For many Americans, a major part of achieving the "American Dream" is owning a home. That has become more difficult in many areas of the country as ever higher property taxes are necessary to pay the public sector unions who have a stranglehold on state politics. There is, however, an antidote. In states with right to work laws, which prevent compulsory union membership and dues paying, homes are more affordable. The National Right to Work Committee explains: Last year, Apartment List, a private service company that connects renters with apartment listings, surveyed 6,400 millennials on their … [Read more...]

In an analysis of new data published by the U.S. Labor Department, the National Right to Work Committee found that states with Right to Work laws had a manufacturing job growth advantage of 2:1 compared to forced unionism states. NRTWC writes: Last week, the U.S. Labor Department issued updated and revised annual data for payroll manufacturing employment in each of the 50 states. The newly-published figures for 2018 show that 6.76 million manufacturing jobs — or 53% of all factory jobs across the U.S.  — are located in the 27 states that have passed and implemented Right to Work laws … [Read more...]

Toyota has announced it will build a new plant in Alabama. Right to Work states like Alabama are popular destinations for automakers who want to build cars in the United States without the negative influences of the UAW. the Wall Street Journal's Adrienne Roberts reports: Toyota Motor Corp. TM +0.13% on Thursday raised its planned investment in its U.S. operations through 2021 by about a third to nearly $13 billion to build more models and parts in the country, a move that comes as the Trump administration considers imposing tariffs of up to 25% on auto imports. The Japanese auto maker … [Read more...]

There is an article in today’s Wall Street Journal about a government probe into Fidelity regarding a fee charged to some mutual funds. It’s called an “infrastructure fee,” and is charged by Fidelity Investments to certain mutual fund companies (not Vanguard) to list their funds on Fidelity’s FundsNetwork. Most funds on Fidelity’s FundsNetwork are accessed through retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and/or 403(b)s. As such, they are governed by ERISA laws which are overseen by the Department of Labor. The article references a fee of 0.15%, which is misleading because not all companies … [Read more...]

Many states are hostage to the powerful public sector unions they employ. These unions are the largest, most organized group of voters in many forced-union states. They wield their massive power to lobby for higher wages. Paying those wages demands higher taxation, which can cripple private industry in the states. State governments that have been captured by union interests are powerless to fight back. Some states have seen the damage unionized public sector employees can cause, and have set into place Right to Work laws, protecting employees from forced unionism. The laws don't end unions, … [Read more...]

The short answer is, no. The Green New Deal is a pie in the sky statement of Utopian dreams. The resolution calls for rebuilding every American building, ending all traditional forms of energy production within ten years, building trains across the oceans with capacity great enough to replace all air travel, and other similarly unachievable measures. The renewable energy generation measures alone would cost around $5.7 trillion. The 14 page resolution's other demands would cost many trillions of dollars more, and would impose hardship on every American family by forcing them to renovate … [Read more...]

In 2019, 1,016 new laws will take effect in California. How are businesses supposed to navigate such rapid fire law creation? With the nation's second highest minimum wage (tied with Massachusetts at $11.00/hour), its highest income tax rates at 13.3%, and a dead last ranking in the Small Business Policy Index for the least friendly laws for business, California is already a tough place to pursue the American dream. Now businesses and citizens of the Golden State will have an even greater regulatory burden to navigate. At The Hill, Timothy Snowball writes: The California Legislature’s … [Read more...]