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ISSUES > Labor

Labor

American labor law is largely a product of the conditions and perspectives of the 1930s. Yet today's economy, labor market, and labor-management relations are very different from that time. Because of this there is a wide variety of workplace issues confronting policymakers.

The Heritage Foundation 2009 Labor Boot Camp

Heritage Studies For the Last 12 Months

July 21, 2009
Employer Health Care Mandates: Taxing Low-Income Workers to Pay for Health Care
By James Sherk and Robert A. Book, Ph.D.

Congressional rhetoric to the contrary, much of the burden of paying for an employer mandate will fall on ordinary Americans, and lower-income workers will be hit the hardest.

July 02, 2009
Obama Jobs Deficit Swells Again by Nearly Half a Million
By J. D. Foster, Ph.D.

Today's release of the nation's employment figures by the Department of Labor show that the nation is still waiting for even a few of President Obama's 3.5 million jobs saved...

July 02, 2009
Heritage Employment Report: June Job Market Continues Downward Slide
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk

Congress's latest amendments to the federal False Claims Act destroy the FCA's prior balance that protected federal taxpayer funds while providing some restraints against abusive and profiteering litigation. This enriches...

June 15, 2009
Organized Labor Concedes: Employer Violations Rare in Secret Ballot Elections
By James Sherk

The union movement's own data analysis shows that employer intimidation rarely occurs. Employers win union elections by educating workers about the downsides of unionizing. Kate Bronfenbrenner has found that employers...

June 05, 2009
Heritage Jobs Report: May Report Shows Small Silver Lining
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk

The May employment report revealed a glimmer of sunlight in the recession's stormy clouds.

June 04, 2009
RAISE Act Lifts Pay Cap on 8 Million American Workers
By James Sherk and Ryan O'Donnell

Employers may not pay productive workers more than a collective bargaining agreement allows without negotiating with the union. This "seniority ceiling" holds back productive union members. They cannot get ahead...

June 04, 2009
American Workers Deserve a RAISE: Lifting the Pay Cap for 8 Million Employees
By heritage.org

The RAISE Act (Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees) would allow employers to pay individual workers more, but not less, than the union contract specifies. This is the right kind...

May 28, 2009
How the RESPECT Act Hurts Companies and Employees Alike
By James Sherk and Ryan O’Donnell

Through seemingly minor statutory alterations, the Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers Act, by redefining the criteria used to determine whether an employee is a supervisor, would...

May 21, 2009
What Unions Do: How Labor Unions Affect Jobs and the Economy
By James Sherk

Unions function as labor cartels, restricting the number of workers in a company or industry to drive up the remaining workers' wages. They also retard economic growth and delay recovery...

May 13, 2009
Restricting H-1B Visas Is Bad for Business and the Economy
By James Sherk and Diem Nguyen

By improving and expanding the H-1B visa program, Congress can ensure that American businesses have the workforces necessary for further economic growth.

May 08, 2009
April Employment Report Showers Doubt on Detroit Bailout
By James Sherk

The April jobs report shows a labor market that continues to weaken. These employment figures also demonstrate that this is the wrong time for the Administration’s Detroit bailout strategy.