Worker Advocate Files Brief in Federal Dispute over Forced Unionization in Michigan Public Projects

Union bosses seek to uphold discriminatory system in awarding public contracts

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Cincinnati, OH – Staff attorneys from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation have filed a brief in support of a Michigan law prohibiting state and local government agencies from imposing so-called “project labor agreements” (PLAs) that require unionized workers for public projects.Foundation staff attorneys filed the amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief yesterday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit located in Cincinnati.

New Federal Rule to Drastically Change Home Health Care Industry

Requiring overtime for in-home caregivers will have detrimental effects, says NFIB

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Federation of Independent Business(NFIB), the nation’s leading small-business association, submitted comments today to the U.S. Department of Labor warning of the potentially crushing effects of a proposed rule requiring overtime for home health care workers. The new rule would reduce the availability of in-home care while having no positive impact on workers’ wages.

Small Business Confidence in a Lull

Government reports seem upbeat, but Main Street is not so confident

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Rising just one tenth of one percent in January, the Small-Business Optimism Index settled at 93.9, a slight increase from the December 2011 reading, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). While the increase marks five consecutive months of improvement, the readings from January and February 2011 were higher, indicated no net gain for the calendar year. Historically, optimism remains at recession levels. While owners appeared less pessimistic about the

NFIB: What We Had Hoped to Hear in the President’s Budget…But Didn’t

NFIB president and CEO Dan Danner. Photo: NFIB

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Obama ushered out his fourth budget as President of the United States on Monday, and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) released the following statement on behalf of its 350,000 small-business owner members.

I’ll be honest, small business was hoping to see some change in President Obama’s budget, but the status quo of the last four years was all we got,” said Dan Danner, CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business. “While small-business owners were once again looking to Washington to address

More Jobs Created, but not on Main Street

Dr. William C. Dunkelberg, Chief economist for NFIB. Photo credit: Temple University

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) William C. Dunkelberg, issued the following statement on the January job numbers released today, based on NFIB’s monthly economic survey that will be released on Tuesday, February 14, 2012. The survey was conducted in January and reflects the responses of 2,155 randomly-sampled NFIB members:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced a drop in the unemployment rate this morning.  Unfortunately, few of these jobs are being created on Main Street.

For small employers, the net change in employment per firm (seasonally adjusted)

Sen. Rand Paul Joins Lawsuit Against President Obama’s Recess Appointments

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Sen. Rand Paul announced he will submit an amicus brief supporting a recent lawsuit filed by the National Right to Work Foundation (NRTW), the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and others, challenging the legality of President Barack Obama’s recess appointments to the National

NFIB Challenges “Recess” Appointments to National Labor Relations Board

Adds New Claims to “Poster Rule” Lawsuit

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amending its existing challenge to the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) “Notice Posting Rule,” the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) today added new claims, alleging that the Board appointments issued on January 4, 2012, violate the Constitution. The amended complaint argues that the Board does not possess the authority to enforce the poster rule, as the agency is

Small Business Confidence Inches Upward

WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the second consecutive month, small-businessoptimism rose 1.8 points, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Optimism Index; the small but notable gain settled the December reading at 93.8. This represents the fourth monthly increase since September, suggesting that the rising trend might stick. However, a comparative look at early 2011 shows the Index rising in the early part of the year, only to decline in March and April.

For Small-Business Owners, Internal Growth Constraints are Minimal; Hurdles to Expansion Are External

WASHINGTON, D.C. — By overwhelming margins, small firms want to double their sales and increase their workforces within the next five years, according to a new study examining internal impediments to growth by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Most owners report some internal constraints to growing, such as increased reliance on outside actors, but the study results affirm that the largest hurdles to business growth do not develop within the business, but without. Few owners see negative consequences to growth, but just over a third of owners see the prospect of such growth as a likely occurrence, while just over a quarter of owners believe that reaching their growth goal is unlikely.

Small-Business Owners Support Balanced Budget Amendment

Believe fiscal responsibility needed in Washington

Susan Eckerly, Senior Vice President of Public Policy at NFIB. Image via NFIB

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading Believe fiscal responsibility needed in Washington small-business organization, released the following statement following the Senate’s failure to pass, S.J.Res. 10, a resolution to amend the Constitution to require the federal government to operate on a balanced budget.

“Small-business owners are fed up with fiscal irresponsibility in Washington, which is why we strongly urge the Senate to pass the Balanced Budget Amendment,” said Susan Eckerly, Senior Vice President of Public Policy at NFIB. “Our nation’s job creators know that