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Kentucky has passed legislation to become the 27th right-to-work state, adding pressure to other states to pass similar laws if they want to remain competitive. Previously, Kentucky had approached right-to-work laws on a county-by-county basis. Right-to-work legislation prevents unions from requiring mandatory participation and forced paycheck contributions as a result. Read more about Kentucky’s House Bill 1 here.

Many people believe slavery is a dark spot in our past, but it is thriving in modern times, often in places we least expect. The number of people in forced labor world-wide is equivalent to the population of some of the world’s largest cities. The 50forfreedom campaign, run by the International Labor Organization and its partners, has set up a website to help combat modern slavery. The website has a lot of valuable information, including 10 Ways to Recognize Modern Slavery, an important list and starting point to end slavery. Read it and find other ways you can help at 50forfreedom.org.

The city of Seattle has passed an ordinance unionizing rideshare drivers. This ordinance not only violates federal law, which exempts independent contractors from collective bargaining, but it hurts many of the drivers the unions seek to represent. Unions prioritize full-time and long-term employees in their contracts, which will penalize the type of part-time positions companies like Uber and Lyft offer, costing drivers money and flexibility. Read more about this poorly designed ordinance in James Sherk’s analysis on heritage.org’s website.

After nearly a decade of unchecked assaults on American business, it looks as if union friendly regulation will be coming to an end under President-Elect Trump’s tenure. Mr. Trump’s twitter attack on a union official for doing a “terrible job representing workers” and his appointment of CKE Restaurants chief executive Andrew Puzde as his labor secretary have indicated that he does not intend to favor unions. Puzde, who has been critical of President Obama’s labor initiatives and who has fought against the $15 minimum wage, has left labor leaders concerned for their futures. President-Elect Trump will also be filling two of the five spots on the National Labor Relations Board during his time in the White House.

Please read more about Puzde’s appointment at The Washington Post and KUOW.org.

The Obama Administration’s overtime rule, which would have extended overtime eligibility to approximately 4.2 million additional workers and indexed the salary threshold to inflation, was blocked by a Texas judge this week. The rule was set to go into effect December 1, but the judge’s temporary injunction and written opinion signaled that the rule may eventually be blocked permanently. Read more about it here.