U.S. Chamber: "Radical Rewrite" of U.S. Employment Law Underway
Crain's Chicago Business today featured a number of items regarding the Employee Free Choice Act, including an interview with Senior VP for Labor, Immigration and Employee Benefits at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Randel Johnson. The whole interview is worth a read, but a few choice nuggets:
CRAIN'S: Why the big emphasis on labor law?
MR. JOHNSON: When the Democrats came back into power, we knew there was a change in philosophy from the previous administration and we expected they would revisit employer regulations. But even I've been shocked at the massive number of bills and what lies ahead, and it's only a few months into the presidency. It's a radical rewrite of American employee laws.
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When do you expect movement on some of the pending legislation?
Everything is jammed up behind the Employee Free Choice Act, and it will remain pending until EFCA is resolved or taken off the table.
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Beyond legislation, what else is coming?
Business owners should look for new regulations on ergonomics and more aggressive enforcement of the OSHA general duty clause that requires employers to provide a safe workplace. Look for more aggressive enforcement of overtime laws. And we are closely watching the effort of enforcement agencies to narrow the definition of who is an independent contractor. It's not yet legislation, but believe me, it's coming. Overtime and payroll taxes, in particular, will be areas of huge exposure.
