Alfredo Ortiz

Should unionized employees be forced to pay dues to support their union’s political positions they oppose?

Not included in the bipartisan omnibus spending package was a proposed rider blocking the “joint employer” standard—a rule recently introduced by the unelected bureaucrats at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that redefines what an employer is under labor law. This new standard would upend the wildly successful franchise system that has allowed millions of Americans—especially minorities—to pursue the American Dream.

To stop tax inversions and create billions of dollars’ worth of economic opportunity in the process, policymakers must invert their thinking on this issue. Sensible tax reform, not more taxes and regulations, is the answer.

The labor market is not nearly as rosy as some would have us believe. Looking beyond the topline numbers in the government’s report shows that wage growth and hours worked are still stagnant. Average weekly earnings declined to $871.13 from $872.27 last month, partially a result of weekly hours worked declining from 34.6 to 34.5. The number of people employed part time who would like to work full time increased by a whopping 319,000, reaching 6.1 million.

Manufacturing, which comprises 12.1 percent of gross domestic product and provides millions of good jobs, appears to be in a recession. Key indicators like the Empire State manufacturing index and ISM index are at lows that collectively point to the worst manufacturing climate since March 2009. Recent job reports show monthly shedding of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs lost and a significant decline in the average length of the workweek.

But politicians and regulators, beholden to labor unions threatened by this new economy, are waging a full-fledged assault on job creators who don’t conform to their concept of “work.” Their latest front is the so-called “Schedules That Work Act,” recently introduced in Congress.

According to a study by Oxford Economics, the overtime rule will cost businesses about $5.2 billion to comply. In order to absorb these costs and stay in business, some employers would be forced to reduce benefits, promotions, and job opportunities. This will hurt the very people – the young and less-skilled looking for higher incomes – which the rule intends to help.

The CFPB has been given a near-blank check of power due to the extreme lack of oversight that currently exists. Unlike almost every other federal agency, the CFPB gets its funding directly from the Federal Reserve, which makes the organization less accountable to the American people.