The U.S. Chamber in the news - August 17

U.S. Trails World in Paid Time Off as 40% Don’t Get Money

About 40 percent of U.S. workers, or more than 55 million Americans, don’t get paid when they take vacation or sick days, the government reported.

The U.S. hasn’t passed major policy regulating employee time since 1993, when President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act. The law requires large employers to offer unpaid leave to workers, generally covering illness or childbirth.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has pushed for changes in the law, claiming parts of it have led to “widespread employer confusion and employee abuse,” according to the Washington- based organization’s website.

Fracking Industry Paying Off Scientists For "Unbiased" Safety Studies

Nationwide, Americans are being influenced by seemingly unbiased research but not being told who is influencing the authors of these studies. Case in point, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also recently published a report, according to WIRED, entitled “Shale Works for US” that was directed at Ohioans caught in the crosshairs of the fracking safety debate.

One of the authors of the study, Robert Chase, has been identified as one person who’s been greatly influenced by the energy industries and was even employed as a consultant for companies like Halliburton and Cabot, leaders in the fracking industry. His influence was likely part of a Penn State University study that also found fracking to be safe and ultimately led state lawmakers there to allow some of the most unchecked fracking drilling in the U.S.

Government turns heat on employers over job bias

"Unfortunately, we have seen that the EEOC can sometimes be too quick on the trigger in bringing these kinds of cases against employers without adequate foundation and plunging ahead to force an employer into a settlement," said Randel Johnson, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vice president of labor issues.