 800,000 jobs," Rebekah Paxton, research director at the Employment Policies Institute, said in a statement to The Hill. "An overwhelming majority of economists agree that drastic minimum wage hikes cut employment, limit opportunities for workers and shutter businesses."
Independent Contractors Take Center Stage for ‘Empowering the American Worker’
May 27, 2025 // However, expert witness Dr. Liya Palagashvili showed data of the deliberate harm done through California’s law AB5 and its ABC test that is also embedded in the federal Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO) Act and other statewide legislation seeking to restrict the work of independent professionals. Now, these results are causal, meaning we can definitely say that ABC tests cause these negative outcomes. No other studies to date have found positive employment effects from these laws. The research shows that restrictive ABC tests do not create more work opportunities. They eliminate both independent and W-2 jobs.
Op-ed: ‘We win, they lose’ GOP should use Reagan’s approach with unions
May 23, 2025 // In the case of unions, that means fundamentally reforming the current labor model. This doesn’t mean going back to the bad old days, when unions were treated as a criminal conspiracy. But it does mean ending the legal favoritism that allows unions to coerce workers, control businesses and advance their selfish interests at the expense of everyone else. The Republican goal should be to make unions earnestly compete for workers’ support, with neither a monopoly in the workplace nor restrictions on workers’ ability to choose the union that’s best for them. When is the last time Republicans forcefully advanced such a principled vision? Even before the recent backsliding, Republican leaders rarely made the moral case against forced unionization. Sure, they broadly supported policies that would have empowered workers, and most Republicans still do. But with few exceptions, the party tip-toed around the real stakes. If union coercion is wrong, then anyone who loves freedom has a duty to fight it — without apology and without quarter.
NJ Transit engineers on strike after contract negotiations fail — wreaking havoc on commuters
May 16, 2025 // The union said in a statement Thursday that its engineers are the “lowest paid locomotive engineers working for a commuter railroad in the nation” — claims NJ Transit has denied. With the strike on, its members will form picket lines across the system starting at 4 a.m. Friday morning, at locations that include outside NJ Transit’s Headquarters in Newark (2 Gateway Center), Penn Station in New York City (8th Avenue and 33rd Street entrance) and the Atlantic City Rail Terminal. NJ Transit posted flyers and digital signage at major transit hubs in recent days, including the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, warning of a “critical service advisory” and that customers should “complete their travels and arrive at their final destination no later than 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 15.”
Gov. Jared Polis’ coming labor bill veto will strain Democrat’s labor ties — and set stage for ballot fight
May 15, 2025 // Polis has said that Colorado’s 81-year-old labor law has worked well and that he wants maximum employee input in negotiating union dues. He added Thursday that he wanted a deal that would bring stability to business-labor relations in the state, referring to fears that a change to the status quo would usher in a tug-of-war over competing ballot measures and legislation. Asked about Polis’ skeptical views of SB-5, Dougherty said those were concerns “that were not relayed to us when he was running for governor.”
Op-ed: MARY KATHARINE HAM: Teachers union bosses put themselves first, teachers and students last
April 23, 2025 // Just recently, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst uncovered $3.3 million in taxpayer money, and 87,000 hours spent at one agency alone over just two years that went to thousands of hours of union-related activities instead of the American people. Elsewhere, the IRS union is negotiating for its members to show up only once a week in person and retain a bunch of generous bonuses. An unwelcome April surprise, just like your tax bill!
1199 SEIU boss George Gresham accused of corruption — but no Democrat will investigate
April 14, 2025 // His rivals accuse the chronically ill Gresham (who draws a $300,000 salary) of numerous misappropriations, including: $60,000 to cover his daughter’s room, board and transportation to accompany him on business trips as his caregiver. Over $300,000 on a “get out the vote” concert series that coincided with Gresham family reunions. $17,000 on a hotel next to Montefiore Medical Center when he was receiving dialysis treatment. $86,000 for flights to South Africa in 2014 and 2018. A no-show union job that’s paid a Gresham ally over $1 million since 2009.
Sen. Mike Lee spearheads efforts to block government workers from union activities while on the clock
April 9, 2025 // “Federal government unions are heavily involved in party politics,” National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix said in a statement. “They stage massive political protests, and contribute large amounts of money and manpower to influence elections. Employees of these unions should not have their salaries paid by American taxpayers.” Lee cited a 2016 report by the Office of Personnel Management that showed federal employees spent 3.6 million hours on union-related businesses, costing taxpayers more than $177 million. That number dropped to 2.6 million hours, costing $134.9 million, during the first Trump administration, according to Lee.
Pay for Play: Al Sharpton Books Labor Bosses Who Pour Millions Into His Nonprofit on MSNBC Show
March 30, 2025 // In the past year alone, Sharpton, who hosts PoliticsNation on the weekends, has interviewed the presidents of five unions that have given his nonprofit a total of $6.3 million: American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of Government Employees, and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). In all, labor unions have given nearly $8 million earmarked as "gifts," "grants," or payments for "political activities" to the National Action Network, which in some years has paid Sharpton a $1 million salary and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for private jets and limo services.
Trump taps EEOC’s Lucas for new term, Morgan Lewis partner for NLRB general counsel
March 25, 2025 // Carey referred a request for comment to Morgan Lewis. The firm's chair, Jami McKeon, in a statement said that Carey's "background, experience, judgment, and training make her highly qualified for this important role, and we are excited for her on this well-deserved nomination.” Lucas, a former Gibson Dunn & Crutcher associate, was first appointed to the EEOC by Trump in 2020. She was a dissenting Republican voice on the Democrat-led board until Trump made her acting chair and named her chief of staff, Andrew Rogers, as acting general counsel.