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

    Labor Secretary Acosta Resigns Amid Epstein Controversy

    Unable to put to rest questions of his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday after serving more than two years in the position.  “A Cabinet position is a temporary trust. I must set aside a part of me that wants to continue my service with thousands of talented professionals…
    Fred Lucas
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    • Opinion

    This Labor Department Decision Could Save Uber, Lyft, and Other App-Based Platforms

    Internet platforms and their workers are facing a tough question that is unique to our time: Are gig workers, such as Uber drivers and TaskRabbit providers, independent contractors or employees? The answer to that question has far-reaching implications, including potentially the end of gig work altogether. If gig workers are deemed “employees” under law—as some…
    Romina Boccia
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    • Opinion

    How to Empower the Labor Department Office That Fights Union Corruption

    For too long, many union members have been kept in the dark about their union’s finances. Some unions are run in a transparent, democratic manner, but many others are run autocratically with minimal transparency and accountability. This lack of transparency too often allows unscrupulous union officials to embezzle or misuse union funds; and each year,…
    Richard McCarty
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    • News

    Trump’s Labor Secretary Targets Occupational Licensing for Elimination

    Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta took on occupational licensing reform Friday, calling for the elimination of unnecessary licenses and the streamlining of those that make sense. Acosta urged while speaking at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Denver, Colorado, state legislators roll back burdensome occupational licensing requirements that effectively serve as government-created barriers…
    Ted Goodman
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    • Opinion

    Trump’s Labor Secretary Is About to Violate the President’s Agenda. Why He Should Delay This Obama-Era Rule.

    A costly and burdensome rule issued by the Obama administration is set to go into effect Friday, barring action from the Department of Labor to delay it. Unfortunately, the new secretary of labor isn’t acting. Instead, he is tacitly undermining the president’s agenda on financial regulation. The rule at hand is the fiduciary rule. President…
    Norbert Michel
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    • News

    Trump Picks Alexander Acosta as Labor Secretary

    President Donald Trump picked R. Alexander Acosta to lead the Department of Labor Thursday, just one day after CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder withdrew his name from consideration. Acosta is a former federal prosecutor and the dean of the Florida International University College of Law in Miami. “After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I…
    Ted Goodman
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    • News

    Labor Secretary’s Bid to Lead Democrats Comes Under Legal Scrutiny

    Labor Secretary Tom Perez is campaigning actively to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee, prompting a watchdog group to investigate whether he has violated a law prohibiting federal government employees from engaging in partisan politics while on the job. Two other Cabinet-level department heads in the Obama administration previously were found to…
    Fred Lucas
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    • Opinion

    A Labor Secretary Who Knows How to Create Jobs

    President-elect Donald Trump has selected Andy Puzder, CEO of Carl’s Jr., the successful fast-food hamburger restaurant chain, as his secretary of labor. This has set off a bit of protest by the hard left and the union bosses. How could Trump select someone who actually knows something about hiring workers and creating jobs? How dare he!…
    Stephen Moore
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    • News

    Meet the $15 Minimum Wage Opponent Trump Wants to Lead Labor Department

    President-elect Donald Trump intends to pick Andy Puzder, a fast-food executive, to serve as secretary of the Department of Labor, according to news reports. Puzder is the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which is the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. Upon receiving formal nomination from the president-elect following Trump’s inauguration, he’ll need to be…
    Melissa Quinn
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    • News

    This Single Labor Rule Hurts Business Owners, Colleges, and Habitat for Humanity

    Rodney Kloha feels like he has been backed into a corner by the federal government. Kloha, of Midland, Michigan, prides himself on running a clean and honest business, Circle K Service Corp., that has grown for nearly 30 years. But after the Obama administration issued a regulation last month raising the salary threshold for employees…
    Melissa Quinn
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    • News

    Will This New Labor Department Rule Give Unions an ‘Edge’?

    The Labor Department is imposing regulations requiring more information to be disclosed about agreements between employers and labor relations consultants. The new “persuader” rule, which takes effect April 25, interprets a section of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 covering employers and the consultants they hire. The House Committee on Government Oversight and…
    Leah Jessen
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    • Opinion

    Labor Department Should Withdraw Proposed Conflict of Interest Rule

    The Department of Labor recently proposed seven rules imposing new obligations on firms selling securities to retirement plans and individual retirement account (IRA) investors. If implemented, these rules will harm the investing public, small businesses, the securities industry, and the overall economy. Among other things, the rules would substantially broaden the class of persons deemed…
    David Allen
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    • Opinion

    New Labor Department Overtime Regulations Will Kill Flexible Schedules for Employees, Not Jobs

    New Labor Department regulations will soon require employers to pay overtime to many salaried workers. The administration bills this as a way to raise wages; opponents argue it will kill jobs. One thing is certain: The change will kill flexible schedules for entry- and mid-level salaried employees. Federal law requires employers to pay overtime rates…
    James Sherk
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    • News

    N.Y. Labor Official Defends ‘Independent’ Investigation After Union Linked to Papa John’s Case

    Two state labor officials have publicly acknowledged there are ample opportunities for “community organizers” and labor unions to partner with government agencies to enforce workplace laws and regulations against American businesses. Speaking at the Center for American Progress last week, California Labor Commissioner Julie Su and Terri Gerstein, labor bureau chief for New York’s attorney general,…
    Kevin Mooney
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    • News

    Labor Unions Adopt Tactics They Once Criticized to Lobby for Living Wage Laws

    MADISON, Wis.—Stand Up to ALEC and other affiliated left-leaning groups have spent years attacking the American Legislative Exchange Council for bringing together lawmakers and private-sector representatives to draft model state-level legislation. But those same groups have voiced no complaints when labor unions do the same. A number of “living wage” laws being passed across the country—including the…
    Adam Tobias
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