Posts tagged Ryan Mackenzie
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.
ATA Endorses Modern Worker Empowerment Act
May 26, 2025 // The ATA official also pointed to a Republican-sponsored bill as a tool meant to reinforce the industry’s support for the Trump-era independent contractor model. The Modern Worker Empowerment Act, introduced by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) in February, would establish a comprehensive test for arriving at a worker classification. “If enacted,” Mehrens explained, “this bill would codify the common-sense framework from the first Trump term to determine whether an individual is an independent contractor or an employee.”
Committee on Education and the Workforce: Hearing Recap: “Empowering the Modern Worker”
May 21, 2025 // “The way people do work in America is changing,” said Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chairman Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) when he opened today’s hearing that discussed legislative solutions to protect independent contractors’ status and allow them to pursue certain benefits if they so choose.
Kim Kavin: Intent to Reconsider
April 8, 2025 // The federal government has indicated in court that it may rescind the Biden-Harris administration’s independent-contractor rule and undertake the process of new rule-making. Yesterday, the U.S. Labor Department filed a status report in one of several lawsuits against the Biden-Harris administration over its independent contractor rule. This status report was filed with regard to the Frisard case, whose plaintiff is represented by Liberty Justice Center and the Pelican Institute.
Pennsylvania House Committee Passes Forced-Unionism Amendment
May 4, 2023 // “No law shall be passed that interferes with, negates or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment and work place safety,” the proposed amendment reads. State Representative Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia), the avowed socialist who authored the bill, claimed in committee testimony that employers routinely violate workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain. She said some employers hold seminars and “bombard” employees with literature meant to “scare” workers out of unionizing. “This constitutional amendment will help prevent future attacks on workers and their rights,” Fiedler said. “And, with this constitutional amendment, we can prevent future laws that seek to silence workers. Strong unions benefit everyone and the decline of unions has played a big role in rising inequality and wage stagnation.”