The growing economic devastation caused by this Biden/Harris administration has left millions of Americans wondering how they’ll make ends meet.
Forget tradeoffs on vacations or luxury items. In this economy, families are trading off whether they can put food on the table or gas in their car to go to work. As a result, they’re turning to the gig economy to offset the impact of Bidenomics. We see this in the numbers: Pew Research reports that 56% of the millions of gig workers across the country do this type of work to earn extra money.
This past week, the nation watched the RNC, appearing rather unified, as they took to the stage in Milwaukee to pitch their ideas to the American public.
Much of what was presented were standard conservative ideals: lower taxes, stronger border protections, and less red tape. These are ideas that have remained true to their platform for multiple generations. However, one speaker and one topic threw many for a loop in both parties: the Teamsters president’s address to Republican delegates across the country.
It was shocking, to say the least, to see the president of a union on stage at the Republican National Convention, given their 121-year history of support for left-of-center ideals. This came as a surprise to many and signals the growing threat of job-crushing policies that hurt Pennsylvania workers attempting to make enough money to put food on their kitchen tables.
Millions of Americans want to work hard to create their American Dream with their own hands. Entrepreneurial and hardworking people built our country’s success; they created value, and they did not wait for a bureaucrat to give them permission to do so.
Regrettably, many union leaders and those who serve them in Washington and Harrisburg do not think the same. On average, American workers faces over 170 licenses and regulations restricting where and how they can work—a frustrating reality that hampers progress. Uber drivers, construction workers, freelancers, and countless independent workers must deal with a mountain of legal barriers that slow them and America down.
Labor reform, as opposed to growing union interference, is needed to let people chase their dreams without all the red tape. When people choose how they work, they can match their careers to their values and goals. This freedom helps create a balanced life filled with purpose and fulfillment. By cutting out unnecessary rules, we can help Americans innovate and thrive, giving everyone a shot at reaching their full potential.
Instead of bringing in tried and failed ideas, there are many ways Washington can protect worker freedom.
Congress can pass the Employee Rights Act. This bill would eliminate many of the barriers that keep Americans from working the jobs they want and protect small businesses from labor regulations that would make them less competitive.
Lastly, Congress can embrace more legal pathways for independent contractors and allow them to receive benefits from clients, pick their own health savings accounts, and eliminate unnecessary tests that unfairly keep Americans away from independent work.
History shows that when freedom thrives, prosperity follows suit. Let’s give Americans the autonomy and liberty to have full control over their careers; our country will be much better because of it, not put them back under control of those who seek equal outcome rather than equal opportunity.
Conservative leaders must reject the ideals of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and progressive governors like Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, who continue to deprioritize worker freedom over special interests. Prosperity is possible, and we can provide prosperity through removing burdensome regulations that hold workers back.
Join our movement for more at ProsperityIsPossible.com and help us protect the right to independent contracting and gig work. Sign your name to our movement and help us steer Washington and Harrisburg in the direction of freedom, as opposed to control and constraint.
(Emily Greene is Pennsylvania State Director of Americans for Prosperity.)