Deconstructing the discourse on the American model of labor deregulation

Abstract

In the book O mito EUA: Um país sem direitos trabalhistas? (The US myth: A country without labor rights?), João Renda L. Fernandes demonstrates that the US is not “a paradise of labor relations deregulation”, where there are supposedly no specialized state mechanisms for enforcing legislation and resolving labor disputes. The US has a decentralized and flexible model, but both laws and case law protect workers, albeit in ways that differ from the Brazilian legal system. In particular, the author emphasizes the importance of labor courts, which are often attacked by advocates of free negotiation, clarifies that each country has its own legal and institutional arrangements to ensure the effectiveness of existing laws, and highlights that public regulation of labor is not an obstacle to economic growth.