Ross Eisenbrey

Vice President

Areas of expertise
Labor and employment law • Occupational safety and health • Pension policy

Biography
Vice president of EPI since 2003, Ross Eisenbrey is a lawyer and former commissioner of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Prior to joining EPI, he worked for many years as a staff attorney and legislative director in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as a committee counsel in the U.S. Senate. He served as policy director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from 1999 until 2001. He has testified in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and has written scores of articles, issue briefs and policy memos on a wide range of labor issues.

Education
University of Michigan Law School, J.D. 1978
Middlebury College, B.A. 1974

Publications by Ross Eisenbrey

Blog

April 26, 2013 | Workers Memorial Day thoughts
April 18, 2013 | Fox News wannabe: Washington Post disses France
April 17, 2013 | Gang of Eight bill delivers on bold, broad legalization of undocumented workers
April 16, 2013 | The Working Families Flexibility Act is a fraud
March 26, 2013 | Striking J-1 students want justice from McDonald’s and U.S. State Department
March 7, 2013 | In support of the Fair Minimum Wage Act
March 4, 2013 | For 20-somethings, the no-limits, no-pay job
Feb. 22, 2013 | Problems in the high tech labor market
Feb. 21, 2013 | The PhD bust
Feb. 20, 2013 | Close to slavery
Feb. 13, 2013 | Immigration reform and the minimum wage
Jan. 30, 2013 | Guestworker expansions don’t belong in comprehensive immigration reform
Jan. 16, 2013 | AARP comes out against COLA cut
Jan. 11, 2013 | Don’t be fooled by Apple’s PR: Workers strike against sweatshop conditions
Jan. 10, 2013 | Unpaid internships: Denying opportunities and exploiting young workers
Jan. 9, 2013 | Michigan’s ‘right-to-work-for-less’ legislation: Bad for workers, undemocratic, fundamentally immoral
Jan. 9, 2013 | Michelle Rhee gets a failing grade on her report card
Dec. 21, 2012 | Fiscal fiasco: The first to be hurt will be the unemployed
Dec. 18, 2012 | Social Security has no place in ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations
Dec. 14, 2012 | Ease of doing business in U.S. and record corporate profits contradict Chamber’s regulatory complaints
Dec. 13, 2012 | Right-to-work-for-less passes in Michigan
Dec. 5, 2012 | Want jobs? Kill the Bush tax cuts and extend Emergency Unemployment Compensation
Dec. 5, 2012 | Fixing a problem that doesn’t exist: Special interest STEM immigration bills are not needed
Nov. 26, 2012 | WaPo ignores facts on Social Security COLA
Nov. 21, 2012 | Immigration reform and indentured guest workers don’t go together
Nov. 20, 2012 | Rush Limbaugh and other unbalanced observers blame ‘the union’
Nov. 7, 2012 | Don’t let the lame duck session undercut necessary financial oversight
Nov. 2, 2012 | Center for Immigration Studies goes political on jobs numbers
Oct. 23, 2012 | Anti-regulatory malarkey
Oct. 22, 2012 | House Republicans block remedy for China’s job-killing currency intervention
Oct. 18, 2012 | Fighting waste and abuse in defense contractor pay
Oct. 18, 2012 | Celebrate the Clean Water Act
Oct. 16, 2012 | Only a minority of Americans think there is too much regulation
Oct. 12, 2012 | Remembering Paul Wellstone
Oct. 11, 2012 | Walmart strikes dramatize third-world inequities
Sept. 27, 2012 | Pension report misses obvious causes of underfunding
Sept. 26, 2012 | Rare conservative-progressive agreement: Corporate capture of the government is a bad thing
Sept. 25, 2012 | Recent federal regulation coincides with manufacturing employment gains
Sept. 25, 2012 | Retirement proposals a big step forward
Sept. 17, 2012 | Obama tackles illegal Chinese auto parts subsidies
Sept. 13, 2012 | Chicago’s schools and the polite Pinkertons of educational reform
Sept. 7, 2012 | Card check survives as way to choose a union
Aug. 30, 2012 | Congress: Put emergency unemployment compensation in the continuing resolution
Aug. 28, 2012 | Key goals of 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom are still unmet
Aug. 24, 2012 | Apple in China: Failing to make good on its commitment?
Aug. 23, 2012 | Bad economics leads to bad H-2B guest worker legislation
Aug. 22, 2012 | MAPI report on regulation is latest example of business-sponsored junk science
Aug. 14, 2012 | Parade Magazine decries poor state of public school facilities
June 29, 2012 | Combating foreign currency manipulation would boost manufacturing and U.S. jobs
June 21, 2012 | Supreme Court contorts itself to deny overtime protection to 90,000 pharmaceutical employees
June 19, 2012 | NLRB uses new tool to help us understand our rights
June 15, 2012 | Another suicide at Apple’s key supplier in China
June 14, 2012 | Congress should fix Postal Service pension problem it created
June 1, 2012 | Center for Public Integrity makes a strong case for more regulation and better enforcement
June 1, 2012 | New York Times pension reporter ignores inconvenient truths
May 29, 2012 | How’s that immigrant-bashing thing workin’ for ya?
May 24, 2012 | Management—bad management—crippled the auto industry’s Big Three, not the UAW
May 24, 2012 | Alan Simpson isn’t ‘saving Social Security’
May 16, 2012 | Bernard ‘B’ Rapoport remembered
May 10, 2012 | Organized business’s knee-jerk opposition to paid sick days legislation
April 25, 2012 | Attempt to block labor election modernization goes down in flames
April 20, 2012 | The fashion industry’s illegal unpaid internships
April 18, 2012 | Apple’s iPhone profits dwarf its labor costs
April 11, 2012 | Thank God for trial lawyers
April 9, 2012 | Social Security privatizer Pozen attacks public employee pensions
April 6, 2012 | Washington Post misdiagnoses causes of retirement insecurity
April 4, 2012 | Apple’s employees in China don’t work 70 hours a week because they want to
April 3, 2012 | Fair Labor Association report leaves big questions about change at Apple/Foxconn
March 29, 2012 | Harkin bill would revive the American Dream
March 2, 2012 | Pushing back against illegal unpaid internships
Feb. 24, 2012 | Post editorial criticizes Md. schools, public pensions, school boards, teacher unions, and Gov. O’Malley — but misses all targets
Feb. 17, 2012 | Whitewashing the Apple
Feb. 15, 2012 | Bad Apple labor practices: Promises have been made before
Feb. 14, 2012 | Labor Department tackles guest worker problems
Feb. 9, 2012 | Auto industry roars back, everyone cheers (except anti-government conservatives)
Feb. 7, 2012 | Unpaid internships: A scourge on the labor market
Feb. 3, 2012 | Another win for the 1%: ‘Right to work’ signed into law in Indiana
Jan. 31, 2012 | It’s not time to cut back on extended unemployment insurance
Jan. 12, 2012 | Income inequality is a policy choice
Jan. 11, 2012 | The NLRB protects the right of non-union employees to fair pay
Jan. 5, 2012 | Unpaid internships hurt mobility
Dec. 22, 2011 | Some ugly views about the unemployed among congressional Republicans
Dec. 21, 2011 | House vote will hurt millions of unemployed workers
Dec. 14, 2011 | Snapshot: Unemployment insurance benefits increase job-search activities
Dec. 7, 2011 | President Obama got it right; Fox news gets it wrong
Nov. 18, 2011 | Labor-HHS spending bill would make terrible changes in labor law and regulation
Nov. 15, 2011 | New evidence that the chained CPI is unfair to seniors
Nov. 9, 2011 | Ohio rejects assault on union rights and wages
Nov. 1, 2011 | The chained CPI: Budget treachery
Oct. 31, 2011 | New book by Ray Marshall: Value-Added Immigration
Oct. 17, 2011 | Baby steps toward fixing our schools
Sept. 15, 2011 | Contrary to misinformation campaign, NLRB Boeing ruling consistent with long-established labor law
Sept. 12, 2011 | Boeing and House Republicans abuse their power
Sept. 9, 2011 | The long and winding road to the American Jobs Act
Sept. 8, 2011 | Obama’s American Jobs Act is mostly on the mark
Sept. 7, 2011 | Georgia Works doesn’t work
Sept. 7, 2011 | Fixing schools, creating jobs

Report

Sept. 13, 2012 | California retirement plan could serve as a national model
Nov. 17, 2011 | Rehberg’s proposed riders to Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act would undercut American workers
Sept. 2, 2011 | Putting America back to work: Policies for job creation and stronger economic growth
Aug. 18, 2011 | Crain and Crain’s OSHA cost estimates are way off base
May 10, 2011 | The JOBS Act will result in fewer, not more jobs
May 25, 2010 | New jobs bill would save or create well over a million jobs
March 30, 2010 | Business Success and First Contract Arbitration
March 16, 2010 | An analysis of the Local Jobs for America Act
Nov. 10, 2009 | Fast-Track Entitlements Commission is the Wrong Approach for Social Security
Oct. 20, 2009 | The plan to end the jobs crisis—The economy requires a comprehensive response for a full recovery
June 25, 2009 | First-Contract Arbitration Facts: The Canadian Experience
Jan. 29, 2009 | The Employee Free Choice Act: Questions and Answers
Oct. 31, 2008 | The Economy in Numbers
Sept. 29, 2008 | Bailout plan must help the middle class and grow the economy
Jan. 11, 2008 | Strategy for economic rebound: Smart stimulus to counteract the economic slowdown
Dec. 21, 2007 | Retirement Security
May 23, 2007 | The work-family balance: An analysis of European, Japanese, and U.S. work-time policies
Nov. 20, 2006 | Tort costs and the economy: Myths, exaggerations, and propaganda
Sept. 5, 2006 | The Potential Impact of NLRB’s Supervisor Cases: A State-by-State Analysis
Aug. 9, 2006 | Guest worker programs should include strong wage protections for U.S. workers
July 31, 2006 | House-passed minimum wage bill cuts wages for tipped employees in seven states by as much as $5.60 per hour
July 12, 2006 | Supervisor in name only: Union rights of eight million workers at stake in Labor Board ruling
Dec. 22, 2005 | What’s wrong with the economy?
July 14, 2005 | Two Steps Back: African Americans and Latinos will lose ground under Social Security ‘reform’
May 25, 2005 | Reaction and Response: Answers to Towers Perrin’s ‘Corrections and Clarifications’
May 16, 2005 | The frivolous case for tort law change: Opponents of the legal system exaggerate its costs, ignore its benefits
July 14, 2004 | Longer Hours, Less Pay – Labor Department’s new rules could strip overtime protection from millions of workers
Jan. 14, 2004 | The Truth Behind the Administration’s Numbers on Overtime Pay
June 25, 2003 | Eliminating the right to overtime pay: Department of Labor proposal means lower pay, longer hours for millions of workers
April 1, 2003 | The Naked Truth About Comp Time
March 25, 2003 | Time’s Up for the Unemployed
May 1, 2002 | Pensions under assault
Feb. 1, 2002 | No More Enrons: Protecting 401(k) Plans for a Safe Retirement

Economic snapshot

April 25, 2013 | Gang of 8 bill could give nearly half of new IT jobs requiring a college degree to guestworkers
Jan. 3, 2013 | Workplace injuries and illnesses cost U.S. $250 billion annually
June 6, 2012 | As unions decline, inequality rises
May 23, 2012 | Lack of government data on internships leaves policymakers in the dark
Jan. 9, 2012 | “Right-to-work” hurts private-sector pension coverage
Dec. 14, 2011 | Unemployment insurance benefits increase job-search activities
May 31, 2011 | Government regulations save lives on the job
Aug. 9, 2010 | State and local job losses threaten recovery
Feb. 17, 2010 | The Recovery Act worked
Sept. 16, 2009 | Americans agree on how to fix Social Security
Aug. 18, 2009 | No coercion in card check
May 20, 2009 | Employers can stall first union contract for years
Jan. 14, 2009 | Downtime: Workers forced to settle for fewer hours
June 4, 2008 | Bush Budget Spends 100 Times More to Regulate Unions
Feb. 27, 2008 | Ohio Voters and Candidates Take a Dim View of NAFTA
Dec. 4, 2007 | Canada’s health system beats U.S. in cost and results
Sept. 18, 2007 | Health insurance industry employment outpacing providers and all-industry growth rates
June 20, 2007 | Strong unions, strong productivity
Feb. 28, 2007 | Workers want unions now more than ever
Dec. 6, 2006 | Federal support for employment and training services dwindles
Sept. 28, 2005 | Gulf families’ recovery at risk
Oct. 22, 2003 | Long-term unemployment reveals need for another extension of unemployment insurance benefits
March 7, 2003 | Are health costs postponing retirement?

Testimony

Feb. 14, 2013 | Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, regarding the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act
July 10, 2012 | EPI public comments on State Department’s changes to J-1 visa Summer Work Travel program
May 17, 2011 | EPI experts submit public comments supporting the Department of Labor’s sweeping changes to H-2B guestworker program
May 5, 2011 | Supplemental Testimony: The Department of Labor’s implementation of the Davis-Bacon Act
April 14, 2011 | Testimony: The Department of Labor’s implementation of the Davis-Bacon Act
Nov. 15, 2010 | EPI experts submit public comments on proposed changes to H-2B guest worker program
Oct. 7, 2010 | The Wobbly Stool: Retirement (In)security in America
June 26, 2008 | Testimony before the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures of the House Committee on Ways and Means
April 16, 2008 | Reforming the H-2B non-immigrant visa program

Commentary

Feb. 8, 2013 | America’s Genius Glut
Dec. 1, 2012 | Paid sick leave a wise investment
July 13, 2012 | Economic research supports raising the minimum wage
June 11, 2012 | Regulatory freeze legislation ignores deadly consequences of existing regulatory delays
May 24, 2012 | Blocking Labor Department wage rule condemns young Americans to unemployment
May 16, 2012 | A bold step forward: Assessing the State Department’s new J-1 Summer Work Travel regulations
April 20, 2012 | Prospects for improved working conditions for Apple workers: Lessons from the EPI panel
Feb. 16, 2012 | Misguided CPU Act would cut tech workers’ wages
Feb. 10, 2012 | EPI applauds new Labor Department immigration rules that protect U.S. and foreign workers
Oct. 26, 2011 | Jobs and fairness: ‘prevailing wage’ rule good for Marylanders
Sept. 9, 2011 | Delegation of legal experts finds credible accounts of J-1 abuses at Hershey
Sept. 2, 2011 | A jobs program — and a boon for kids
Aug. 17, 2011 | Hershey Co. strike highlights abuses in the J-1 program
July 18, 2011 | Has anyone heard of due process?
June 13, 2011 | No Pension, No Security
May 5, 2011 | Supplemental Testimony: The Department of Labor’s implementation of the Davis-Bacon Act
April 14, 2011 | Testimony: The Department of Labor’s implementation of the Davis-Bacon Act
April 5, 2011 | Magical thinking won’t create jobs: Heritage forecasts for Ryan plan are fantasy
March 16, 2011 | The Chamber of Commerce’s Employment Regulation Index
Feb. 11, 2011 | Colombia’s Anti-Union Violence Rules out FTA
Oct. 1, 2010 | Another step towards immigration reform
Sept. 20, 2010 | Raising the retirement age not necessary to save Social Security
May 13, 2010 | The real deficit crisis: Jobs
May 5, 2010 | EPI responds to university presidents on internship regulations
March 10, 2010 | EPI applauds Local Jobs for America Act
Feb. 22, 2010 | More than 1 million long-term unemployed could lose benefits without extension
June 3, 2009 | Setting the record straight on GM
April 28, 2009 | Gingrich is just plain wrong on EFCA
March 10, 2009 | Why we need Retirement USA
Feb. 9, 2009 | Senate compromise on stimulus flunks economics test
Feb. 6, 2009 | Stimulus drifting into bad ideas
Feb. 3, 2009 | Questions, answers on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)
July 31, 2008 | Fairness shortage
July 31, 2008 | Labor’s ‘guests’ are anything but
April 16, 2008 | Reforming the H-2B non-immigrant visa program
Feb. 14, 2008 | Be wary of half-a-loaf economic stimulus
Sept. 10, 2007 | Stop corporate abuse and fix layoff warning law
Sept. 4, 2007 | Much work to do to ensure future Labor Days brighter: Post-WW II gains for all workers must be reclaimed
Aug. 14, 2007 | Book would make bad policy: WVU professor comes up short on economics
May 4, 2007 | Subsidizing Downward Mobility: The problem with the Democrats’ proposed wage insurance program
Oct. 31, 2006 | The declining rights of workers
Aug. 4, 2006 | Another way for business to abuse workers
March 20, 2006 | New trade deals that could cripple Ohio
Dec. 13, 2005 | Help with health care costs, factory changes would save jobs | EPI Viewpoints
Dec. 12, 2005 | Union declines hurt all workers
Aug. 10, 2005 | Family and Medical Leave Act under assault: New restrictions, narrower definition of ‘serious illness’ pushed by business groups
Sept. 10, 2004 | Millions to lose overtime pay
May 20, 2004 | A Closer Examination of the Department of Labor’s Final Overtime Regulations
May 11, 2004 | Fair Pay Facts: The Department of Labor’s Misrepresentations About Its Overtime Rule
May 5, 2004 | On the Department of Labor’s Final Overtime Regulations
March 24, 2004 | Saying goodbye to overtime checks
March 4, 2004 | On the President’s Fiscal Year 2005 Budget for the U.S. Department of Labor
Jan. 9, 2004 | Rose-Colored Glasses Don’t Help the Jobless
Dec. 10, 2003 | On the Department of Labor’s Proposed Overtime Regulations
Oct. 26, 2003 | Extend unemployment benefits
Sept. 2, 2003 | Sad Labor Day for working Americans
Aug. 15, 2003 | Eight million workers to lose overtime
March 31, 2003 | Just What the Worker Needs—Longer Days, No Overtime | EPI Viewpionts
March 28, 2003 | The eight-million-piece puzzle | EPI Viewpoints
March 28, 2003 | Paul Wellstone’s unfinished business

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A comprehensive, independent analysis of the U.S. labor market →

Ross Eisenbrey

Vice President

Publications by Ross Eisenbrey

Blog

April 26, 2013 | Workers Memorial Day thoughts

April 18, 2013 | Fox News wannabe: Washington Post disses France

April 17, 2013 | Gang of Eight bill delivers on bold, broad legalization of undocumented workers

April 16, 2013 | The Working Families Flexibility Act is a fraud

March 26, 2013 | Striking J-1 students want justice from McDonald’s and U.S. State Department

March 7, 2013 | In support of the Fair Minimum Wage Act

March 4, 2013 | For 20-somethings, the no-limits, no-pay job

Feb. 22, 2013 | Problems in the high tech labor market

Feb. 21, 2013 | The PhD bust

Feb. 20, 2013 | Close to slavery

Feb. 13, 2013 | Immigration reform and the minimum wage

Jan. 30, 2013 | Guestworker expansions don’t belong in comprehensive immigration reform

Jan. 16, 2013 | AARP comes out against COLA cut

Jan. 11, 2013 | Don’t be fooled by Apple’s PR: Workers strike against sweatshop conditions

Jan. 10, 2013 | Unpaid internships: Denying opportunities and exploiting young workers

Jan. 9, 2013 | Michigan’s ‘right-to-work-for-less’ legislation: Bad for workers, undemocratic, fundamentally immoral

Jan. 9, 2013 | Michelle Rhee gets a failing grade on her report card

Dec. 21, 2012 | Fiscal fiasco: The first to be hurt will be the unemployed

Dec. 18, 2012 | Social Security has no place in ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations

Dec. 14, 2012 | Ease of doing business in U.S. and record corporate profits contradict Chamber’s regulatory complaints

Dec. 13, 2012 | Right-to-work-for-less passes in Michigan

Dec. 5, 2012 | Want jobs? Kill the Bush tax cuts and extend Emergency Unemployment Compensation

Dec. 5, 2012 | Fixing a problem that doesn’t exist: Special interest STEM immigration bills are not needed

Nov. 26, 2012 | WaPo ignores facts on Social Security COLA

Nov. 21, 2012 | Immigration reform and indentured guest workers don’t go together

Nov. 20, 2012 | Rush Limbaugh and other unbalanced observers blame ‘the union’

Nov. 7, 2012 | Don’t let the lame duck session undercut necessary financial oversight

Nov. 2, 2012 | Center for Immigration Studies goes political on jobs numbers

Oct. 23, 2012 | Anti-regulatory malarkey

Oct. 22, 2012 | House Republicans block remedy for China’s job-killing currency intervention

Oct. 18, 2012 | Fighting waste and abuse in defense contractor pay

Oct. 18, 2012 | Celebrate the Clean Water Act

Oct. 16, 2012 | Only a minority of Americans think there is too much regulation

Oct. 12, 2012 | Remembering Paul Wellstone

Oct. 11, 2012 | Walmart strikes dramatize third-world inequities

Sept. 27, 2012 | Pension report misses obvious causes of underfunding

Sept. 26, 2012 | Rare conservative-progressive agreement: Corporate capture of the government is a bad thing

Sept. 25, 2012 | Recent federal regulation coincides with manufacturing employment gains

Sept. 25, 2012 | Retirement proposals a big step forward

Sept. 17, 2012 | Obama tackles illegal Chinese auto parts subsidies

Sept. 13, 2012 | Chicago’s schools and the polite Pinkertons of educational reform

Sept. 7, 2012 | Card check survives as way to choose a union

Aug. 30, 2012 | Congress: Put emergency unemployment compensation in the continuing resolution

Aug. 28, 2012 | Key goals of 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom are still unmet

Aug. 24, 2012 | Apple in China: Failing to make good on its commitment?

Aug. 23, 2012 | Bad economics leads to bad H-2B guest worker legislation

Aug. 22, 2012 | MAPI report on regulation is latest example of business-sponsored junk science

Aug. 14, 2012 | Parade Magazine decries poor state of public school facilities

June 29, 2012 | Combating foreign currency manipulation would boost manufacturing and U.S. jobs

June 21, 2012 | Supreme Court contorts itself to deny overtime protection to 90,000 pharmaceutical employees

June 19, 2012 | NLRB uses new tool to help us understand our rights

June 15, 2012 | Another suicide at Apple’s key supplier in China

June 14, 2012 | Congress should fix Postal Service pension problem it created

June 1, 2012 | Center for Public Integrity makes a strong case for more regulation and better enforcement

June 1, 2012 | New York Times pension reporter ignores inconvenient truths

May 29, 2012 | How’s that immigrant-bashing thing workin’ for ya?

May 24, 2012 | Management—bad management—crippled the auto industry’s Big Three, not the UAW

May 24, 2012 | Alan Simpson isn’t ‘saving Social Security’

May 16, 2012 | Bernard ‘B’ Rapoport remembered

May 10, 2012 | Organized business’s knee-jerk opposition to paid sick days legislation

April 25, 2012 | Attempt to block labor election modernization goes down in flames

April 20, 2012 | The fashion industry’s illegal unpaid internships

April 18, 2012 | Apple’s iPhone profits dwarf its labor costs

April 11, 2012 | Thank God for trial lawyers

April 9, 2012 | Social Security privatizer Pozen attacks public employee pensions

April 6, 2012 | Washington Post misdiagnoses causes of retirement insecurity

April 4, 2012 | Apple’s employees in China don’t work 70 hours a week because they want to

April 3, 2012 | Fair Labor Association report leaves big questions about change at Apple/Foxconn

March 29, 2012 | Harkin bill would revive the American Dream

March 2, 2012 | Pushing back against illegal unpaid internships

Feb. 24, 2012 | Post editorial criticizes Md. schools, public pensions, school boards, teacher unions, and Gov. O’Malley — but misses all targets

Feb. 17, 2012 | Whitewashing the Apple

Feb. 15, 2012 | Bad Apple labor practices: Promises have been made before

Feb. 14, 2012 | Labor Department tackles guest worker problems

Feb. 9, 2012 | Auto industry roars back, everyone cheers (except anti-government conservatives)

Feb. 7, 2012 | Unpaid internships: A scourge on the labor market