Posts tagged research
Kim Kavin: The Tangled Web
May 23, 2025 // I know how most writers’ minds work. I have a well-honed instinct for spotting a thread I should pull on because the facts might be tangled up in some kind of web. This hyperlink in Newsweek was a different kind of typo. The words “2020 analysis” actually did lead to a report about independent contractors—one that was written not in 2020, but instead in 2009. A wrong hyperlink of that nature is a red flag to any decent editor that there’s probably an association in the writer’s mind between the words in the hyperlink and where that link goes. Any experienced editor will pull on that thread to figure out if there’s an actual problem with the facts.
Stanford grad students postpone strike timed to hobble grading and advising ahead of finals
November 13, 2024 // “A strike will cause massive disruption to the university’s teaching and research missions,” the Stanford Graduate Workers Union said in a statement, noting that many seminars taught by graduate students will be paused indefinitely, as will other essential functions. “Teaching assistants will cancel their review and discussion sessions, office hours and labs. Assignments will not be graded.” The graduate students unionized a year ago but have yet to sign a contract with the university.
Opinion: Say No to prevailing wage
March 13, 2023 // Prevailing wage mandates artificially lift the cost of government construction projects by forcing bidders to pay the local or, “prevailing,” wage in a particular area. Typically, that means union scale wages. Michigan repealed its prevailing wage law in 2018. The Michigan House of Representatives voted this week to reinstate it. The Senate should vote it down. Research shows prevailing wage laws artificially raise the cost of government construction projects. In a forthcoming study, economist Michael Hicks, co-author of this post, estimates that the cost of road construction is raised by between 8.5% and 14.3% in quality-adjusted road miles. In Michigan in 2018 that would translate to between $5,900 and $9,200 in additional costs per mile. Who foots these extra costs? Taxpayers.
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
October 24, 2022 // As it turns out, Pastors for Children should be renamed Pastors for AFT. As the Capital Research Center found out, “The evidence suggests that Pastors for Texas Children is beholden to special interests and would better be called “Pastors for Texas Teachers Unions.” The organization has taken at least $25,000 in funding from the American Federation of Teachers, but that may not be all. The group put on a “virtual fundraiser” in October 2020 headlined by Diane Ravitch, a onetime school reformer who “now toes the teachers union line.”
Union-backed Activists Push $15 In New Report, But Restaurant Workers Still Don’t Agree
April 11, 2022 // The report itself calls for a “universal $15 minimum wage.” But actual tipped restaurant employees disagree with this policy – and actively oppose movements to eliminate local, state, and federal tip credits. Why?
WH Labor Task Force Won’t Boost Most American Workers, Just Unionized Ones
February 16, 2022 // Labor activists often downplay their goals, suggesting few will be affected. But they would like to see all non-unionized workers, including independent contractors, universally unionized. Recently, Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien shared with Boston Magazine, “I’d like to see everything unionized, not just those companies. Look, I think we can all agree that over the years, the independent contractor model has skirted a lot of wage and hour laws, and basically circumvents unionization. I’d love to see every single industry represented by a union.”
A “Critical” Issue with Pensions
February 12, 2022 // Here's everything you need to know about union pension plans and their current funding status.