PUBLICATIONS BY James Sherk
Research
Commentary
Media Appearances
2008 Research
July 03, 2008
No Celebration for June Jobs Report
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1980)
The American economy continues to stall, making the atmosphere even less conducive for tax increases.
July 02, 2008
The ADA Restoration Act: Defining Disability Down
By Andrew M. Grossman and James Sherk
(Legal Memorandum #27)
The ADA Restoration Act would water down the definition of disability, potentially allowing the bulk of American workers to claim disability status and the protections associated with that status for mild and even temporary impairments, such as asthma and tennis elbow. This would harm those who are truly disabled and aided by the current Americans with Disabilities Act.
July 01, 2008
Getting Better All the Time: Improving Job Quality in the United States
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1975)
The best estimates indicate that despite the current weakness in the economy, long-term job growth will continue to occur in higher-paying occupations. Today, the typical American works in a better job than his or her parents did, and his or her children will probably work in a better job still.
June 17, 2008
A Good Job Is Not So Hard to Find
By James Sherk
(Center for Data Analysis Report #08-04)
Good jobs are at least as common today as in the past. Rather than addressing a nonexistent crisis by, for example, depriving workers of the right to vote before joining a union or nationalizing health care in the mistaken belief that employer-provided coverage has shrunk, Congress should continue policies like tax relief that promote economic growth and the creation of more good jobs.
June 12, 2008
Giving Employees Free Choice in the Workplace
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1954)
Workplace relations and the economy have changed substantially since the 1930s, but federal labor law has not evolved with these changes. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) still reflects a top-down, adversarial view of management-labor relations that is foreign to many workers today.
June 06, 2008
May Employment Report Reveals that School Is Out Early
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1948)
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the May employment report, which showed that the labor market has continued to weaken.
June 03, 2008
Congress Should Reform Flawed Wage Determinations Before Expanding Davis-Bacon in the Lieberman-Warner Bill
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1945)
Three sections of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008 (S. 3036) would extend the reach of the Davis-Bacon Act into private-sector construction. Under Davis-Bacon, Congress requires federal construction contractors to pay "prevailing" wages to prevent the government's buying power from forcing down wages of construction workers.
June 02, 2008
Workers' Compensation Growing with Their Productivity
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1943)
Americans frequently hear that workers work harder than ever, but do not reap the fruits of their labor. A simple comparison of productivity and wage growth seems to confirm this trend. However, productivity and wage growth are not directly comparable. Looking at everything workers earn—not just cash wages—and adjusting both series with the same measure of inflation shows that productivity and compensation have risen in tandem. In fact, workers’ pay is more directly tied to their performance than a generation ago. Congress should not legislate to correct an imbalance between wage and productivity growth because this difference does not exist.
May 20, 2008
Congress Should Not Attach Extended UI Benefits to Troop Funding
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1934)
The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to attach a provision extending unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to H.R. 2642, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2008. The legislation now moves to the Senate, which will consider it along with the supplemental funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
May 13, 2008
Mandatory Public-Safety Collective Bargaining Could be Made Less Onerous
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1923)
Many Members of Congress want to require state and local governments to bargain collectively with police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Congress should not deny state and local governments the choice of whether and how to bargain collectively with public-safety employees.
May 06, 2008
H-1B Workers: Highly Skilled, Highly Needed
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1916)
H-1B visas enable businesses to temporarily hire highly skilled immigrants to fill vital positions. Immigration opponents argue that workers on H-1B visas are not especially talented, but have average skill levels. These arguments are based upon a misleading metric of talent. The education and wage levels of H-1B recipients demonstrate that they are much needed, highly skilled workers. Congress should raise the cap on H-1B visas.
May 03, 2008
April Jobs Report Provides a Glimmer of Sunlight
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1914)
The American economy continued to shed jobs in April due to the housing market crash, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ payroll survey, some sectors of the economy, such as the service sector, increased employment.
April 30, 2008
More H-1B Visas, More American Jobs, A Better Economy
By James Sherk and Guinevere Nell
(Center for Data Analysis Report #08-01)
High-tech employers cannot hire needed new workers, and advanced fields like computers and mathematicals are at full employment. Raising the cap on H-1B visas for skilled workers would allow these companies to expand inside the U.S. and would increase tax revenues by $69 billion over eight years, which would not harm the economy, unlike tax increases sought for PAYGO offsets.
April 04, 2008
March Jobs Report Confirms a Poor First Quarter for the American Economy in 2008
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1885)
The March jobs report shows a weakening economy. However, by historical standards the current job market remains strong. An unemployment rate of 5.1 percent is still lower than the average unemployment rate for the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s. The unemployment rate for previous recessions peaked at much higher level, even reaching double digits for severe economic downturns.
March 31, 2008
Increasing the Cap for H-1B Visas Would Help the Economy
By James Sherk and Diem Nguyen
(WebMemo #1875)
Congress should allow America's high-tech industries to hire more skilled foreigners to work in the United States.
March 07, 2008
Jobs Picture Darkens
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1839)
The federal government should ease the burdens it imposes on businesses and entrepreneurs.
March 03, 2008
Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wage Determinations Need to Be Calculated Scientifically
By James Sherk
(Backgrounder #2111)
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division uses a highly flawed methodology to calculate Davis-Bacon rates and takes years to update wage rates after they are published. The Bureau of Labor Statistics already estimates wages using accurate scientific methods. Congress should require the Department of Labor to use these BLS surveys to set Davis–Bacon wage rates.
March 03, 2008
Executive Summary: Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wage Determinations Need to Be Calculated Scientifically
By James Sherk
(Executive Summary #2111)
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division uses a highly flawed methodology to calculate Davis-Bacon rates and takes years to update wage rates after they are published. The Bureau of Labor Statistics already estimates wages using accurate scientific methods. Congress should require the Department of Labor to use these BLS surveys to set Davis–Bacon wage rates.
February 01, 2008
The January Employment Report: Private Employment Increased
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1792)
An aggressive stimulus package containing rebates and new spending would be an excessive response to the current economic situation.
January 29, 2008
The Stimulus: Extending Unemployment Insurance Is Unnecessary
By James Sherk and Patrick Tyrrell
(WebMemo #1787)
Congress has no economic or policy reasons to extend unemployment benefits.
January 28, 2008
ADA Restoration Act: Undermining the Employer-Employee Relationship
By James Sherk and Andrew M. Grossman
(WebMemo #1785)
Congress should consider the impact that this legislation would have across the economy and on so many employers and diligent workers.
January 18, 2008
Unemployment Insurance Does Not Stimulate the Economy
By James Sherk and Patrick Tyrrell
(WebMemo #1777)
Extending unemployment benefits would harm the economy.
January 07, 2008
The Economy's Year-End Fizz
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1766)
Policymakers should be careful not to overreact to the December jobs report.
January 07, 2008
Employee Free Choice Act Would Disenfranchise 105 Million Workers
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1768)
Congress should preserve secret ballot voting for union-organizing elections.
2007 Research
December 13, 2007
Congress Should Fix the Flawed Wage Determination Process Before Expanding the Davis–Bacon Act
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1743)
Rather than expand its coverage, Congress should fix the Davis–Bacon Act.
December 07, 2007
Employment Fattens Up During November
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1726)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics gives a bit of holiday cheer and stems worries that the economy is rapidly heading for a recession.
November 02, 2007
Post-Halloween Jobs Report Is a Treat
By James Sherk and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #1689)
The economy continues to grow and provide jobs and higher wages for American workers.
October 30, 2007
Trade Adjustment Assistance: Getting Reform Right
By Daniella Markheim and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1682)
Expanding a program like TAA that has no demonstrated results would be irresponsible; expanding such a program while adding restrictions likely to make it even less effective would be foolhardy.
October 24, 2007
Freedom of Religious Schools and Employers Threatened by ENDA
By Ryan Messmore and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1677)
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007 could hamper job creation and does not adequately protect the rights of religious organizations.
October 17, 2007
The RESPECT Act: Congress Should Preserve Balance Between Management and Employees
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1667)
Proposed legislation would upset the balance of rights in the workplace.
October 05, 2007
Leaves Fall, But Not Jobs
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1657)
The latest data show that fears of recession are misplaced, but Congress must still take care to avoid upsetting the economy.
September 21, 2007
Unionizing Public Safety Employees Threatens Volunteer Fire Departments and Public Safety
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1631)
A House-passed bill threatens the existence of many volunteer fire departments and could put millions of Americans at greater risk of fire-related injury or death.
September 19, 2007
Congress Should Stop Environmental Blackmail by Unions
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1624)
Many unions threaten to delay or block the process of obtaining environmental permits unless a company agrees to build its facilities using only union labor.
September 12, 2007
Congress Should Free Essential Bridge Repairs from Davis–Bacon Restrictions
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1612)
Instead of raising taxes in the wake of the Minnesota bridge collapse, Congress should remove restrictions that make repairing bridges unnecessarily expensive.
September 07, 2007
The August Jobs Report: Mixed Signals Send a Warning to Congress
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1601)
As most Americans' lives continue to improve, Congress must refrain from enacting policies that could tip the economy into recession.
August 31, 2007
Upwards Leisure Mobility: Americans Work Less and Have More Leisure Time than Ever Before
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1596)
While Congress focuses on income inequality, new research shows that lower-income Americans have disproportionately benefited from an increase in leisure time over the past generation.
August 30, 2007
Laboring Against Working Americans: Congress Should Not Cut the Office of Labor-Management Standards
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1595)
Rather than just the office that investigates corrupt union leaders, Congress should stand up for working Americans by protecting them from union leaders who treat members' dues as their personal property.
August 28, 2007
Use and Abuse of the Family and Medical Leave Act: What Workers and Employers Say
By James Sherk
(Special Report #16)
Congress formulated the Family and Medical Leave Act to give job security to new mothers and workers who needed to care for sick relatives. What Congress apparently did not foresee was that FMLA would open the door to abuse by unscrupulous workers and be detrimental to industries including healthcare and public services. These and similar consequences of the act become clear after a review of the public comments submitted to the Department of Labor.
July 23, 2007
Davis-Bacon for Ethanol: A Special Interest Handout That Will Raise Gasoline Prices
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1562)
Congress should not raise gasoline prices by extending Davis-Bacon wages to the construction of ethanol plants.
July 12, 2007
Congress Deserves Praise for Dropping Collective Bargaining with Security Screeners
By James Sherk and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1551)
Forcing the TSA to collectively bargain would endanger American lives. Members of Congress from both parties deserve praise for striking this harmful provision.
July 06, 2007
The Public Safety Employer–Employee Cooperation Act Removes State Flexibility
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1537)
Legislation before the House would force states and localities to collectively bargain with unions representing public safety employees. Congress should not restrict the freedom of state and local governments to tailor policies to their specific needs.
July 06, 2007
Mandatory Collective Bargaining Creates More Problems Than It Solves
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1538)
H.R. 980 would create strife between governments and public safety workers and would impose an unfunded mandate on the states.
July 06, 2007
Fireworks for the June Jobs Report
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1539)
In light of strong job creation and low unemployment, Congress should make the Bush tax cuts permanent and refrain from meddling in the labor market,
June 26, 2007
A Bureaucratic Nightmare: The Senate's Temporary Guest Worker Program
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1525)
The Senate's temporary guest worker program would force prospective employers to navigate a complex bureaucracy to prove that they need guest workers and dramatically reduce the labor market flexibility of any company using the program.
June 13, 2007
Congress Should Not Block Welfare Modernization in Indiana
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1504)
Congress must remove from pending legislation a union-backed provision that would block states from using private contractors to reduce costs and improve service in the Food Stamp Program.
June 13, 2007
Performance-Based Pay Driving Increase in Inequality
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1505)
Much of the increase in income inequality in recent decades is due to the expanded business practice of paying workers based on their individual levels of productivity. The resulting inequality benefits everyone by raising standards of living and creating more economic opportunities for the less fortunate.
June 12, 2007
Collective Bargaining for Defense and DHS Would Undermine National Security
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1498)
Congress considers collective bargaining policies that would empower unions at the expense of national security.
June 11, 2007
Analyzing Economic Mobility: Compensation Is Keeping Pace with Rising Productivity
By James Sherk
(Backgrounder #2040)
Many commentators claim that incomes have lagged far behind increases in workers' pay, but the fact is that, if one counts everything that workers earn (both cash income and employee benefits) and uses the same measure to adjust both wages and productivity for inflation, compensation and productivity actually have grown in tandem.
June 04, 2007
Surety Bonds: A Better Solution Than Burdensome Workplace Immigration Enforcement
By James Sherk and William W. Beach
(WebMemo #1482)
To ensure that companies hire only legal immigrants, Congress should require them to post surety bonds guaranteeing that their employees are legally allowed to work in the United States.
June 01, 2007
The Senate's Workplace Immigration Enforcement Proposal: Too Much Federal Meddling
By Wes Dyck, William W. Beach, and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1480)
Rather than place great and unnecessary burdens on all workers and employers, Congress should focus workplace enforcement efforts where they are likely to do the most good.
May 29, 2007
Senate Immigration Bill Marred by Prevailing Wage Provision
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1475)
The Senate should remove from the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348) a provision that would require employers to pay temporary guest workers the "prevailing competitive wage."
May 15, 2007
Congress Should Consider Alternatives to Mandatory Paid Sick Leave
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1457)
Congress should make it easier for employees to manage the demands of work and family life, but requiring employers to provide paid time off is the wrong approach.
May 10, 2007
Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Invites Misuse That Harms Co-Workers and Customers
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1450)
Congress should not exacerbate the problem of leave abuse by requiring companies to provide paid sick leave and preventing them from disciplining employees who abuse the system.
May 04, 2007
STRIVE Act Marred by Prevailing Wage Provisions
By James Sherk
(Executive Memorandum #1025)
The Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy (STRIVE) Act (H.R. 1645) includes a provision that would require employers to pay guest workers market wages, not inflated Davis–Bacon wages. While not as destructive as most prevailing wage proposals, this provision would nonetheless be redundant, reduce labor market flexibility, and open the door to costly litigation.
May 04, 2007
April Jobs Report Doesn't Rain on Sunny Economy
By James Sherk and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #1444)
Congress should ensure that job growth continues by rejecting policies that would put workers and employers at a disadvantage in the free market.
April 27, 2007
Binding Arbitration Could Force Workers into Underfunded Pensions
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1436)
Congress should not endanger workers' retirement security by allowing government arbitrators to force workers into financially unstable or insolvent plans.
April 23, 2007
How the Employee Free Choice Act Takes Away Workers' Rights
By James Sherk and Paul Kersey
(Backgrounder #2027)
The Employee Free Choice Act would strip American workers of their right to a private-ballot vote, require companies to submit to binding arbitration, and increase penalties for unfair labor practices committed by employers but not by unions. Congress should instead protect the privacy of American workers and guarantee their right to vote in an election before joining a union.
April 23, 2007
How the Employee Free Choice Act Takes Away Workers' Rights
By James Sherk and Paul Kersey
(Executive Summary #2027)
The Employee Free Choice Act would strip American workers of their right to a private-ballot vote, require companies to submit to binding arbitration, and increase penalties for unfair labor practices committed by employers but not by unions. Congress should instead protect the privacy of American workers and guarantee their right to vote in an election before joining a union.
April 11, 2007
NLRB Organizing Elections Favor Unions, Not Employers
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1421)
The current election laws favor union organizers, not employers.
April 09, 2007
Unions Use Corporate Campaigns to Circumvent Employees' Right to Vote
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1418)
To prevent unions from pressuring companies into giving up their workers’ rights, Congress should act to guarantee every worker the right to vote on joining a union in privacy.
March 15, 2007
Water Quality Bill Marred by High Costs and Davis-Bacon Handouts
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1396)
Congress should strike a special-interest handout that would redistribute income from taxpayers to union workers, while making it more expensive for communities to build new water treatment plants.
March 12, 2007
The Truth About Improper Firings and Union Intimidation
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1393)
Workers should not lose their fundamental right to vote for or against unionization in privacy as a result of labor activists' bad statistics.
March 07, 2007
Unions Know that Card Check Does Not Reveal Employees' Free Choice
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1386)
In private, union activists acknowledge that workers often sign union cards because of peer pressure or harassment and that publicly signed cards do not reflect workers' true intentions.
March 05, 2007
Binding Arbitration: A Bad Deal for Workers
By Paul Kersey and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1383)
Under proposed legislation, workers would not get the chance to vote to approve some work contracts and would have to wait at least two years before they could vote to decertify an ineffective union.
March 05, 2007
Binding Arbitration for Unions Endangers Competitiveness and Innovation
By Paul Kersey and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1384)
Proposed legislation would give government officials unprecedented power to set wages and employment conditions throughout the economy and would reduce business innovation and competitiveness.
March 01, 2007
Interest Arbitration: Risky for Unions and Employers
By Paul Kersey and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1378)
Interest arbitration would shift employers' and unions' right to negotiate contracts to unaccountable government officials, increasing the risk of bad contracts.
February 26, 2007
Collective Bargaining for Airport Screeners Is Unnecessary and Bad for National Security
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1372)
Forcing the Transportation Security Agency to collectively bargain with its airport security screeners' union would endanger Americans.
February 23, 2007
Card Checks Would Not Solve Alleged Problems with Union Organizing Elections
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1369)
Even if unions' complaints about private-ballot elections were true, forcing workers to vote in public would not end the alleged abuses.
February 21, 2007
How Union Card Checks Block Workers' Free Choice
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1366)
Due to union organizers’ techniques, card checks often do not reflect workers’ free and considered choice about union membership.
February 16, 2007
Workers Reject Card Checks, Favor Private Ballots in Union Organizing
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1363)
Most Americans, and most union members, oppose replacing private-ballot elections with card checks.
February 13, 2007
NLRB Union Elections Safeguard Workers' Rights
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1359)
Congress should not take away workers' fundamental right to a private ballot because of unions' anecdotes about private voting.
February 07, 2007
Union Members, Not Minimum-Wage Earners, Benefit When the Minimum Wage Rises
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1350)
Unions are not just being altruistic when they push to raise the minimum wage.
February 06, 2007
How Bush's Health Care Tax Plan Will Raise Wages
By James Sherk and Nina Owcharenko
(WebMemo #1345)
By limiting the tax relief for company-sponsored health coverage, the President’s health plan would encourage workers and their employers to review the structure of compensation.
February 01, 2007
Executive Summary: How to Fix the 100 Hours Homeland Security Bill
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, James Sherk, Brian W. Walsh, Lisa Curtis, and Helle C. Dale
(Executive Summary #2003)
The Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007, passed by the House as a part of the Speaker’s “100 Hours” agenda, muddles the mission of providing homeland security with misguided proposals. Congress should replace the most troubling provisions of H.R. 1 with initiatives that are more consistent with the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations.
February 01, 2007
Jobs, Taxes, and the Goldilocks Economy
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1336)
Congress should not impose a triple whammy of tax hikes on the American workers who are doing so much to keep the economy growing.
February 01, 2007
How to Fix the 100 Hours Homeland Security Bill
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, James Sherk, Brian W. Walsh, Lisa Curtis, and Helle C. Dale
(Backgrounder #2003)
The Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007, passed by the House as a part of the Speaker’s “100 Hours” agenda, muddles the mission of providing homeland security with misguided proposals. Congress should replace the most troubling provisions of H.R. 1 with initiatives that are more consistent with the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations.
January 23, 2007
Who Earns the Minimum Wage? Suburban Teenagers, Not Single Parents
By James Sherk and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #1320)
A minimum wage hike is a raise for suburban teenagers, not the working poor.
January 08, 2007
Good Intentions Are Not Enough: Why Congress Should Not Raise the Minimum Wage
By James Sherk
(Backgrounder #1993)
The minimum wage exacts a steep price for its ineffectiveness. It destroys jobs and discourages employers from hiring the least-skilled and least-experienced workers who most need the work. This impact puts these workers at a disadvantage for years after an increase. Congress should look out for disadvantaged workers by refusing to increase the minimum wage.
January 08, 2007
Raising the Minimum Wage Will Not Reduce Poverty
By James Sherk
(Backgrounder #1994)
The evidence shows that (1) a higher minimum wage causes employers to cut back on the number of workers they hire and employees’ working hours; (2) the beneficiaries of higher minimum wages are unlikely to be poor because most minimum-wage earners are not poor; and (3) few individuals living in poverty work at minimum-wage jobs or any job.
January 05, 2007
A Strong Year for Jobs Offers Lessons for Congress
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1301)
The new Congress should enact policies to continue the economic expansion. It should make permanent the pro-growth tax cuts of 2003 but leave the minimum wage where it is.
January 02, 2007
Minimum Wage Hikes Hurt Unskilled and Disadvantaged Workers' Job Prospects
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1294)
Far from giving disadvantaged workers a leg up, raising the minimum wage cuts off the bottom rung of the career ladder for many lower-skilled workers.
January 02, 2007
Easing the Pain: Let States Opt Out of a Minimum Wage Hike
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1295)
Giving states the ability to keep their minimum wages at levels appropriate to local conditions would minimize the toll that a higher minimum wage would exact on low-income workers.
2006 Research
December 08, 2006
New Job Report Shows Wage Gains Are on Track
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1282)
Wages are up, and unemployment remains low. Good policy will help sustain this strong economy.
November 14, 2006
Card Check Undermines Workplace Democracy
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1255)
Only private ballots let workers express their desire to join or not join a union without pressure or fear of retribution.
November 03, 2006
A Strong Pre-Election Jobs Report, Thanks to Good Economic Policy
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1245)
With unemployment near record lows, another strong jobs report refutes the economy's critics.
October 16, 2006
Shared Prosperity: Debunking Pessimistic Claims About Wages, Profits, and Wealth
By James Sherk
(Backgrounder #1978)
Americans throughout society have shared the gains from economic growth. Low- and middle-income families enjoy dramatically improved standards of living, family incomes are well above where they were a generation ago, most Americans enjoy luxuries that only the well-off once could afford, and almost all Americans have better health, education, housing, and consumer goods than they did even a decade ago.
October 10, 2006
Economy Remains Strong: Unemployment Is Low and Workers Are Sharing in Productivity Growth
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1233)
A much-cited map misleads on median household incomes.
September 08, 2006
Lies, Damn Lies, and Income Statistics: Understanding the Detroit Free Press’s Income Map
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1208)
A much-cited map misleads on median household incomes.
September 01, 2006
Remember the Bush Tax Cuts This Labor Day
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1204)
Labor Day is an opportunity to think about the policies behind our prosperity.
August 30, 2006
What Do Union Members Want? What Paycheck Protection Laws Show About How Well Unions Reflect Their Members’ Priorities
By James Sherk
(Center for Data Analysis Report #06-08)
Paycheck protection laws, which require workers to agree to have their union dues donated to political campaigns, provide an opportunity to test how closely unions reflect their members’ wishes outside the workplace. The results are clear and unambiguous. Union campaign spending falls by 40 to 50 percent once workers get a say in how their dues are spent.
August 29, 2006
Unions in Decline and Under Review
By Tim Kane, Ph.D., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1202)
Organized Labor in America has lost its way. The most telling evidence is that unions have been shedding members for decades. It is time for Americans to ask why this is happening, not whether it is happening.
August 04, 2006
July Jobs Report Isn't as Hot as the Weather
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1189)
A weak jobs report for a strong economy
August 03, 2006
Who Earns the Minimum Wage--Single Parents or Suburban Teenagers?
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1186)
Raising the minimum wage will not help low-income workers or single parents.
July 28, 2006
Minimum Wage Workers' Incomes Rise When the Minimum Wage Does Not
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1181)
Hard work, education, and growing skills lead to higher wages. Government intervention does not.
July 27, 2006
Davis-Bacon Wages in Senate Immigration Bill Would Keep Immigrants in the Underground Economy
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1180)
Employers won't pay inflated wages, and so immigrants will remain in the shadows of the economy.
July 25, 2006
Raising the Minimum Wage Hurts Vulnerable Workers' Job Prospects Without Reducing Poverty
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1176)
Intended to reduce poverty, the minimum wage encourages teenagers to drop out of school and reduces low-income workers' future job prospects and earnings.
July 07, 2006
A Strong Jobs Report Points the Way to Better Policy
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1146)
Surveys show that many Americans feel anxious about their economic prospects. Often they hear stories about weak job growth or stagnant earnings that seem to confirm their fears. And many think that proposals to raise the minimum wage would help low income workers get ahead in these difficult times. But the evidence shows that that raising the minimum wage would not help.
June 15, 2006
Hard at Work: Why the Unemployment Rate Accurately Reflects the Strength of the Labor Market
By James Sherk
(Backgrounder #1942)
The unemployment rate has fallen to dramatically low levels, and some economists believe that low labor force participation levels make this a misleading indicator of the economy's health, but jobs are available for virtually every worker who wants them. Rather than wondering what has gone wrong, policymakers should look for ways to keep the economy strong and growing.
June 02, 2006
U.S. Economy Strong Despite High Oil Prices
By James Sherk and Samuel Hyman
(WebMemo #1105)
Many Americans worry that that high energy costs combined with rising interest rates will plunge the U.S. economy into economic doldrums. The latest data, however, reveal that the economy continues to grow steadily despite these potential pitfalls. While a great deal of news analysis hypes weaknesses in the economy, the facts suggest otherwise.
May 05, 2006
Job Numbers Show a Strong Economic Recovery
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., James Sherk, and Samuel Hyman
(WebMemo #1063)
The current economic recovery is benefiting average Americans.
April 07, 2006
March Employment Growth Shows that Congress Should Finish Its April Tax Bill
By Rea S. Hederman Jr. and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1032)
Americans should take a moment during this busy week of filing their tax returns to reflect on how much the 2003 tax cuts reduced their taxes and sparked the economy. Not only do they see the benefits of the Bush tax cuts in their tax returns, but millions owe their current jobs in part to the pro-growth tax policy changes of 2003.
2008 Commentary
April 01, 2008
Do Americans today still need labor unions?
By James Sherk
Would you want to work for a company that treats all workers exactly the same, no matter how hard they work? What about one that promotes only on the basis of seniority and not merit?
January 14, 2008
Your Right to Vote on the Ballot
By James Sherk
As American voters go to the polls to select the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, few are aware that their right to vote in private — at least in the workplace — may be in danger.
2007 Commentary
November 02, 2007
Organized Labor's Green Blackmail
By James Sherk
Organized Labor has a long history with extortion and the mob. Federal prosecutors have put most of those mob bosses behind bars, but unions haven't renounced using blackmail to get what they want. They simply use more sophisticated methods to do the same thing.
October 11, 2007
Heat on volunteer firefighters
By James Sherk
You probably haven't heard Congress is about to shut down many of America's volunteer fire departments. Not intentionally, perhaps. Yet a little-known bill advancing through Congress would do just that.
October 03, 2007
Towing unions into the future
By James Sherk
Financial realities have dragged the United Auto Workers (UAW) kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Or, at least, out of the 1970s. Two days after it called its first general strike in more than 30 years, the UAW agreed to a contract with General Motors that doesn't exactly bow to the realities of a competitive economy, but at least nods in the general direction.
September 11, 2007
Unscrupulous Workers Abusing Family Leave Act
By James Sherk
Would you call in sick to work because you needed therapy? Deer-hunting therapy, that is. What about having a wart? It seems ridiculous, doesn't it? But that is how some irresponsible employees are misusing the Family and Medical Leave Act.
July 27, 2007
Minimum Wage, Maximum Trouble
By James Sherk
Supporters of the latest minimum-wage hike have the best of intentions. They want the higher minimum wage to lift low-income families out of poverty -- but that doesn't change where the road paved with good intentions leads. The increase will actually harm the very workers it's intended to help.
July 20, 2007
Required Unions and the Collective Good
By James Sherk
Quick quiz: What's the purpose of the "Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act"? It recently passed the House by a large margin.
June 30, 2007
An Upside To Inequality?
By James Sherk
Is the American Dream dead? Some seem to think so. They point to studies showing that income for the rich is growing faster than for the poor. In this view, we've become a class society where a minority lives in opulence while most struggle with little hope of getting rich themselves. But new research suggests that greater inequality may be both fair and beneficial.
June 20, 2007
Binding Arbitration Threatens Workers' Rights
By James Sherk
With union membership in steady decline, Organized Labor faces a choice. It can do the hard work necessary to shed the New Deal-model that still shapes its outdated approach and adapt to today's economy. Or it can flex its political muscle and get Congress to make it easier to force workers to join.
May 06, 2007
Card-check vs. secret ballots
By James Sherk
Voting in private is a fundamental American right -- but one workers would lose if a little-known bill becomes law. It sounds outrageous, but the misnamed "Employee Free Choice Act" has already passed the House of Representatives.
March 13, 2007
Preserve Real Choice for Workers
By James Sherk
Mike Ivey, an auto worker from Gaffney, S.C., doesn't like to be pushed around. He's happy to enter the privacy of a voting booth to decide whether the factory where he works should unionize. But don't tell Ivey to choose in public -- in the face of "relentless harassment" by paid union organizers -- and expect him to see it as a victory for working men and women.
2006 Commentary
November 04, 2006
Laboring to Prevent a Fair Vote
By James Sherk
Big Labor’s been busy this election cycle. Its legislative agenda includes many standard liberal issues, such as raising the minimum wage and restricting free trade.
November 01, 2006
The Pundits Who Cried Wolf
By James Sherk
Remember the “jobless recovery”? For a while after the tech bubble of the 1990s collapsed, it was all some pundits could talk about. But with more than six million jobs created in the past three years, you don’t hear much about a “jobless recovery” anymore.
September 14, 2006
Seeking a more perfect union
By James Sherk
If your pastor supports Candidate A in the local dog-catcher election, does he have the right to use money you put in the collection plate to support that candidate — even if you prefer Candidate B?
August 14, 2006
Bottom rung at risk
By James Sherk
What is a fair day's wage? How can government help people get ahead? The Senate grappled with these questions earlier this month as it considered a bill that would have raised the federal minimum wage for the first time in nine years. In the end, senators voted not to end debate and take a vote.
