Posts tagged legislation
The House Just Passed a ‘Pro-Worker’ Bill That Takes Power Away From Workers
June 11, 2026 // "Supporters of this bill assure businesses and workers that it is about worker empowerment and efficiency," Walberg said. "I may be misremembering the definition of empowerment, but I can guarantee it does not mean taking away a worker's right to vote on his or her own contract and giving that power to a Washington bureaucrat with no stake in the outcome."
Bill on public-sector union lists clears Iowa House
April 29, 2026 // Senate File 472, passed 56-34, deals with situations that supporters of the measure say would allow unions to avoid recertification elections required under the state’s 2017 collective bargaining law. Under the current law, government employers are required to submit a list of their employees to the Employment Appeal Board (EAB) before recertification votes, where workers in a bargaining unit are asked if they want to continue to be represented by their union before the next contract period. If an employer does not submit a list of their workers to the EAB, the recertification process will not occur and contracts will be negotiated with current union representation.
How a $15 minimum wage will regionally affect a diverse and unequal Virginia
April 28, 2026 // The age-old economic debate over minimum wage has been a sticking point between Republicans and Democrats in the Old Dominion, as Youngkin called the $15 minimum wage proposal a "one-size-fits-all mandate" that "ignores the vast economic and geographic differences," in his veto memo last year. "Implementing an arbitrary $15-per-hour wage mandate may not impact Northern Virginia, where economic conditions lead to historically higher wages, but this approach is detrimental for small businesses across the rest of Virginia, especially in Southwest and Southside," Youngkin wrote.
Labor Department’s reworked joint employer rule restores common sense
April 23, 2026 // The Labor Department came out with a draft rework of its joint employer rule. CEI labor policy expert Sean Higgins points to some good fixes but underscores the need for Congress to reform the law instead of leaving decisions to regulators:
Op-ed: A bipartisan bill that would hurt employers and unions
April 12, 2026 // The bill would mandate that workers sometimes be subjected to labor contracts that they never vote for. The idea is to reduce the amount of time it takes between a union being recognized as the collective bargaining agent in a workplace and the enactment of an agreement. The National Labor Relations Act requires recognized unions and employers to negotiate in good faith, but it does not say how long that negotiating may last. In some cases, it can last years.
Op-ed: The Case Against Public-Sector Unions
April 9, 2026 // The reforms are commonsense: make re-enrollment annual and affirmative — if a worker wants to belong, they sign up every year end automatic payroll deductions so dues are a visible, conscious transaction require unions to disclose political spending the same way corporations have to These are exactly the kinds of reforms Oregon, New York and Hawaii are working to prevent — not by defeating them in debate, but by making it illegal to tell workers such options exist.
RADIO: Vincent Vernuccio- Pro-Worker Labor Legislation That Promotes Worker Freedom
November 17, 2025 // Senator Bill Cassidy announced a swath of pro-worker labor legislation that promotes worker freedom and curbs undue influence and abuse by unions
Report: How to Empower Workers: Embracing a Pro-Worker Agenda Built on Choice
November 14, 2025 // “Today’s workers want flexibility and individuality, they need an agenda that puts them first and recognizes the dignity found in all pathways of work instead of one size fits all solutions,” said F. Vincent Vernuccio, president of Institute for the American Worker. “Austen Bannan’s ‘How to Empower Workers’ report will serve as a one stop shop for how to help workers and create modern labor policy for a modern workforce.”
Labor Unions Are Chipping Away at Worker Freedoms One Bill at a Time
October 14, 2025 // The so-called Faster Labor Contracts Act is one of the first steps in this new tactical departure. The legislation would force employers to begin bargaining with a new union in just ten days. If the two parties don’t reach an agreement in 90 days, the government forces mediation. One month after that, the matter goes to binding arbitration, meaning an outside arbitrator will dictate wages, benefits, and workplace rules for years to come. That’s not worker freedom. It’s top-down federal control. Americans recognize proposals like this for what they are: a Washington power grab. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey released just two weeks ago found that 90% of voters oppose government-mandated union contracts without worker approval.
Proposed review to modernize federal workers’ pay shot down by unions, Sen. Curtis says
October 14, 2025 // Despite having support leading up to the vote, the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union in the country, sent a message to senators opposing the amendment — which Curtis said prompted many of his Democratic colleagues to taper off. The group argued the amendment would “open up the federal pay system” to systemic audits and reviews by the Trump administration, which it says would be “devastating for federal workers.” Rather than ensuring higher pay, the AFGE claimed the Trump administration would use it to justify pay cuts or even freeze some spending altogether.