Department of Labor News

Reports on Department of Labor policy, employment statistics, and workforce regulations. The Daily Signal provides news and conservative analysis on labor markets, union influence, workplace mandates, and the impact of federal labor policy on businesses and workers.
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    • News

    Report: Ineligible Labor Unions Received Over $36 Million in Federal COVID-19 Relief Loans

    Up to 226 forgivable loans totaling more than $36 million were given to labor unions and related organizations that weren’t eligible to receive the loans, according to a new report by the Freedom Foundation, a free market conservative think tank.  The loans were administered by the Small Business Administration through the Paycheck Protection Program, which…
    Maggie Hroncich
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    • Opinion

    How This Labor Department Nominee Threatens 59 Million Workers

    According to a study by Upwork, 59 million Americans, or 1 in 3 workers, performed independent work in 2021. And 9 out of 10 of them believe that “the best days are ahead” for freelancing. (Freelancing, independent work, contracting, gig work, and self-employment all describe work that individuals perform independently instead of for a traditional…
    Rachel Greszler
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    • Opinion

    Pause Before You Give Congress Credit for Trying to Stop Slave Labor in China

    American corporate and political leaders are more eager than ever to burnish their do-gooder credentials. Companies are taking stands on social issues more than ever before. Politicians also want to make sure the voters know they are socially just. It's no surprise, therefore, that each house of Congress has passed a bill to stop the…
    Neil Patel
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    • Opinion

    Biden’s Vaccine Mandates Needlessly Polarize, Impede Private Sector Labor Market

    The Biden administration is impeding the private sector through its federal vaccine mandates. The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday forwarded a vaccine rule to the Office of Management and Budget that requires vaccination of workers at businesses with 100 or more employees. Employees who refuse vaccination would have compulsory weekly…
    Elizabeth Hanke
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    • Opinion

    More Bad Policies and Government Spending Will Worsen Labor Shortage

    The September employment report released on Oct. 8 showed a modest employment gain, with 194,000 new jobs added, and a drop in unemployment from 5.2% in August to 4.8%. What appears to be good news in the report—a 0.4 percentage point drop in the unemployment rate to 4.8%—is not all positive news. The decline is…
    Rachel Greszler
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    • Opinion

    Congress Should Fund Stronger Efforts to Block Imports Made With Forced Labor

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued 13 withhold release orders against imports from China since 2018 to stop goods produced with forced labor from entering the U.S. market. Those orders largely focus on goods from the Xinjiang province, where millions of Uyghur Muslims face what the U.S. government identified as ongoing genocide and crimes…
    Emily Marsh
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    • Opinion

    Why You Should Still Care About Big Labor’s Disproportionate Clout

    Though its power has declined since the 1950s, when it commanded the loyalty—and commandeered the dues payments—of about one-third of the U.S. workforce, Big Labor remains a potent force in American culture and politics. Big Labor’s decline was the result of a confluence of factors, including state and federal laws and competitive market forces providing…
    Michael Watson
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    • News

    Democrats Reject Amendment Requiring Companies to Disclose Ties to Uighur Forced Labor

    House Democrats voted against an amendment Wednesday that would have required companies to inform their shareholders if they engaged in activities with a Chinese official or company using forced labor. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., would require companies to disclose to shareholders annually their activities with any “foreign entity” that “engages in,…
    Ailan Evans
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    • Opinion

    Amazon’s Rejection of Unions in Alabama a Big Loss for Big Labor

    Big labor suffered a significant loss in its attempt to unionize employees at Amazon’s warehouse facility in Bessemer, Alabama. Of the workers eligible to vote, an embarrassingly small 16% voted to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. It was the most recent in a series of high-profile losses for labor, including failed attempts…
    Andy Puzder
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    • Opinion

    Christmas Shoppers Beware: Chinese Slave Labor Is on the Rise

    As Americans peruse store aisles and websites in search of Christmas gifts this year, many may not be aware of a sinister and growing problem with the products they are buying: If it was made in China, there’s a good chance that it was produced through slave labor. Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary of the…
    Dan Hart
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    • Opinion

    DHS Puts US Companies on Notice: No More China Slave Labor

    Federal agents seized a 13-ton shipment of human hair in July based on evidence the hair was taken from innocent people detained in Chinese internment camps. This was just the beginning of the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to protect U.S. citizens from unknowingly funding China’s human rights abuses. Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli…
    Arielle Del Turco
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    • News

    Labor Department Seeks to Protect Retirement Savings From Politics

    The Labor Department has proposed a new rule governing the responsibilities of those who manage retirement plans, to prioritize investors over social goals.   The department says in a press release that it receives questions periodically on how a 1974 law applies to nonfinancial objectives—such as environment, social, and public policy goals—for investment managers.  The law…
    Fred Lucas
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    • Opinion

    Government Collaboration ‘Unparalleled,’ New Senator Says of Coronavirus Fight

    Sen. Kelly Loeffler is the first woman from Georgia ever to vote in the U.S. Senate. Loeffler, who took the oath of office Jan. 6, was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of fellow Republican Johnny Isakson. She joins The Daily Signal Podcast to talk about transitioning from the private sector, what…
    Rachel del Guidice
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    • News

    The Next Generation: Eugene Scalia Confirmed as Labor Secretary

    The Senate confirmed a son of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as labor secretary Thursday afternoon. Corporate litigator Eugene Scalia will succeed former Secretary Alex Acosta, who resigned on July 12 amid renewed criticism of a nonprosecution agreement he negotiated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The 53-44 vote followed party lines. Scalia’s service as labor secretary will…
    Kevin Daley
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    • News

    Big Labor Said to Exploit ‘Weakness’ in State Laws Despite High Court Ruling on Dues

    Labor unions are working with allies in state legislatures to counteract a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated mandatory union dues and fees for government employees, according to a new report from a free-market think tank. In June 2018, the high court ruled that “agency shop” laws requiring nonunion government employees to pay the union violate…
    Kevin Mooney
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    • News

    Labor Department to Reinstate Aide Wrongfully Accused by Media of Anti-Semitism

    The Department of Labor reinstated a political appointee Wednesday night who resigned under pressure after a Bloomberg Law reporter accused him of anti-Semitism for a Facebook post in which he was actually condemning anti-Semites in the alt-right, the Daily Caller News Foundation exclusively learned. Acting Secretary Patrick Pizzella “personally made this decision after carefully reviewing…
    Luke Rosiak
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    • Opinion

    Labor Policy Is Jobs Policy

    Labor Day offers Americans a chance to appreciate the tremendous value of America’s workers and job creators. At the Department of Labor, where I serve, we are proud of the hard work Americans have put in to build today’s historically strong labor market, and of the regulatory reform we’re doing to ensure opportunities continue to…
    Jonathan Berry
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    • News

    Labor Department Rule Broadens Religious Protections in Federal Contracting

    The Labor Department on Wednesday announced a new rule to grant the “broadest protection permitted by law” to religious organizations contracting with the federal government. The proposed rule to clarify civil rights protections for religious groups will be added to the Federal Register on Thursday, but is now open to public comment.    “Today’s proposed…
    Fred Lucas
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    • News

    3 Things to Know About Eugene Scalia, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary

    President Donald Trump has tapped Eugene Scalia, the son of a judicial icon, to be the new labor secretary. The nomination comes a week after Alex Acosta announced he was stepping down from the post, effective today. Scalia—a former solicitor for the Labor Department and now a partner in the law firm of Gibson, Dunn…
    Fred Lucas
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    • News

    Trump to Nominate Justice Scalia’s Son as Labor Secretary

    President Donald Trump will nominate the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s son Eugene Scalia as labor secretary. The New York Times was first to report that Trump is considering Scalia for the position. The pair reportedly met at the White House on Thursday afternoon. The president confirmed the news in a late Thursday tweet. “I am pleased to…
    Kevin Daley
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