Posts tagged Donald Trump
Commentary: The Federal Government Just Moved to Restore the Owner-Operator Model – Here Is What Actually Changed, What Did Not, and What You Still Need to Watch
March 16, 2026 // Three times in five years. That is how many times the federal standard governing whether an owner-operator is legally classified as an independent contractor or an employee has fundamentally shifted under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The 2021 Trump rule. The 2024 Biden rule. And now, on February 27, 2026, the Department of Labor’s formal proposal to rescind the 2024 rule and return to something close to the 2021 framework. Each time this pendulum swings, the trucking industry produces a wave of celebration or alarm depending on which direction it moved. The industry’s reaction to this latest move has been heavily celebratory — and not without reason. But if you are running a small fleet or operating as an owner-operator, the celebration needs to come with a clear-eyed understanding of what this rule change actually does, what it does not do, and where the real risk to your business model still sits.
Op-ed: LABOR SEC CHAVEZ-DEREMER: Our plan to rescind the Biden independent contractor rule
March 15, 2026 // In that spirit, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division released a proposed rule that provides clarity to help workers and employers alike determine when a worker is properly classified as an independent contractor and when that worker is an employee owed rigorous protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In proposing this rule, we celebrate the decisions of Americans who choose to test their entrepreneurial spirit — the same spirit on which our country was founded 250 years ago.
Editorial Board: In defense of the secret ballot
March 15, 2026 // In the case decided by the 6th Circuit, Brown-Forman challenged the basis for the NLRB’s Cemex ruling and won. The supposedly unfair labor practice committed at its Woodford Reserve bourbon distillery was giving workers a $4-per-hour raise, expanding merit-based salary increases, offering more vacation time and providing free bottles of bourbon. The employees voted 45-14 against unionizing, but the NLRB ordered the company to bargain with that union anyway. The advantage of secret-ballot elections is that workers are free of coercion by unions or employers when deciding whether they wish to unionize. It also ensures that their decisions are anonymous, so they won’t fear retaliation or harassment by aggressive union organizers or the people who pay their salaries. A secret ballot is far more likely to reflect their true views.
Social Security ordered to restore telework; EPA and NASA roll back collective bargaining
March 15, 2026 // A provision in AFGE’s collective bargaining agreement with SSA gives agency management “sole discretion to temporarily change, reduce, or suspend approved telework day(s) for any employee(s), office, component, or agency-wide due to operational needs.” The contract also gives agency management sole discretion to change, reduce, or suspend approved telework for any employee due to their performance.
CTU plans to join May 1 ‘no school, no work’ day of action, wants classes canceled
March 14, 2026 // On Wednesday the union’s 730-member House of Delegates approved a resolution to join a national movement calling for a day of “no school, no work, no shopping.” Participants plan to call for higher taxes on the wealthy, better-funded schools, protections for immigrants and other reforms. Union leaders cited several reasons for participating, including to “demand ICE out of our cities,” referring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and “tax the rich to support our schools and vital services,” according to the resolution. It also says public education is facing attacks from “MAGA politicians” who support the policies of President Donald Trump and “corporate interests.”
US judge leery of blocking FEMA job cuts pending unions’ lawsuit
March 4, 2026 // A federal judge in California on Tuesday said she would likely deny an early bid by unions representing government workers to block President Donald Trump's administration from cutting thousands of disaster-response jobs at the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The NLRB will reverse the outrages of the Biden years, but workers need Congress to protect those gains.
March 3, 2026 // Workers have labored under these unjust policies for nearly a century. They deserve better. In the short run, the NLRB can help American workers by reversing the Biden rulings that strengthen unions and restrain businesses at workers’ expense. The board also could end the Biden backdoor card-check scheme, prevent unions from using harassing language, and free employers to talk to workers about unionization. But a future NLRB with members appointed by another president could reverse these policies. Workers ultimately need Congress to pass better labor laws that will last.
Treasury Department terminates union contracts for IRS and Bureau of the Fiscal Service workers
March 2, 2026 // The Treasury Department has terminated its collective bargaining agreement with unionized workers employed at the Internal Revenue Service, the agency said Friday, in an escalation of President Donald Trump ’s push to exert more control over the federal workforce. The union contract for the Bureau of the Fiscal Service was also terminated this week, according to two people familiar with the decision.
Déjà vu all over again as Trump administration move to protect freelancing
March 2, 2026 // Congress should take up legislation to codify a sensible standard that protects gig economy workers and settles the issue for good. Legislation to that effect, the Employee Rights Act, has been introduced and deserves congressional consideration.
US court will not block Trump from ending union bargaining for federal workers
February 28, 2026 // A U.S. appeals court on Thursday rejected a bid by unions to block President Donald Trump's administration from stripping hundreds of thousands of federal employees of the ability to engage in union bargaining with U.S. agencies, reversing a lower court's ruling.