California ranks at or near the bottom of countless economic indicators. But one list they are near the top of is out-migration. More than 500,000 people have moved out of California over the last two years, driven away by bad public policy that invariably puts the interests of organized labor above those of workers, small businesses and the economy as a whole.
California labor law is by any measure an abject failure, but on Thursday, April 20, the U.S. Senate is beginning consideration of taking that failed model national when President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the U.S. Department of Labor, Julie Su, comes before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Su previously served as California secretary of labor prior to joining the Biden Administration in 2021.
The Senate should reject Su, and Congress should pursue a better path forward, laid out in the Employee Rights Act by South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott and Georgia Republican Rep. Rick Allen.
BIDEN’S PICK TO LEAD LABOR DEPARTMENT A LEADING PROPONENT OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY
As California labor secretary, Su championed and enforced Assembly Bill 5, which instituted a convoluted and unworkable test to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or a traditional employee.
AB 5 wrought havoc in the state by depriving tens of thousands of freelance workers the independent status and entrepreneurial opportunity they cherish. It created confusion about employment status for countless more, as hundreds of industries have sought exemptions from the law. It also has exacerbated supply chain issues due to California’s importance as a major shipping and delivery hub.
Freelancing has grown significantly in recent years, particularly through the pandemic. Today, more than 70 million Americans work as independent contractors, and federal data shows that the vast majority enjoy their independent status over traditional employment.
That is why Scott and Allen just…
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