US Labor Agencies Advance Deregulatory Agenda
Federal agencies are pursuing significant changes to worker classification, joint employment, and union relations, alongside new workplace safety and bargaining legislation.
Several U.S. federal agencies are advancing a deregulatory agenda with broad implications for employers. The Department of Labor has proposed new rules defining independent contractor and joint-employer status that largely revert to more business-friendly standards, potentially narrowing liability for companies using contractors or franchise models. Final rules are reportedly expected by year-end. Concurrently, the National Labor Relations Board, with a newly confirmed majority, is positioned to reconsider and potentially overturn several significant pro-labor decisions from recent years concerning remedies, severance agreements, and bargaining orders. In Congress, the bipartisan Faster Labor Contracts Act, which would mandate binding arbitration for first union contracts, has passed the House and is now pending in the Senate. Employers should monitor the finalization of the DOL's rules and track early decisions from the reconstituted NLRB to understand the shifting landscape of labor relations and worker classification.