Week in Review: Arizona Blazes Trail for Workers

If you’ve put in the time and effort to obtain a government license so you can work in your field of choice, that license should really mean something, since it’s a reflection of hours upon hours of study and training. But if you hold an occupational license in one state and then move to a new state, government requires you to spend more time and money on training—just to practice your profession in your new home.

That was true in every state until this week, when Arizona became the first state in the nation to adopt universal recognition for occupational licenses—a policy the Goldwater Institute has long fought for and supported.

Arizona eliminated this government-imposed barrier to work and has set an example for the rest of the nation to follow. Read more about the new law here.

Teachers Should Get Paid to Teach—Not to Perform Union Work

The Goldwater Institute is taking a stand in New Jersey and making the case that teachers should be paid to teach—not to perform union work.

You would think that’s common sense, but not in Jersey City, N.J., where a collective bargaining agreement requires the government to pay the salaries of two full-time teachers who do not teach, but instead spend their time performing union work.These two teachers are paid a little over $100,000 per year, adding up to about $1.1 million over the life of the agreement. That’s more than $1 million directly out of taxpayers’ pockets—to support union activities instead of the teaching duties those educators were hired to perform! 

The Goldwater Institute has said “enough is enough” and is challenging this agreement as a violation of the state’s constitution. Read more about it on the In Defense of Libertyblog.

$15-Per-Hour Minimum Wage Isn’t What NYC Restaurant Workers Ordered

New York City’s restaurant workers are finding out that a $15-per-hour minimum wage isn’t delivering what they were promised.

The city’s new minimum wage law went into effect at the very end of 2018—for every employer with 11 or more workers, the minimum wage moved from $13 to $15 per hour. The law is already hurting workers; the number of restaurant jobs dropped over the last year, even as the number of restaurants increased.

One restaurant owner explains how he has had to respond to the new law in order to remain profitable. “We lost control of our largest controllable expense he said. “So in order to live with that and stay in business, we’re cutting hours.”

Click here to read the full story on the In Defense of Liberty blog.