Two California Lawmakers Want To Mandate 32-Hour Workweeks
It’s great when innovations let us work less, but top-down, inflexible government demands are not the way to get there.
Labor
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Plus: The editors answer how Reason has changed each of their lives.
Price Controls Would Make a Dire Economic Situation Worse
Certain politicians would do well to learn that inflation is not caused by corporate "greed."
Rhode Island Senators Consider Two Paths To Decriminalizing Prostitution
One bill would repeal a range of laws against sex work, while the other would change them from criminal to civil offenses.
Blame Insane Government Spending for Inflation
Some want to solve the problem with subsidies for gas, housing, child care, and more. That only risks greater stagnation.
Biden Is Poised To Make Freight Trains Less Safe. You Can Thank Special Interests.
Once again, Washington is giving us every reason to believe it's selling favors to cronies even if it means everyone else loses.
The Biden Administration Is Ignoring How Its Policies Will Worsen Inflation. Again.
In the 1980s, the Reagan administration made changes to the Davis-Bacon Act to help control inflation. The Labor Department is planning to undo them.
San Francisco Passes Moratorium on Delivery Warehouses To Shake Down Amazon
City politicians and union activists have said the temporary ban on new delivery warehouses is meant to send a message that the company can't just open a new facility without first providing generous "community benefits."
The Great Resignation Shows What Empowered Workers Really Look Like
Unions or minimum wage laws aren't required for workers to shift the balance of power.
The American Medical Association Should Help Patients. Instead, It's Policing Language.
Protectionist policies are why the U.S. has few physicians and high prices.
Flight Attendant Unions Want Passengers To Wear Masks Forever
The unions' support for hygiene theater is of a piece with their support for security theater.
When 'Pro-Worker' Policies Hurt Workers
Both Republicans and Democrats want to address poverty with big government.
America Added 467,000 Jobs in January Despite Omicron Surge
The pandemic isn't over, but the economy is over the pandemic. Politicians should take note.
Whole Foods Fight Over Black Lives Matter Masks Pits National Labor Relations Board Against Free Speech
Should Whole Foods be allowed to stop staff from wearing Black Lives Matter masks on the job?
Grocery Shelves Are Empty, but Immigration Waitlists Are Full
There is an obvious solution to America's ongoing workforce woes.
The Pandemic's Economic Impact Includes More Americans Starting Their Own Small Businesses
Though the American economy still looks bleak, there are silver linings.
California Escalates Its War on the Marijuana Black Market
A new 2022 law will punish anybody “aiding and abetting” unlicensed dealers. It will most certainly harm low-level workers.
Canada Granted Permanent Residency to a Record Number of People in 2021
Canadian officials recognize that immigrants are key to the post-COVID economic recovery. The U.S. should take note.
Biden's Regulatory Wish List Will Make Infrastructure Projects More Expensive
The 90-year-old Davis-Bacon Act artificially makes federal projects more expensive, and Biden seems to want to strengthen it.
Joe Biden Puts a Happy Gloss on Disappointing Jobs Report
Economists predicted that we'd see 575,000 new jobs in November. A new Bureau of Labor Statistics report says only 210,000 were created.
Here's Why a Federal Paid Leave Program Would Be a Bad Deal for Many Workers
Studies show that support for mandated paid leave drops when employees find out what it costs them in take-home pay.
NLRB Overturns Amazon Workers' Decision Not To Unionize, Orders New Election
If providing campaign buttons were grounds for disqualifying the results, would any election in modern American history be valid?
Shortage of Adult Workers Makes Teens Employable Again
Minimum wage laws priced young workers out of the market before the pandemic and may do so in the future.
The Build Back Better Bill Will Give You $12,000 for Buying an Electric Car. Unless It's a Tesla.
Only vehicles made in unionized U.S. factories qualify for the full amount.
What's New in the Revised Edition of "Free to Move," Part II: Implications of Remote Work for Foot Voting
Widespread remote work opens up new opportunities for foot voting, but may in some cases make foot voting less important.
The Pope Who Helped Bring Down Communism
"I have no doubt," Polish President Lech Wałęsa once said, that without John Paul II "the birth of Solidarity would not have been possible."
Thousands of Federal Prisoners Aren't Getting Mandated Time Credits Because Prison Officials Won't Negotiate
COVID-19 has led to foot dragging in implementing some FIRST STEP Act reforms.
These Asylum Seekers Are Losing Jobs Because Bureaucrats Won't Do Theirs
The U.S. is still facing a worker shortage. Why keep willing workers away from jobs?
No, Joe Biden Can't Save Christmas
We've turned the presidency into an omnipotent office, and we expect that our gifts and government checks will be delivered on time.
California Voters Might Have a Chance To Ban Government Unions in 2022
One of two ballot measures already proposed for 2022 in California takes on some of the most powerful special interests in state politics.
Bad Jobs Numbers Raise More Questions About Unemployment Insurance
Is the problem government cash or have we entered a new paradigm?
Federal Court Upholds California's Oppressive Restrictions on Freelance Writers
A panel has unanimously determined the First Amendment isn’t violated if state regulations keep independent writers from landing work.
Two Big New Ways the Biden Administration Plans To Overstep Its Pandemic Authority
Plus: The vaccine and abortion debates, a promising jobs report, and more...
California's 'Landmark' Labor Law Is Still Wreaking Economic Havoc
It's the sign of particularly bad legislation when lawmakers must create dozens of carve-outs and workarounds so that the supposed beneficiaries are exempted from its provisions.
Help Workers by Breaking Down Barriers to Labor Mobility
Labor Day is a good time to remember that we can make workers vastly better off by empowering more of them to vote with their feet.
Bernie Sanders Is Wrong About Denmark. Tucker Carlson Is Wrong About Hungary.
The two are idolizing the wrong models.
How Many Union Members Does It Take To Operate a Train?
Labor unions have been lobbying federal regulators to mandate that all freight trains operate with two-person crews in the cab. But automation renders this largely pointless.
Will Illinois Give Government Worker Unions a Constitutional Right To Overrule Laws They Don't Like?
Taking the "public" out of public service
California Judge Overturns Voter Initiative That Said Gig Workers Aren't Always Employees
Plus: You can't FOIA politicians' browser histories, Pentagon compels commercial airlines to evacuate Afghan refugees, and more...
With Free Guy, Hollywood Gives Us a Video Game Movie About the Thrills of, Uh, Labor Disputes
Ryan Reynolds stars as a video game character who discovers his whole life is a lie.
NLRB Recommends Amazon Warehouse Workers Vote Again on Whether To Unionize
In April, workers in Bessemer, Alabama, voted 2-to-1 not to unionize. Now they may be asked to recast their votes.
Police Reforms Make Progress Against Entrenched Opposition
Every time cops denounce reform efforts it is evidence of a win.
NLRB Rejects Complaint Against "Scabby the Rat"
Board precedent, First Amendment concerns and a fair assessment of the message communicated by a giant inflatable rat carried the day.
How an Equal Pay Law in Colorado Is Backfiring
Major companies tell Colorado workers they need not apply.
