With BU Law professor Michael Harper having just testified regarding the Joint Employer rule, here are some key points about his past history donating to Democrats & his lack of real-world experience dealing with this deeply flawed rule:
July 12, 2017
This morning, small business owners that have borne the brunt of the NLRB’s deeply misguided joint employer rule will testify about how this decision has affected their freedom and independence in the private sector. Also testifying will be liberal academic Michael Harper, a law professor at Boston University that has no real-world experience in dealing with the consequences of this burdensome rule.
It’s no surprise that Professor Harper would stand with government bureaucrats and big labor against the interest of business owners. After all, he’s a committed donor for the left, giving nearly $12,000 to Democratic groups, as well as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
His testimony today claiming that the current rule protects small businesses also has no basis in reality. In the past, small business owners have actually testified that the opposite is true and this rule infringes on their ability to do business and grow their companies.
In September 2014, Clint Ehlers, owner of two “Fastsigns” locations in Pennsylvania, testified that the new joint employer rule took away his independence as a business owner and curtailed his ability to expand his operation:
Similarly, Danny Farrar gave very moving testimony in March 2016 when he discussed how owning a small business after he served America overseas helped him get back on his feet. However, he noted that the new joint employer rule threatened his livelihood because it took power away from the local-level.
The CEO of Fairbrook Hotels, Vinay Patel, echoed these same sentiments in March 2016 testimony as well, saying that the new rule was an attack on entrepreneurs and small business owners, and threatened future generations from achieving the American Dream that he and his family realized.
Unfortunately, Professor Harper will tune out these emotional testimonials about the dangers of the joint employer rule in order to spew worn liberal talking points that have no real-world application. His out-of-touch academic views should be ignored in favor of the small business owners who know that this rule is affecting their ability to grow, hire, and expand.