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. The law should be changed reflect today’s economy and foster a stronger labor market. The law should promote competition and mobility instead of erecting barriers that prevent workers from getting ahead.
Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.
Here is the latest factsheet from The Heritage Foundation that explains the difference between government unions and private sector unions. Read More.
With Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker attempting to rein in the unbalanced power of government unions, and given the fierce stranglehold that union members have on their ever-increasing taxpayer-provided benefits, now is a crucial time for Americans to understand the difference between private-sector and public-sector unions. Read More.
Wisconsin. Ohio. Michigan. New Jersey. New York. Budget-battle showdowns are coming soon to a statehouse near you. Read More.
MADISON, Wis. — Teachers’ unions and representatives of every liberal interest group in the country may have taken over the streets of Madison for demonstrations, marches and speeches, but inside the Wisconsin governor’s mansion its chief tenant remains calm and resolute. Read More.
Testimony before The Joint Economic Committee United States Congress February… Read more
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in January, the economy added 243,000 jobs—108,000 more than the consensus forecast of 135,000. As a result, the unemployment rate fell from 8.5 percent to 8.3 percent, the lowest level since February 2009. For the last three months, job creation has averaged 201,000… Read more
Union density in the American workplace fell to a new post–World War II low of 11.8 percent in 2011. Private-sector union membership remained at 6.9 percent—less than when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Union membership has fallen because… Read more
Abstract: America needs jobs. A government committed to free enterprise, limited government, and individual freedom, and not to more borrowing and spending, can properly help. To help unleash the private sector to invest and create jobs, Congress should promptly take five specific actions: enact… Read more
Last week, President Obama said he would soon propose a set of policies that would eliminate tax breaks for businesses that move jobs overseas and reward businesses that bring jobs to the U.S. as part of his new “insourcing” agenda. If the President proposes more of… Read more
How Does Federal Compensation Compare to Market Rates? The average federal employee earns 57 percent greater cash pay and 85 percent greater total compensation (which includes benefits) than the… Read more
What Are Extended Unemployment Insurance Benefits? States provide unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to involuntarily unemployed workers. UI benefits typically replace 35–40 percent of a worker’s weekly income. … Read more
What Would the Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees (RAISE) Act Do? The RAISE Act would allow employers to pay individual workers more than their union contracts specify. This… Read more
What Is the Davis–Bacon Act (DBA)? The DBA requires federal construction contractors to pay at least the wage rates prevailing on non-federal construction projects in the same locality. … Read more
What Is Mandatory Paid Sick Leave? The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) currently requires companies with more than 50 workers to provide eligible employees with up to 12… Read more
Abstract: While layoffs increased during this recession, they are not the primary cause of the nearly 10 percent unemployment rate. The main factor driving the unemployment rate so high during this recession was, and continues to… Read more
NO: LABOR UNIONS ADD TO COSTS AND DISCOURAGE PRODUCTIVITY Would you want to work for a company that treats all workers exactly the same, no matter how hard they work? What about one that promotes only on the basis of seniority and not merit? Few Americans want a job with an employer… Read more
Abstract: Salaries and benefits—for identical jobs—are 30 percent to 40 percent higher in the federal government than in the private sector. Claims that this dramatic discrepancy in compensation is warranted because of government workers’ high skills are unjustified, as this study shows. Equally unjustified… Read more
Abstract: Attempts by Members of Congress to save U.S. manufacturing jobs by restricting international trade, particularly with China, are misguided and futile. Technological improvements, not international trade, are reducing U.S. manufacturing employment by automating many rote tasks. During the past decade, manufacturing employment has… Read more
What Is Government Collective Bargaining? Legal Monopoly: Government collective bargaining gives unions a monopoly… Read more
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warns that a tax on certain financial transactions could “diminish the importance of the United States as a major financial market” and that, in the short run, “imposing the transaction tax would probably reduce output and employment.”[1] While these effects would be “mitigated”… Read more
President Obama’s health care law requires employers to offer health benefits to full-time employees. This employer mandate will price many unskilled workers out of full-time employment. After paying the new health premiums, the minimum wage, payroll taxes, and unemployment insurance taxes, hiring a full-time worker will… Read more
Abstract: New regulations from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Department of Labor are designed to swell the ranks of unionized labor at the expense of workers, employers, and the U.S. economy. The new NLRB rules that would shorten union-organizing elections to between 10 and… Read more
Abstract: The Obama Administration’s $862 billion stimulus bill was an expensive failure that increased the federal deficit, contributed to America’s deteriorating fiscal health, and failed to reduce unemployment. Instead of repeating this mistake, Congress should alleviate business fears and economic uncertainty by maintaining the… Read more
What Is Official Time? Official time is the practice of federal employees doing work for government unions while they are on the clock for their government jobs. … Read more
A new National Labor Relations Board regulation that expedites elections for union representation will likely lead to...… Read more
President Obama’s illegal non-recess appointments are unconstitutional and defy the process the Founding Fathers...… Read more
In 22 states in the Union, workers have the freedom under "Right-to-Work" laws to decide whether or not to pay union...… Read more
The Obama Administration’s decision to forego the Keystone pipeline has forced the country’s labor groups into a...… Read more
Financial disclosure documents filed by two of President Obama’s illegal appointments to the National Labor Relations...… Read more
This week, all eyes are on South Carolina as the Palmetto State votes on Saturday in the next Republican presidential...… Read more
Obama made a big splash last week when he appointed a new head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and...… Read more
One of the officials President Obama illegally appointed to the National Labor Relations Board advanced policies in his...… Read more
U.S. senators never got a chance to question or vote on President Obama’s illegal appointees to the National Labor...… Read more
President Obama's stunning appointments of Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and of three...… Read more
Director, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies
Senior Research Fellow in Retirement Security and Financial Institutions
Senior Policy Analyst in Labor Economics