Paul Galligan Quoted in Forbes
"How Congress Will Steal the Recovery"

Paul Galligan was quoted in the cover story, "How Congress Will Steal the Recovery," in the July 13, 2009 issue of Forbes magazine. The article discussed a treasury proposal to cover 46 million Americans without health insurance; mandating paid sick leave; moving to a low-carbon economy; and adopting tougher consumer, worker and investor protections, among other topics. According to the article, "Budget pressures could produce another nasty side effect besides tax hikes: When elected representatives reach the limit on their federal credit card, they'll be even more tempted to order up new benefits to put on the private sector's tab."

Concerning labor, the article stated that aside from card-check legislation (a k a the so-called Employee Free Choice Act or EFCA), more immediate concerns were being placed on how politicians' actions will directly affect terms and conditions of employment. The article pointed out that the "very first act Obama signed overturned a Supreme Court decision and gave employees longer to sue for pay discrimination," for example, and that President Obama has issued three executive orders that affect how employees of government contractors are treated. Paul noted that there is concern that President Obama might sign yet another order that would restrict contractors' ability to classify people as independent contractors (who don’t have benefits) instead of regular employees.