US States Enact Temporary Workers' Rights Bills Amid Staffing Industry Reform

Recent legal and policy developments in the United States highlight ongoing tensions between government regulations, workers' rights, and free speech. The Goldwater Institute is challenging administrative guidance that restricts employers from expressing opinions on unionization, arguing that the lack of legal standing until actual prosecution chills free speech rights. Meanwhile, several states, including New Jersey and Illinois, have enacted Temporary Workers’ Bills of Rights to combat wage inequality and protect temporary workers, introducing new compliance requirements and enforcement mechanisms. In the international arena, the U.S. continues to confront human rights abuses in China, particularly the forced labor of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, with calls to strengthen enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and related sanctions. Domestically, a controversial forced labor prosecution involving executives of OneTaste, Inc. raises questions about the boundary between coercion and free speech under the First Amendment. These cases collectively illustrate the complex intersection of labor rights, government authority, and constitutional protections in both national and global contexts.