Posts tagged Worker freedom
Op-Ed: Follow Trump 45 Labor Policy, Not the Teamsters Union
November 21, 2024 // By pushing Rep. Chavez-DeRemer for secretary of labor, O’Brien is essentially asking the winner of the 2024 presidential election to concede to the loser on one of the most important pieces of domestic legislation after the winner has already won in exchange for nothing. Rather than taking labor policy advice from a union boss, President Trump would do much better to follow the example he himself set in his previous term.
Top 3 Ways Teamsters Boss Sean O’Brien Stabbed President Trump In The Back
November 21, 2024 // More than $2.6 million in Teamsters political donations went toward registered Democrats and Democratic campaign arms. The Teamsters also funded anti-Trump activist groups like the ACLU that plan to bury a second Trump term in litigation. This should come as no surprise. When Trump was in office, the Teamsters worked to sabotage passage of the Trump Tax cuts and prevent confirmation of Trump’s Supreme Court picks. 94% of Teamsters political spending has gone to Democrats since 1990. The Teamsters rank-and-file voted for Trump because he supports worker freedom.
Commentary: The Teamsters nonendorsement is an opening for Republicans
September 26, 2024 // This fact has been clear since Trump’s first term. He and his fellow Republicans repeatedly pursued policies that union leaders loathed but union members loved. He protected the rights of independent contractors, which has the support of 67% of union households. Sixty-four percent backed his protection of franchise small businesses from union control. Trump also sought to increase transparency and disclosures of union finances, which 81% of union households support. A second Trump term could see the GOP make further progress on union-member priorities. Polling shows that union members want guaranteed secret-ballot voting, protections for worker privacy, and right-to-work laws — all Republican policies. Yet union leaders oppose these same priorities. The Teamsters president made this fact clear in his speech to the Republican convention this summer, railing against the very policies his own members support. Republicans should ignore union leaders’ far-left demands. They should also ignore union-curious “conservative” groups that want Republicans to compromise on their principles.
Labor Reform Leader, Joseph Lehman, Joins I4AW Board of Directors
September 24, 2024 // At a time when free market values need reinforcement in American labor law, Institute for the American Worker is excited to announce the addition of respected labor reform leader Joseph G. Lehman to its board of directors.
Interview: Independent Contractors and Union Reforms, How @VinnieVernuccio Champions Worker Choice
September 12, 2024 // Unions are stuck in this turn of the last century industrial revolution, a one-size-fits-all adversarial business model that most workers today don't want. I do see a place for unions if they embrace a voluntary business model and become like professional service organizations. Unfortunately, they're not there. If you're under a union contract, you're stuck with the wages, the benefits, the vacations, [and] the hours they negotiate for you. It's actually impossible for the employer to unilaterally say, “you're doing a great job, I'm going to give you a raise,” or “I'm going to give you a bonus,” or, “hey, you want more vacation for a little less money?”
Government Unions are Down — But Not Out
September 10, 2024 // For nearly a decade, the Commonwealth Foundation has tracked state-by-state changes in labor laws. Every two years, the Commonwealth Foundation releases its research on the ever-changing legal landscape for public sector unions, assessing each state’s efforts to promote public employees’ rights or cave to unions’ entrenched influence. This fourth edition examines government unions’ attempts, following Janus, to hold onto and expand special legal privileges under state laws. The research also highlights the states reining in government unions’ power and influence by empowering workers.
Commentary: The Rise of “Pro-Labor” Conservatism
September 9, 2024 // Yet O’Brien’s move has attracted the attention of commentators from both sides of the political spectrum who see it as a bellwether. It is what conservative commentator Sohrab Ahmari has called a “brave gambit” and veteran labor reporter Steven Greenhouse dubbed a “huge gamble.” “A glacier of hostility has divided the GOP from organized labor for two generations,” Ahmari wrote in Compact. But the Teamsters president “took a pickaxe to that glacier” by speaking at the RNC. Ahmari attributes the rise of this strain of pro-labor, anti-union conservatism to Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), a MAGA firebrand who has come out as perhaps the lone GOP senator to oppose right to work legislation, the anti-union laws on the books in 28 states.
Commentary: Kamala Harris Is Bad News for Gig Workers
August 8, 2024 // Though framed as an overdue deliverance for besieged workers, AB 5 was a gift to labor bosses who dreamed of organizing California gig workers, especially ride-share drivers, and who lusted after the potential dues they could rake in. It was also one of the most-detested laws passed in California in memory. There was no grassroots movement behind AB 5, no uprising among freelancers. It was a top-down scheme fueled by union agitation and then, like so many other lousy public policies hatched in California, unleashed across the country. AB 5’s impact was immediate — and ugly. Workers’ opportunities were narrowed. Many lost their incomes. Businesses faced higher labor costs, and entrepreneurs felt the chill of the dead hand of activist policy-making. The promise of the gig economy, expected to expand globally by roughly 123 percent over the next five years, turned bleak in California. With their businesses in the balance, Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash generously funded a ballot initiative, Proposition 22, that would classify “drivers for app-based transportation (rideshare) and delivery companies as ‘independent contractors,’ not ‘employees.’” Voters approved it overwhelmingly. App-based drivers favored Prop. 22 — four out of five said they were “happy” that it passed, 76 percent said it “benefits me personally,” and 75 percent recommended that lawmakers pass “similar laws in other states so drivers across the country can benefit.”
Matt Kane: Better For America Ep 298 | Vinnie Vernuccio (Podcast)
August 6, 2024 // In mid July, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien addressed the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. It was the first time that a leader of the union ever addressed the GOP convention. However, the Teamsters have also requested a speaking slot at the DNC later this month, meaning a lot is still up in the air regarding their support. Vinnie Vernuccio, the president and co-founder of the Institute for the American Worker joined Matt Kane on the Better For America podcast to share what he makes of this notworthy development. Vernuccio says that while O’Brien’s presence was significant, he feels his messaging “whiffed,” as his remarks could have been mistaken for ones targeted at a DEMOCRAT convention. Vernuccio also wonders whether the Teamsters are truly considering a Republican endorsement, or if they are simply hedging their bets due to their expectation that President Trump will win the November election.
Republicans Should Beware the Big Labor Snake
July 31, 2024 // If presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris wins in November, organized labor will tighten its grip on American workers. In 2020, Ms. Harris ran on banning right-to-work provisions, codifying “card check” union election theft and sectoral bargaining. If Ms. Harris imposes her radical agenda, organized labor will likely expand its tentacles into new frontiers, such as pharmacists and ride-hailing companies. Republicans should understand that the best way to win over union workers is by doubling down on Mr. Trump’s worker freedom agenda. Tax cuts and deregulation spur economic growth and job creation, a rising tide that lifts all boats. Right-to-work laws ensure that American workers are not forced to pay dues to a union boss to put food on the table. Strong protections for independent contracting allow Americans to make a living by being their own boss.