(RightWing.org) – Republican President William Howard Taft signed an act establishing the US Department of Labor on March 4, 1913. Congress created the department to promote the “welfare of working people… improve working conditions,” and “enhance” opportunities for gainful employment. However, all that changed under the Biden administration.
On May 5, 2021, the Biden-led Labor Department announced that it would withdraw protections for independent contractors instituted by former President Donald Trump.
Effective May 6, we have withdrawn the Independent Contractor Rule in order to maintain workers’ rights to the minimum wage and overtime compensation protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act: https://t.co/NP25ns7bxi
— U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) May 5, 2021
At first glance, the decision looks admirable. Its stated intention is to protect contract workers’ rights. But a deeper look at the history of similar efforts presents a terrifying future for contract or gig workers and companies.
California tried the same thing in 2019 with the passage of AB5. Its actions resulted in irreparable damage to workers and companies. City Journal reported at the time that workers in more than 135 different fields of employment claimed that the law hurt them.
California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom faces a recall election later this year due to pushback to his failed policies. Perhaps it’s time for the Biden Administration to find more ways of supporting hard-working Americans rather than introducing policies that could hurt them.
Copyright 2021, RightWing.org
