We have some breaking news from the U.S. Department of Labor: not only is the minimum wage not much money, but people who are paid minimum wage would like to make more. Acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris took a cue from the president and rounded up his own human props in Charlotte, N.C.,… Read more »
On Friday, AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka and U.S. Chamber head Thomas Donahue reached a “compromise” that would allow up to 200,000 immigrant workers (the numbers dependent on the industry) work visas, so long as a government-imposed wage rate is applied. Aside from the basic problem of the government dictating artificially high wage (and benefit) rates–known… Read more »
A sticking point in negotiations over an immigration reform deal has been the business community’s desire to have a consistent, reliable visa process for guest workers and unions’ fear that such a system would depress wages. On Saturday, negotiators for the two sides announced they had reached a deal. Under terms of the deal, the… Read more »
Minimum wage hikes are the poster children of the law of unintended consequences. Mandated wage hikes crowd young and low-skilled workers out of the labor force and reduce the availability of entry-level jobs critical to advancement up the job ladder. New York, apparently, wasn’t satisfied with these well-documented distortions and has added an entire new… Read more »