Expert on Employment and Immigration Law and Policy
Selected Press & Accolades
Randy has been widely quoted and in many national publications such as the NY Times, LA Times, Bloomberg, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal, as well as cited by policy makers and other professionals in the employment and immigration areas. Selected examples below.
TRIBUTE TO RANDY JOHNSON
Dec. 5, 2017
"We need more people like Randy Johnson who find that creating sound public policy is a calling and who possess his attention to detail and determination to seek solutions." - Hon. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina
Read full tribute HERE.
"Randy Johnson, a previous senior vice president at the Chamber of Commerce, spent decades in Washington, D.C., lobbying for comprehensive immigration reform among other employment issues. In recent interviews and emails with ProPublica, though, he said that “immigration, while an important issue for the business community, has never been a tier-one issue.” He said that it’s typically easier to raise a “war chest” of lobbying dollars from chamber members when the subject is Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, worker unionization or tax reform (including reducing taxes on inherited wealth). Those are all bigger immediate concerns for CEOs, Johnson said, because “the impact on the bottom line is more direct and obvious,” whereas “the benefits of immigration reform tend to be more uncertain and diffuse.”
Read full article HERE.
"For all of Donald Trump's railing against immigrants and Democrats' insistence on creating a better pathway to citizenship, one thing almost no one ever talks about is a computer-based federal program that makes it easy for prospective employers to spot and reject unauthorized immigrants seeking jobs. The program, known as E-Verify, is highly reliable and involves relatively little red tape. If fully utilized, many experts say, it could significantly curb the flow of undocumented immigrants by effectively removing one of the biggest reasons so many come to the United States illegally to begin with - getting a job."
Read full article HERE.
"Randel Johnson, a Distinguished Immigration Scholar at Cornell Law School, argues that the US federal government's enforcement proceedings can undermine the rule of law by overstepping their bounds and effectively precluding judicial review..."
Read full article HERE.
"The “essential worker” approach would work to the benefit of migrants and a range of American industries, as laid out in “Immigration Reform: A Path Forward,” a recent white paper from Cornell Law School’s Immigration Law and Policy Program. One of several suggestions made there is to start with healthcare."
Read full article HERE.
"Cornell Law School’s Immigration Law and Policy Program recently released a white paper entitled Immigration Reform: A Path Forward. The authors open the paper with an admission that the intense partisanship of the current political environment doesn’t allow for sweeping immigration legislation. So, they suggest, policymakers should pivot to a small number of more achievable — and urgently needed — reforms focused on three policy areas: border management and asylum reform, worker programs, and DREAMers. Ideaspace believes the white paper proposals are fair and well-conceived..."
Read full article HERE.
Academics Urge Congress to Enact Specific Immigration Reforms as Soon as Possible
Nov. 10, 2023
"A new immigration reform proposal takes this approach. Stephen Yale-Loehr, Randel Keith Johnson, Theresa Cardinal Brown, and Charles Kamasaki authored the proposal as part of a recent Cornell Law School conference. Yale-Loehr is an attorney, law school professor and NFAP advisor, and Johnson, Cardinal Brown, and Kamasaki are distinguished visiting immigration scholars at Cornell Law School."
[Translated]
Read full article HERE.
Border Bill’s Immigration Demands Would Likely Doom Aid To Ukraine
Nov. 1, 2023
"A new immigration reform proposal takes this approach. Stephen Yale-Loehr, Randel Keith Johnson, Theresa Cardinal Brown, and Charles Kamasaki authored the proposal as part of a recent Cornell Law School conference. Yale-Loehr is an attorney, law school professor and NFAP advisor, and Johnson, Cardinal Brown, and Kamasaki are distinguished visiting immigration scholars at Cornell Law School."
Read full article HERE.
Veteran Chamber Lobbyist Johnson Gets DOL Review Board Spot
Aug. 3, 2020
"The Labor Department is appointing Randy Johnson, a longtime lobbyist steeped in Republican and management-side workplace policy, as a member of its legal-review panel."
Read full article HERE.
Seyfarth Partner Randel Johnson Appointed to Department of Labor’s Administrative Review Board
Aug. 3, 2020
“'Randy has been a tremendous colleague and was instrumental in the development of the firm’s Government Relations & Policy practice group,' said Laura Maechtlen, chair of Seyfarth’s Labor & Employment department. 'He joins an impressive group of Seyfarth alumni who have served our country at the highest levels of government. We wish Randy the very best.'"
Read full article HERE.
Johnson leaves the Chamber for Seyfarth Shaw
Jan. 25, 2018
Randy Johnson, previously the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s senior vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits, is joining Seyfarth Shaw’s labor and employment department as a partner. He is also heading up the firm’s new government relations and policy practice group. Johnson told PI in an interview that he plans to still focus on labor, immigration and employee benefits issues, but that the 'specifics will be driven by the needs of our clients.' Pete Miller, chairman and managing partner of Seyfarth, said in a statement that 'Randy is well positioned to guide our clients through the breakneck pace of change in Washington.'"
Read full article HERE.
Share of U.S. Workers in Unions Falls to Lowest Level on Record
Jan. 26, 2017
"'Big labor’s membership rolls continue to sag for the simple reason that workers remain uninterested in the product that the unions are selling,' said Randy Johnson, senior vice president overseeing labor issues at the chamber."
Read full quote HERE.
What Unions Got Wrong About Trump
Nov. 26, 2016
"Just 11.1 percent of American workers belong to unions, half the level when Ronald Reagan became president and down from 35 percent in the 1950s. However, businesses and Republicans remain wary of labor’s power. “Unions are a small minority of the work force, but they still have a strong war chest that can be used for political purposes,” said Randel K. Johnson, a senior vice president at the United States Chamber of Commerce."
Read full article HERE.
Opinion | Burdensome Labor Rules
Sept. 16, 2016
"The regulations are written as if the vast matrix of labor laws, backed by numerous enforcement agencies and plaintiffs’ lawyers, doesn’t exist. These new regulations are redundant at best and will only drive up contract costs at the expense of the American taxpayer.'"
Read full article HERE.
Obama Drafts Order on Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors
Aug. 5, 2015
"Randel K. Johnson, the senior vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits at the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, said he believed that the president could not use his power over contracting policy to set social policy, that he has to show that an executive order on contracting promotes greater efficiency in government procurement."
Read full article HERE.
Top Republicans to Call for Legal Status for Some Immigrants
Jan. 28, 2014
"[But] Citizenship, said Randel K. Johnson, a senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is not “really critical to getting a deal done.” “I think most people would think citizenship is important because then people feel they are part of the American dream,” Mr. Johnson said. But, he added, “if these people can come out of the shadows, work and travel, that’s what they want, that’s what recent polls have shown, and that will move the economy along.”'
Read full article HERE.
With deadlines looming, lobbyists push for changes to Obamacare
Sept. 21, 2013
"'Why shoot for the moon?' said Randel Johnson, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a vocal critic of the law and Washington’s biggest spender on lobbying. 'There may be five or six things we can get done — those are the ones we’re going to focus on.'"
Read full article HERE.
Guest Workers Are at Crux of Groups’ Deal on Immigration
March 31, 2013
"Still, Randy Johnson, the senior vice president for labor, immigration, and employee benefits at the Chamber of Commerce, cautioned that any official agreement would come from the bipartisan Senate group. “We advise senators on the Hill how to write the bill, and they decide on what bill would make sound legislation,” he said."
Read full article HERE.
Business and Labor Unite to Try to Alter Immigration Laws
Feb. 7, 2013
"Randel K. Johnson, senior vice president for labor policy at the United States Chamber of Commerce, agreed. 'We oppose the commission because it would never be able to determine shortages in a timely manner that reflect the always-changing realities of the marketplace.'"
Read full article HERE.
Skilled Science Workers at Focus of Second Senate Proposal on Immigration
Jan. 28, 2013
"Randel K. Johnson, senior vice president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, said his organization had worked closely with the senators on the bill and would send 'a letter of strong support.'"
Read full article HERE.
Unions See Little Change in Membership
Jan. 27, 2012
"Randy Johnson, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president of labor, sees it differently. "The fact that there's been some growth is a good sign that the economy is rebuilding a bit but has nothing to do with the unions or their appeal to workers," he said."
Read full quote HERE.
Plan to Ease Way for Unions
June 22, 2011
"'This is another not so cleverly disguised effort to restrict the ability of employers to express their views during an election campaign,' said Randy Johnson, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president of labor, immigration and employee benefits."
Read full quote HERE.
Big Labor Leader is Old School Writ Large
Sept. 1, 2009
"Business leaders argue that that labor's ongoing woes reflect changes in the workforce, and say they expect little change from Mr. Trumka. "I suspect he's going to be very aggressive but I think, frankly, more of the same in the sense of a very liberal agenda that does not appear open to compromise," said Randy Johnson, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president of labor."
Read full quote HERE.
After Push for Obama, Unions Seek New Rules
Nov. 8, 2008
"[But] Corporate America has already declared war on labor’s push for new legislation that would help unions organize. “This will be Armageddon,” said Randel Johnson, vice president for labor policy at the United States Chamber of Commerce."
Read full article HERE.
Quote from Congressman Steny Hoyer
Sept. 17, 2008
"I want to thank as well the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and other business groups who came together with the disabilities community with a common objective. Randy Johnson worked on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce. And Randy Johnson, at a press conference that was held when the Senate passed this bill just a few days ago, said that he was a staffer here in 1988 and ’89 and ’90 when we passed the Americans with Disabilities Act."
Read full quote HERE.
Labor Wants Obama to Take on Big Fight
Nov. 6, 2008
"Randel Johnson, vice president of labor policy for the Chamber, said he thinks unions proposed an 'outrageous' bill in order to win a lesser compromise that would still be a big victory for labor. But he added, 'any combination that still leaves the binding-arbitration in there would still be unacceptable to the business community.'"
Read full quote HERE.
Unions Seek Pension Protections in Bailout
Sept. 28, 2008
"Business groups want to keep the pension-funding issue out of the debate over the bailout plan. "We wouldn't support revisiting the funding rules in this rush to address the broader economic problems," said Randy Johnson, vice president of labor policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce."
Read full quote HERE.
Business Attacks OSHA Rule Proposal
Nov. 22, 1999
"If the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 'continues down this route," said Randel Johnson of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, "the business community is going to oppose them in court.' He also said business would seek assistance from Congress in blocking the rules."
Read full quote HERE.
Quote from Congressman Bill Goodling
Nov. 9, 1997
"Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to a longtime aide of mine who will be leaving the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the next few weeks. Randy Johnson has overseen, as our Workforce Policy Coordinator, all of the business, labor and workplace issues that have come before our committee since we have been in the majority. And for more than half a decade before that, he served as our labor counsel while we were in the minority."
Read full quote HERE.
Quote from Congressman Harris Fawell
Nov. 9, 1997
"I do want to say also, just briefly, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. GOODLING] mentioned Randy Johnson, who is actually seated right behind me here. We have worked together for quite a number of years, and this gentleman is in charge of the areas of labor law, which is something that puts a lot of people to sleep. We need a good lawyer with a good mind to keep track of all of the ins and outs of that area, and Randy has done that dutifully, and then going over into health care, the ERISA statute, which really puts people to sleep, and then into the pension area of the ERISA law."
Read full quote HERE.
Quote from Congressman Bill Goodling
Jan. 4, 1995
“Finally, I wish to acknowledge the leader ship of my colleagues, the gentleman from Connecticut, Chris Shays, and the gentleman from Illinois, Harris Fawell, on this issue, and that of key staffers such as Randy Johnson, Gary Visscher, Peter Carson, and Rob Green.”
Quote from Congressman Steny Hoyer
June 7, 1990
"There have been a number of staff in the House of Representatives who have worked on the ADA over the last year. I would like to express my deepest appreciation for their long hours and hard work. They are all true professionals who perform their jobs with tremendous talent and dedication. They are: Reggie Gova, Randy Johnson..."