Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is proposing a top-to-bottom rewrite of federal labor laws to make it easier for unions, whose support she needs to gain the nomination, to bring in new members and increase dues revenue. The Massachusetts Democrat argues that her proposal, released Thursday, would empower workers and raise wages.
Her plan includes banning all state right to-work laws, giving workers in 27 states no option but to join unions or pay union fees if their workplace is organized; allowing union organizing by the “card check” method; requiring all drivers for rideshare services, such as Uber and Lyft, to become employees rather than independent contractors; making it easier to sue franchising corporations for workplace violations by their franchisees; allowing illegal immigrants to sue companies for back wages; allowing graduate students to unionize; and making it easier for public sector unions to demand a cut of Medicaid funds paid to home healthcare workers, among numerous other changes.
