Protect American workers: How Trump’s team can fulfill his promise

President Donald Trump promised to “protect American workers” on his inauguration day, and a month later he is off to a solid start. But there's a lot to do.

He began by ending the diversity, equity and inclusive programme that undermines workplace cooperation and equity. Second, he secured the US border, which means that millions of illegal immigrants are no longer able to travel to America, inflated the low-wage workforce.

Finally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the U.S. workforce union membership share fell below 10% (less than 6% in the private sector).

These changes could facilitate serious labor policy reforms that focus on individual American workers rather than businesses and unions. The right steps add flexibility to the workforce, encourage job creation, and drive economic growth. The extra revenue generated will drive tax cuts.

Trump is popular, and so is his policy. Democrats are tanking

Regulatory reforms are needed at three federal agencies that oversee labor laws and regulations: the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Commission, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Under the Labor Bureau, the administration must remove economically inappropriate “environmental, social and governance” investment standards and instead protect workers' retirement savings. Investment managers should be banned from advancing their political agenda that reduces pension revenue.

The administration needs to ensure workers are informed of freedom and transparency in information, so union members know how leaders spend their dues.

The administration can expand apprenticeship programs that unions, community colleges and employers may offer to youth. America lacks plumbers, welding machines and electricians. This is a highly paid profession that does not require traditional university qualifications.

Trump Zelensky's brawl could actually bring peace deals closer

Biden-era regulations raise barriers to the ability of workers to work as independent contractors. The administration can protect workers who want to become independent contractors, monetizing unused pockets and working for themselves, regardless of education, income or industry.

The Labor Bureau will reclaim the highly successful pay audit independence decision program launched by President Trump and ended by President Joe Biden, which will put more workers on wages, lead employers to compliance and reduce litigation.

The NLRB reform, a five-person committee accused of ensuring workers' rights to unionize, is essential to restore its reliability to the workers and employers, to provide certainty and survival.

The NLRB must restore employers' rights to free speech by overturning the current ban on meetings with workers prior to union elections. It should overturn an ruling that limits the employer's ability to communicate with workers during unionization drives.

The 15% corporate tax rate and the 25% small business deduction should be a centrepiece for Trump tax cuts

The NLRB must remove the co-employer rule in which employees of franchise companies count as employees of the parent company. More appropriate are long-standing rules in which employers are people who control the “essential terms of employment” of workers. Workers at independently owned McDonald's outlets should be employees of the restaurant owners and not McDonald's executives, but executives of distant companies.

The NLRB should stop editing the Employer Handbook provisions or obstructing legitimate retirement agreements, as was done in the Biden administration.

The NLRB must protect workers from enforcement in federal elections by eliminating “card checks” and requiring secret votes in all union elections. Under the “card check” system, published cards are counted as votes, allowing union organizers to put pressure on workers to sign.

The EEOC, a five-member committee that enforces federal laws against employment discrimination, should protect workers from biases and harassment, including anti-Semitism, by accepting complaints and promptly ruling.

For more information about Fox News, click here

EEOCs need to enable companies to adopt on university campuses, as they have been around since the first universities in the 18th century.

The Biden EEOC has argued that campus recruitment programs and others targeting recent university graduates are illegal. However, the court has never declared them illegal.

In the absence of allegations of discrimination, the federal government should not request EEO-1 reports, namely data from employers based on race, gender or compensation. Although discrimination charges need to be investigated, these forms of service lead to intentional employers punishment and triggering fishing expeditions to scare others into DEI activities.

Click here to get the Fox News app

Finally, the EEOC must terminate the use of different impact claims against its employer. Under these claims, employers will be punished for not hiring a certain share of women and minority, despite it being illegal to hire based on gender or race.

These recommendations are the first steps in the first year of the Trump administration. Over the next four years, DOL, NLRB and EEOC have great potential to strengthen individual workers' prosperity and lift the regulatory burden to create employment and upward mobility for employers and entrepreneurs.

For more information about Diana Furchtgott-Roth, click here

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a scholar at the Heritage Foundation, served as Chief of Staff for the White House Council of Economic Advisors (2001-2002) and Chief Economist for the U.S. Department of Labor (2003-2005).