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Employment
December 27, 2019
Robust Economy Is Lifting People Out of Poverty, Census Bureau Reports
Overall, more people are employed, and they are working more hours on the job, the Census Bureau reports.
Employment
December 11, 2019
California Reclassifies Contractors as Employees, Targeting the Sharing Economy
A.B. 5 is expected to affect up to one million contract workers statewide and upend the business models of ridesharing platforms such as Uber and Lyft.
Employment
November 14, 2019
Commentary: Thanks to Trump, Seven Million Americans Have Quit Food Stamps
The booming economy is the primary driver of the dramatic decrease.
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Employment
November 10, 2019
Labor Department Proposes Industry-Led Apprenticeship Programs
Currently, the private sector is largely excluded from creating certified apprenticeship programs, which are led by unions and local and state government entities.
Employment
October 14, 2019
Congress Considers Union-Supported Labor Law Rewrite
The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act working its way through Congress.
Economy
August 16, 2019
High Housing Costs Drive Exodus to Exurbs
Smaller cities in the United States are growing much more quickly than large ones, reversing a trend earlier in the 2010-2019 decade.

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Employment
February 20, 2018
Freedom and the Minimum Wage
By Richard Ebeling
Most of us both value and take for granted the ability to make decisions about our own lives.
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Type
February 6, 2018
CMS Issues Work Requirement Waiver Guidelines
By Michael McGrady
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new benchmarks for states seeking permission for Medicaid work requirements.
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February 5, 2018
Indiana Legislator Proposes Repealing ‘Smokers’ Bill of Rights’
By Jeff Reynolds
A bill pending in the Indiana state Senate Committee on Pensions and Labor would allow private employers to terminate employees for using cigarettes and tobacco products during their free time.
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February 5, 2018
Supreme Court Hears Case on Forced Union Dues
By Leo Pusateri
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case to determine whether governments can deduct union fees from public sector employees’ paychecks without their permission.
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February 5, 2018
Worker-Freedom Bill Offered in New Jersey
By Lindsey Curnutte
New Jersey state Assembly members Robert Auth (R-Bergen) and Amy Handlin (R-Monmouth) introduced a bill to allow workers to opt out of union membership.
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January 31, 2018
PRESS RELEASE: Heartland Institute Experts React to President Trump’s State of the Union Address
By Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D., Jay Lehr, Peter Ferrara, Frederick D. Palmer, H. Sterling Burnett, Lennie Jarratt, Bette Grande, Tom Harris, James H. Rust, David S. D’Amato, Kenneth Haapala, David Guldenschuh, Corey DeAngelis , Wayne Allyn Root, J.T. Edwards, E. Calvin Beisner, Jane M. Orient, M.D., David L. Applegate, Howard L. Simons, William Briggs, Timothy Ball, Michelle Smith, Gerard Gianoli, M.D., Ronald D. Rotunda (1945 - 2018), Randal O’Toole, James Wanliss , Yuri Maltsev, Stephen B. Presser, Michael Schaus, Jim Waters, Russ McCullough, Christopher Garbacz
“The Heartland Institute has been advising many in the administration on climate and energy policy, so we were certainly encouraged and excited the president promoted his pro-energy, pro-America vision in his State of the Union Address.” - Tim Huelskamp
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Type
January 9, 2018
Wisconsin Gov. Walker Shaves Occupational Licensing Regulations
By Leo Pusateri
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed into law two bills trimming back occupational licensing regulations by reducing training requirements for aestheticians, barbers, cosmetologists, and manicurists.
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January 9, 2018
Wisconsin Right-to-Work Law Prompts Manufacturer’s Relocation
By Lindsey Curnutte
Badger Meter, a manufacturing company producing turbines and other industrial parts, is moving jobs from its Arizona plant to Wisconsin, citing the latter state’s right-to-work law as a factor.
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January 8, 2018
Case is Key to Public Workers’ Free Speech
By Jesse Hathaway
A Supreme Court case, Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, could give government workers a reason to be merry in 2018.
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December 4, 2017
Manufacturing Jobs Dry Up in Southern Illinois
By Benjamin Yount
Honeywell International Inc., a U.S. producer of consumer and commercial goods, announced it will indefinitely close the Honeywell Uranium Hexafluoride Processing Facility in Metropolis, Illinois in the first quarter of 2018.
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December 3, 2017
Occupational Licensing Laws Continue Rapid Growth, Study Finds
By Greg R. Lawson
The explosive growth of occupational licensing has continued in all 50 states, a new study reports.
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November 2, 2017
Oklahoma State Task Force Plans Release of Occupational Licensing Report
By Andy Singer
An Oklahoma Department of Labor task force studying occupational licensing’s effects will send its final report to Gov. Mary Fallin in December, after receiving advice from the public and policy experts.
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November 1, 2017
Supreme Court Accepts Historic Forced-Unionism Case
By Leo Pusateri
Lawyers representing an Illinois state government employee challenging the constitutionality of deducting union fees from his paycheck will present opening arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS).
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October 31, 2017
National Right-to-Work Ban Proposed
By Lindsey Curnutte
Congressional Democrats are lining up behind two bills in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to repeal right-to-work (RTW) laws in 28 states and prohibit states from passing such laws.
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October 11, 2017
Welfare Work Requirements Return In Tennessee
By Lindsey Curnutte
Next year, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will start enforcing work requirements for food stamp recipients living in 70 of the state’s 95 counties.
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September 8, 2017
Georgia Applies to Expand Welfare Work Requirements
By Kimberly Morin
Georgia state government officials have submitted a plan to the federal government for permission to phase in work requirements for more of the state’s food stamp recipients.
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August 24, 2017
Worker-Freedom Ordinance Proposed in Sandoval County, New Mexico
By Brandi Wielgopolski
Two Sandoval County, New Mexico commissioners are proposing a county ordinance to prohibit some businesses from requiring union membership as a condition of employment.
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July 24, 2017
Kentucky Gov. Bevin Asks for Right-to-Work Lawsuit Ruling
By Kimberly Morin
Lawyers representing Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) filed paperwork in July to dismiss an attempt to overturn the state’s right-to-work law.
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July 23, 2017
Washington State Think Tank Fights Labor Unions’ Lawsuits
By Jeff Reynolds
In a series of lawsuits filed in Washington on the state and the district court levels, lawyers representing Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 775 are fighting the Freedom Foundation.
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July 22, 2017
Ivanka Trump Pitches Paid-Leave Mandate on Capitol Hill
By Hayley Sledge
President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka went to Congress to sell her idea for government-mandated paid parental leave.
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July 21, 2017
Missouri Project-Labor Reform Law Takes Effect
By S.M. Chavey
Legal requirements mandating the terms and conditions of employment for private contractors doing construction work for the state or local governments in Missouri will be rolled back starting on August 28.
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July 10, 2017
Report: Provisional Licenses Would Address Physician Shortage
By David Grandouiller
The proposal would tap a surplus of medical school graduates to meet a physician shortage.
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Type
May 17, 2017
Independent Baseball League Supports Illinois Employment Law Revision
By Scot Bertram
An independent baseball league is voicing support for an Illinois bill proposing to exempt players from the state’s minimum-wage laws.
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May 17, 2017
Wisconsin Senate Committee Recommends Prevailing-Wage Repeal
By Kimberly Morin
The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Labor and Regulatory Reform approved a bill to remove restrictions on how state government agencies may partner with private businesses on capital infrastructure projects.
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April 27, 2017
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Prevailing-Wage Bills
By Matt Hurley
The Ohio Legislature is considering bills to free local governments from prevailing-wage requirements for partnerships with private businesses on capital infrastructure projects.
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April 20, 2017
FTC Chief Unveils Occupational Licensing Reform Task Force
By Elizabeth BeShears
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has created a new task force dedicated to reforming government hurdles to job growth, including occupational licensing.
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March 7, 2017
South Dakota Governor Cuts Hairy Occupational Licensing Restrictions
By Ben Johnson
South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) is cutting back some of the state’s occupational licensing requirements, exempting hair braiders from government rules intended for traditional hair stylists.
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March 6, 2017
Missouri Becomes 28th Right-to-Work State
By Matt Hurley
Missouri is joining the growing number of states where union membership in a place of work is voluntary.
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March 1, 2017
Michigan Lawmakers Propose Repeal of State Prevailing-Wage Laws
By Elizabeth BeShears
Michigan lawmakers are proposing to remove restrictions on how state government agencies may partner with private businesses on capital infrastructure projects.
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February 28, 2017
EPA Resists Court Order Requiring Assessment of Job Losses
By Kenneth Artz
A federal judge has ruled the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is required by law to determine how many coal mining and coal power plant jobs its emissions regulations have eliminated.
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February 20, 2017
Missouri Residents Sue Over Unions’ Right-to-Work Repeal Effort
By Judy Allen
Labor unions in Missouri are collecting signatures to place a referendum question before voters in 2018, seeking to repeal the state’s newly enacted right-to-work (RTW) law.
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Steve Mnuchin
February 13, 2017
Steve Mnuchin is Wrong About the Unemployment Rate, Just Like Most People
By Clifford Thies
Freedom shouldn't mean, as Janis Joplin put it, "having nothing left to lose." Freedom should mean that the goodness of decisions such as choosing to work are rewarded.
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employment application
February 2, 2017
Heartland Institute Experts React to Missouri Passing Right-to-Work Bill
By Jesse Hathaway, Matthew Glans, S.T. Karnick
“More lawmakers, all across the nation, are waking up to the economic and social benefits of right to work, and Missouri is just the latest state to board the worker freedom train.” - Jesse Hathaway
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February 1, 2017
Even With Trump's Support, U.S. Labor Is Singing the Blues
By Thomas A. Hemphill
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual report on union membership last week, and the numbers are not favorable for the U.S. labor movement.
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January 26, 2017
Wisconsin Lawmaker Proposes Prevailing-Wage Repeal
By Marybeth Glenn
A Wisconsin lawmaker has announced he plans to introduce a bill that would remove restrictions on how state government agencies may partner with private businesses on capital infrastructure projects.
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January 25, 2017
Kentucky Becomes 27th Right-to-Work State
By Lindsey Curnutte
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signed into law a bill allowing workers to opt out of union membership, removing requirements that workers join a union as a condition of employment.
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January 24, 2017
Federal Lawmaker Starts Work on Trump Childcare Tax Incentive Plan
By Michael McGrady
A federal lawmaker announced plans to collaborate with the president’s daughter to use federal tax policy to encourage parents to return to work and place their children in daycare centers.
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January 21, 2017
Right-to-Work Bill Proposed in New Hampshire
By Lindsey Curnutte
New Hampshire legislators are considering a bill that would allow workers to opt out of union membership, freeing them from being forced to join a union as a condition of employment.
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December 20, 2016
WI Lawmakers Include Occupational Licensing Reform in 2017 To-Do List
By Gary Gross
A group of Wisconsin state lawmakers is proposing to reform the state’s laws on occupational licensing when they return to work in 2017.
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December 8, 2016
Alaska Hikes Occupational Licensing Fees
By Michael McGrady
A state government agency tasked with ensuring “competent, professional and regulated commercial services are available to Alaska consumers” is increasing the cost of obtaining government permission to work in the state.
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