Each year, unionized employees pay billions of dollars in union dues. By law, unions must spend this money to advance the interests of union members. However without adequate financial transparency, union members cannot tell if their dues are being misspent. Recent regulatory changes by the Department of …
Abstract: All too often, Congress imposes restrictive and burdensome regulations on employers in the private sector--while conveniently exempting itself from these same rules. Many Members of Congress are currently urging passage of the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act and RESPECT Act, which, again, would leave Congress…
Federal law caps the wages of over 8 million middle class workers. Union contracts set both a wage floor and a wage ceiling--unionized employers may not give productive workers pay raises outside the collectively bargained contract. Unions usually insist on seniority-based pay and rarely allow employers to reward hard-working individuals. No matter how hard most…
The Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers (RESPECT) Act largely eliminates the definition of supervisor from the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This change would undermine companies' efficiency and productivity. Specifically, it would: Necessitate the hiring of "deadweight" employees who add little value to the company, hurting businesses at precisely the wrong time; Restore workplace…
As public support for the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) fades,[1] three companies (Starbucks, Costco, and Whole Foods Market) have proposed replacing card check--the means by which employees indicate their support for union representation--with expedited elections: Workers would vote on whether to organize within a few days…
After work, you and a couple of co-workers gather at the local pizza joint for a few slices and a beer. Your co-workers are buying! One of them asks you to sign in. Ready for a cold one, and focused on whether to go for pepperoni or maybe that new meat lover's pie, you…
Although the subprime mortgage meltdown threatens to shatter the U.S. economy, Congress has thus far failed to conduct an honest bipartisan investigation into fundamental forces at the core of this crisis. Indeed, rather than focusing on the root causes that Congress is best positioned to investigate and understand--i.e., the effects of Congress's own policies and…
Updated: 9.11.2008 Last month, Russian aggression reasserted itself in the form of Soviet-era T-62 tanks rolling through the streets of Gori. The Russian-Georgian war rocked the geopolitical landscape, unearthing both dormant and new challenges. In the days and months ahead, the international community-sovereign nations and transnational organizations alike-will face numerous diplomatic, economic, political and even military challenges.…
Updated 09.02.08 Pop quiz: Murder is permissible if the victim is: (a) An apostate (b) An adulteress (c) A polytheist (d) All of the above If you answered (d), then you are either a hardened Islamist hunkered down for a last stand in Mosul or a twelfth-grade…
In many respects, Dan L. Duncan was the embodiment of the American dream, the self-made man incarnate. He transformed...…
Recently the Obama Administration hired former Houston police chief Harold Hurtt to coordinate state and local...…
Last month the Obama administration hired former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt to coordinate state and local...…
If Congress drafts a law and no one can understand it, can individuals be punished for breaking it? Increasingly, to...…
It’s hard not to sympathize with organized labor—at least to some extent. After all, during the 2008 elections, unions...…
For some time now, it’s been clear that Organized Labor—and the SEIU in particular—is adamantly opposed to allowing its...…
Quid Pro Quo. The American Heritage Dictionary defines this Latin phrase as “an equal exchange or substitution.” Here’s...…
What does creating an “enduring legacy for America's wild places,” have to do with denying employees the right to vote...…
“Since when is the secret ballot a basic tenet of democracy?” - James Phillip Hoffa, March 10, 2009. Before ramming...…
As conventional wisdom reminds us: You are known by the company you keep. So what is one to make of the AFL-CIO and...…
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