FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ryan Williams
March 3, 2017 202-677-7060

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Senate Should Swiftly Confirm Acosta

Heather Greenaway

March 3, 2017

InsideSources

After eight years of crippling regulations and policies detrimental to American workers, the Trump administration is committed to getting our nation back on track through free-market ideals that will grow our economy and create jobs.

We’ve seen that commitment from the inauguration — with President Trump signing an executive order to reduce bureaucratic red tape as one of his first actions. His “one-in, two-out” order affirms that this is a major priority, requiring that for every new regulation imposed by federal agencies, two must be rescinded.

Trump has also made clear his intention to roll back the Obama overtime rule — an egregious change to the way millions of workers are classified that arbitrarily doubled the salary threshold for overtime pay from $23,660 to $47,476. The administration has already taken the first step to kill this harmful mandate.

And now, Trump’s pick of Alexander Acosta to head the Department of Labor is further indication of this administration’s economic vision when it comes to labor policy.

As a former member of the National Labor Relations Board appointed by President George W. Bush, Acosta knows firsthand how to unravel the job-killing regulations put in place by the Obama administration in favor of pro-growth, free-market principles that get Americans back to work. He acutely understands the harm of NLRB decisions that benefit Big Labor at the expense of our nation’s job creators and workers — like the ambush election rule, micro-union decision and joint-employer standard — and he has experience enforcing the labor laws.

Acosta is a man with an extremely accomplished legal record, and he’s spent years advocating for the rights of minorities at the Justice Department, ensuring civil liberties were protected. As a former assistant attorney general in the Bush administration and a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, as well as a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, his reputation for pragmatism and fairness precedes him.

With Acosta at the helm of Labor Department, there’s no question he’ll leverage his skills and experience to serve as a champion of America’s workforce while restoring balance between overregulation and firm protections for our country’s workers and job creators. And that’s exactly what we need.

The last eight years have been a disaster for small businesses in our nation. Under President Obama, more businesses have closed than been started. Our labor force participation barely breaks 60 percent and our country has become one of the hardest places to earn a living. It’s high time for a leader at the Department of Labor who will prioritize regulatory reform and who refuses to accept the status quo of a slow-growing economy and lagging unemployment.

President Trump was swept into office by voters who believe the American Dream must be restored. And even though it’s early still, he’s already begun to deliver. Free-market policies over government mandates have been front and center during the first month of the administration, and President Trump has been steadfast on the need to reduce regulations, promote American jobs and grow our economy.

There’s no one better to help him accomplish these goals than Alexander Acosta. He’s highly qualified to serve as secretary of labor and deserves swift confirmation.

 

To access the op-ed, click here.

 

The Workforce Fairness Institute is an organization committed to educating voters, employers, employees and citizens about issues affecting the workplace. To learn more, please visit: https://www.workforcefairness.com.

To schedule an interview with a Workforce Fairness Institute representative, please contact Ryan Williams at (202) 677-7060.

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AZ Daily Sun--Coconino Voices: PRO Act legislation would hurt local businesses

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By: Julie Pastrik Arizona businesses and workers have had an incredibly challenging year given the economic slowdown that followed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, local businesses and industries across the state are resilient and on the road to a strong recovery that will mean more jobs for Arizona workers and increased economic development to strengthen our communities. That is, as long as Congress does not move forward with potentially devastating legislation that would hurt local employers and employees alike while impeding our state’s economic recovery. Unfortunately, some members of Congress seem determined to do just that by pushing through the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. As harmless as the name may sound, the PRO Act would have serious repercussions for local businesses, particularly smaller ones, while undermining long-standing rights for employees and threatening the growing gig economy that has helped provide much-needed income for so many during this time. Arizona is fortunate to have leaders like Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, who have both refrained from joining the vast majority of their Democratic colleagues in cosponsoring the PRO Act. In a slap in the face to Arizona workers, the PRO Act removes one of the most fundamental rights a worker has when it comes to voting in elections to determine whether to unionize: the secret ballot. Instead, workers could be forced to sign union authorization cards in front of other employees, their employer, or union organizers. This bill would also destroy workers’ right to privacy by allowing unions access to personal information, including their home address and personal phone number. If that doesn’t open the door to union intimidation and harassment, I don’t know what does. As if that was not bad enough, the PRO Act would create major new challenges for Arizona businesses, making it harder for them to create jobs, expand in their communities, and even keep their doors open. It would redefine what it means to be a “joint employer” under national labor law, greatly complicating existing relationships between franchisors and franchisees as well as between business owners, contractors, subcontractors, and vendors and suppliers. At the same time, it would interfere with attorney-client confidentiality and make it much more difficult for small businesses to secure a legal advice on labor issues. Particularly harmful during these times, the PRO Act would apply a failed policy from California to national labor law by using the “ABC” test to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or employee. This makes it much harder to qualify as an independent contractor, threatening the freedom and flexibility that tens of thousands of Arizonans find in independent contracting and gig economy work. Ultimately, the PRO Act is bad public policy that only works for union leaders to inflate their falling ranks while threatening workers’ rights, undermining small businesses, and jeopardizing a growing part of our economy. This is not a good solution for Arizona, and Senators Sinema and Kelly should stay firm and not cosponsor this misguided legislation.
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