Workers of the World Unite
How Democrats’ collusion with Big Labor has brought workers together, but not how they intended.
The recent nomination hearings for Julie Su as Secretary of Labor have brought the battle between private sector small businesses, service industry workers, independent contractors, and Big Labor to the forefront. In 2020 the controversial AB5 law went into effect in California, making independent contracting essentially illegal by coding into law the obscure ABC test used to determine employee classification in the case of Dynamex V. Superior Court (of California).
AB5 was initially billed as a protection for rideshare workers. But like a dolphin in a tuna net, it ensnared a broader range of workers and professions than intended. Overnight, millions of Californians were out of work in occupations ranging from wedding planners and journalists to translators and voice-over artists. Major labor unions made no secret of their support for this law, which they crafted and sponsored through Democrat politicians who own a super majority in the California State Legislature.
Su’s advocacy for this law was no minor coincidence in contributing to her failing upward into the Biden administration after losing billions of dollars in her role overseeing her state’s Employment Security Division. Unwavering party loyalty far outweighs merit in today’s Democratic Party, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Big Labor. A dutiful footsoldier like Su will always find room for advancement in the corruption at the nexus of the collusion between organized labor and this major political party. The desired result is blatantly clear: small businesses, independent contracting, and app-based work are eliminated to pave the way for a corporately structured hourly wage work environment designed to guarantee an appetite for collective bargaining.
Purchasing Power
In 2016, the Seattle City Council passed a first-of-its-kind legislation that mandated how restaurants, retail, and coffee businesses could schedule their workers. The Secure Scheduling Ordinance was crafted and supported by major labor unions, including the SEIU and UFCW. This legislation’s not-so-subtle prize objective was the unionization of Starbucks workers, although much like AB5, thousands of other businesses were affected. Unfortunately, these same entities are in the headlines today with the inorganic unionization effort of Starbucks non franchised stores nationwide.
Laws like AB5 and the Secure Scheduling Ordinance are part of a highly orchestrated plan to unionize the vast majority of industries in the United States in order to generate massive amounts of union dues. The dues then will be used to purchase ever more political power. Su embodies how these plans will bring about the Californication of labor law emanating from Washington, DC.
Come Together Over Me
Independent contractors like Kim Kavin, who recently spoke in front of the House of Representatives, described how she and many others had been denied a seat at the table when laws affecting their livelihoods were being crafted. This is eerily similar to when the FSWA met with Patty Murray’s office regarding tip pooling rules that diminished our incomes.
Kim Kavin and many ICs have been shouting from the rooftops about the destruction that would be caused by AB5 policy embedded in the ProAct. Rideshare and trucker groups have gone toe to toe with labor groups fighting against AB5 in the courts. Workers in the restaurant industry have been coming together to ward off scheduling and wage laws that would impact their work lives and incomes. With efforts like the ProAct coming out of the House Of Representatives in 2018 and more and more heavy-handed special interest labor groups putting pressure on democrats, more and more workers in groups like these are coming together to push back against these freedom snuffing policies.
Restaurant workers in New York, Maine, Minneapolis, Seattle and Washington DC are starting to become a thorn in the side of Big Labor’s attempts to put the service industry under it’s thumb. California gig workers were successful in overriding some of the AB5 legislation with Proposition 22.
Freedom of Free Enterprise
Independence and free enterprise are the bedrock of America. The freedoms and flexibility enjoyed by independent contractors, gig workers, and full-service restaurant employees are part of the compensation that those jobs provide. Unfortunately, corporate power, Big Labor, and Big Government all have a common enemy in small businesses and freelance workers as they are challenging to unionize. Workers organizing against these factions is the key to keeping free enterprise and liberty alive and well.
No matter if Julie Su is confirmed as the Secretary of the Department of Labor, this is not the end of the fight, but very much the beginning. We have come through secure scheduling to AB5 to the ProAct in the span of five years, with the push for unionizing independent workers growing exponentially. During this time, workers and even have been catching on to big labor’s agenda and are starting to push back. Galvanizing these satellite groups of workers and industries into one large faction against the unions is critial to stopping their devastating legislative efforts.