Workforce Fairness Institute recently submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, objecting to a proposed rule that would force small businesses to spend outrageous amounts of money, time and resources on certification and labor violation reviews for themselves and subcontractors or risk severe penalties.
This new rule, clearly an Obama Administration sop to Big Labor, would place a massive burden on businesses. The White House says it wants to reduce “burdensome regulations” on employers, yet it allows federal agencies to force unnecessary mandates on contractors trying to make a living. That’s not only bad for those businesses, but that’s also bad for the economy.
WFI adds that this Department of Agriculture regulation would:
- Expand government bureaucracy
- Subject businesses to virtually impenetrable red tape
- Discourage competition among non-union businesses for DoA contracts (likely increasing government costs in the long run)
- Inhibit economic expansion and job creation
“In sum, the Department has not established the statutory basis for its role in enforcing our local, state and national labor laws and it has not shown reasoned basis for the certification requirement,” argued Fred Wszolek, spokesman for WFI. “The rule is bad public policy and should be abandoned.”
But, the question remains as to whether or not it will be that easy for Obama’s White House to abandon a big favor like this to Big Labor.