How to Close Down the Department of Labor

Abstract:

Today's economy is fundamentally different from when most of America's labor laws were passed. Labor market conditions and labor-management relations have changed, but U.S. labor laws have not. Workers are demanding more flexible hours, working conditions, and compensation packages than current laws and regulations allow. Further, proliferating workplace legislation and DOL regulations to enforce them present a significant barrier to the creation of businesses and jobs, as well as to increases in real wages. It is time for Congress to reform the administration and enforcement of America's labor laws, and this means a fundamental rethinking of both the Department of Labor and federal labor policy.