Posts tagged Democrats
Op-ed: Senators should ignore this anti-Trump bill
January 11, 2026 // Taxpayers spent over $200 million in 2024 alone on official time, despite the fact that unions are overtly political organizations that almost exclusively support the Democratic party and its priorities. By taking on union bosses’ time-wasting “bargaining” activities, Trump’s executive orders are helping the government operate more efficiently.
Labor troubles in Mamdani’s backyard
January 6, 2026 // A senior official on Abdelhamid’s campaign who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters said Teschner’s contract “was prepared for an independent contractor role,” but “she requested to be onboarded as a W-2 employee due to the temporary nature of campaign work and eligibility for unemployment benefits, which delayed finalizing the contract.” “The campaign explored that request but did not have the legal or payroll infrastructure to accommodate it,” the campaign official continued. “When informed that the role would need to remain a 1099 position, she indicated her fee would increase by $500.” “Given the misalignment between the structure she requested and the campaign’s capacity,” the official continued, “the arrangement was not a fit.”
Washington Democrats now let striking workers collect unemployment while businesses bleed
January 3, 2026 // What the law does not address is the imbalance it creates for employers, particularly those who have no comparable safety net when a strike halts operations, disrupts contracts, or threatens the survival of a business entirely. That’s intentional. While workers can now rely on unemployment benefits during a strike, businesses are still expected to absorb the losses, with no relief and little recourse. The law further tips the scales toward unions that already wield extraordinary power in Washington, allowing them to prolong strikes with fewer consequences while businesses shoulder all the risk.
Oregon Punishes the Freedom Foundation
December 30, 2025 // The censorship is masked in the good-government language of fighting fraud, but don’t be fooled. The Workers Fraud Protection Act, which takes effect Jan. 1, makes it “unlawful to falsely impersonate a union representative” and imposes punitive fines. The law cites a definition of fraud that includes merely giving a “false impression” of union matters. The bill was written specifically to give unions a cudgel against the Freedom Foundation. The nonprofit sends mailers informing workers of their right to decline union representation. Unions say the Freedom Foundation misleads workers by using union colors and logos to make the mail seem as if it is coming from the union itself.
Report: Government unions spent $915 million on politics in 2024
December 17, 2025 // The Commonwealth Foundation’s most recent report found the top four public sector unions: the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees spent over $915 million on politics during the 2023-2024 cycle. The unions spent $755 million on federal elections and policies while their state affiliates spent $160 million on state races and policies.
New Jersey’s GOP congressmen make rare break with Trump on collective bargaining
December 15, 2025 // New Jersey is one of the nation’s most heavily unionized states, and the state’s powerful unions frequently support politicians of both parties. Smith and Van Drew have received backing from the New Jersey AFL-CIO in recent re-election campaigns; during Kean’s 2024 campaign, meanwhile, the AFL-CIO chose to stay out of the race, which was seen as a victory for the congressman in a district that Democrats hoped to flip. Notably, though, none of New Jersey’s Republicans were part of the original effort to bring today’s collective bargaining bill to the floor in the first place. A discharge petition to force a vote on the bill got signatures from every House Democrat and five Republicans, but Kean, Van Drew, and Smith did not sign on.
New Jersey: ACR177 Joins SCR138
December 12, 2025 // New Jersey Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn has introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution 177, which is a companion to Senate Concurrent Resolution 138 that Senator Declan O’Scanlon introduced last month. ACR177 and SCR138 would declare the proposed independent-contractor rule at the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development inconsistent with legislative intent.
13 Republicans Vote to Nullify Donald Trump’s Executive Order
December 11, 2025 // Democratic Representative Jared Golden, who led the bill, forced a vote on it by using a mechanism known as a discharge petition. The Congressional procedure means lawmakers can force a vote on a piece of legislation against the wishes of the leadership on the condition that it has majority support in the House.
Teachers’ union AFT slams crypto market bill, warns of ‘profound risks’ for America’s retirement plans
December 11, 2025 // The American Federation of Teachers, the powerful labor union that represents 1.8 million members, is urging the Senate Banking Committee to reconsider its crypto market structure bill, the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, calling the proposed legislation “as irresponsible as it is reckless” in a letter exclusively obtained by CNBC. In the letter that AFT president Randi Weingarten sent to Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), she wrote the union opposes the bill based on the “profound risks to the pensions of working families and the overall stability of the economy.”
Congress Can Empower Workers Through Choice—Not Coercion
November 24, 2025 // A case in point is the legislative package that Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced on Nov. 10, joined by others including Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C). They’d protect workers’ paychecks by requiring unions to get approval before spending dues money on politics. They’d also protect workers’ privacy by letting them choose what contact information unions get during the organizing process. And they’d protect workplace democracy by requiring that at least two-thirds of workers participate in union elections — preventing a minority of people from determining the fate of every employee. Another praiseworthy reform is the Employee Rights Act, which Scott introduced in the shutdown’s early days after Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) previously introduced it in the House. Among its many good ideas, the Employee Rights Act guarantees the secret ballot and protects workers from intimidation and harassment. It also gives unionized workers in the 26 right-to-work states the freedom to negotiate their own contract with their employer, so they can better address their individual needs. And the Employee Rights Act guarantees that self-employed workers have maximum flexibility to design their jobs to fit their lives.