Blog
Labor Policy Developments to Watch in the New Year
Labor policy reform was a fast-moving issue during in the past year. At the federal level, labor policy became more tilted in favor of union…
Daily Caller
How The Obama Admin Forced Through Failed Union Giveaways
The Daily Caller discusses the Department of Labor's new joint employer rule with Trey Kovacs. “Federal labor agency action during the Obama administration…
Michigan Capitol Confidential
In West Virginia Right-to-Work Debate, Unions Re-Use Scare Story Script
The Michigan Capitol Confidential discusses the impact right-to-work law on states with Trey Kovacs. Trey Kovacs, a policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
Real Clear Policy
Obama Should Rein In the NLRB
In President Obama's State of the Union address, he echoed a theme that has been constant throughout his tenure: "How do we give everyone a…
Blog
How Do We Give Workers a Fair Shot? Remove Regulatory Roadblocks
In President Obama’s State of the Union address, he echoed a theme that has been constant throughout his tenure, saying, “how do we give everyone a…
Blog
Union Subsidy Eliminates So-Called “Free Rider” Problem
On January 11, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, a case that could provide right to work…
Washington Post
How to Keep Fairfax Teachers in the Classroom
The Fairfax County Public Schools system is facing a massive budget shortfall: $72 million for the 2016 school year. With such a large budget deficit,…
Blog
Protecting American Workers and Job Creators with the Omnibus
This week, Congress is working against the clock to avert a government shutdown and pass new spending legislation before the current continuing resolution expires on…
The Washington Examiner
Congress can rein in NLRB by withholding funds
Congress is facing a looming deadline. It needs to pass a bill by Dec. 11 to fund the government for the next fiscal year and…
Blog
Official Time and Criminal Misconduct by Federal Employees
With under two weeks until Congress must pass an omnibus spending bill to avoid a government shutdown, one policy that should be on the chopping…
Talk Radio News Service
Wednesday, December 2 – Union “release time” robs school coffers
Talk Radio News Service mentions Trey Kovacs' report on Fairfax County Public Schools' practice of "release time" which comes at the taxpayer's expense.
Daily Caller
How To Reverse The Fairfax $5.8M Union Giveaway
The Daily Caller discusses Trey Kovacs' report, which explains the practice of "release time" for teachers to participate in union work and its costs to taxpayers . …
Study
A Remedy for Fairfax County’s Taxpayer Giveaway to Unions
Full Document Available in PDF Use of taxpayer funds should be reserved for purely public purposes, not the private benefit of an…
Blog
NLRB Attack on McDonald’s
No one accuses the government of being responsive to the public. Whether you are a veteran seeking care or need to renew your license at…
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Police unions’ lawsuit thumbs nose at taxpayers, constitution
Trey Kovacs discusses the lawsuit filed by the Las Vegas police unions that demand to preserve union release time. This release time relys on taxpayer dollars to…
Blog
Republicans Should Support Rep. King’s Amendment to Prohibit Davis-Bacon Requirements
The House of Representatives is voting on the Highway Trust Fund this week. Numerous amendments have been added to the bill. One that should garner…
Blog
House Committee Pushes Back against NLRB Assault on Small Business
Today, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed H.R. 3459, the Protecting Local Business Opportunity Act, a bill that would restore the traditional…
Blog
Return of the Employee Free Choice Act
Labor law has dramatically changed under the Obama administration via the pro-union National Labor Relations Board. Many longstanding Board precedents have been tossed aside in favor…
Washington Examiner
Labor board expands burden on business to disclose worker info to unions
The Washington Examiner references Trey Kovacs on the National Labor Relations Board's ruling that hospital managers must turn over all employee contact information to the…
Investor's Business Daily
NLRB Attack On McDonald’s: Transparency For Thee, Not For Me
Who’s the boss? The National Labor Relations Board recently muddled that normally straightforward question. In August, the NLRB, in the case of Browning-Ferris Industries, unilaterally…
Daily Caller
PA Republicans Fight ‘Ghost Teachers’ This Halloween
Heartland Institute
NLRB Decision Supersizes Franchise Fast-Food Worker Unions’ Power
The Heartland Institute consults CEI's Trey Kovacs on the NLRB's decision to allow organized labor groups to negotiate with the company franchise itself.
Products
Bernie Bill Could Be A Big Win For Union Election Drivers
The Daily Caller references Trey Kovac's article to understand how card check supresses worker's voice. A main focus of the measure would be…
Politico
Will UAW strike?
Politico discusses the United Auto Workers strike and references Trey Kovacs for information on unionization. One union leader is so miffed about Elephant…
The Hill
Workers Need Opportunities More Than a Summit
CEI's Labor Expert, Trey Kovacs, discusses the pitfalls of President Obama's labor summit geared towards promoting union's interests rather than those of workers. On October…
The Daily Caller
How Unions are Being Given Free Rein to Use Public Employees
The Daily Caller cites Trey Kovac's report on how much public sector unions cost the federal government and tax payers. In general the…
Blog
Why Isn’t There a Joint Union Standard?
On September 29, an official and members of Boston’s Teamsters Local 25 were indicted on extortion charges, which U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz described as…
Blog
Bill Introduced in Senate to Strip NLRB of Adjudicatory Power
On September 28, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced The Protecting American Jobs Act, S. 2084, which would relieve the National Labor Relations Board of its…
Blog
NLRB Doubles-Down on Expanded Joint-Employer Standard
As I detailed here last week, in a case involving Browning-Ferris Industries, the National Labor Relations Board decided to greatly expand when an employer is…
Blog
NLRB Joint Employer Decision Creates Barrier to Job Creation
In a 2010 speech, President Obama said small business “is as American as apple pie. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy.” He went on…
American Spectator
Obama’s Job Killing Gift to Big Labor
Trey Kovacs discusses the active NLRB in the waning years of the Obama administration: The Obama administration rewarded its union allies last month…
Fox News
Obama NLRB Pushes Pro-Labor Agenda as Administration Winds Down
Trey Kovacs discusses recent NLRB decisions with Fox News: “They [NLRB] have been active in recent months,” said Trey Kovacs, a labor…
Products
Walker Labor-Policy Proposal Earns Praise
Blog
Missouri Can Make History with Right to Work Override Vote
Today, the Missouri legislature is scheduled to vote on overriding Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of right to work. If Republicans can muster enough votes—several…
Washington Examiner
Right-To-Work Legislation Defeated in Missouri
The Washington Examiner talks to CEI's Trey Kovacs about the recent veto of Missouri Right-To-Work legislation: "In failing to override the governor's…
Daily Caller
These Are The Union-Backed MO Republicans Blocking Right-To-Work
The Daily Caller discusses Right-To-Work legislation in Missouri with CEI's Trey Kovacs: The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), however, has stated in a…
Study
Why Right to Work is Right for Missouri
No individual should be forced to financially support an organization they disagree with or risk penalty. However, in Missouri and 24 other states, private sector…
Blog
Workers Deserve Labor Law Reform
Unions use Labor Day as an occasion to remind workers of their past good deeds and deploy their usual rhetoric claiming to have workers’ best…
Blog
Federal Labor Agencies Attack Workers and the Economy
Today, CEI released a report on the Obama administration’s effort to pay back its union allies by way of federal labor agencies. The National Labor Relations…
Study
Federal Labor Agencies Ambush American Economy
As it enters its final stretch, the Obama administration has launched an unprecedented campaign to reward the president’s union allies, using the regulatory process.
CNSNews.com
Forced Union Fees Do Not Have to Go to the Union – You Have Other Options
The Michigan Supreme Court recently ruled that state employees cannot be required to pay dues to a union or risk being fired. This is but…
Fox News
Critics blast loophole that forces taxpayers to fund public sector union work
The Fox News cites CEI`s Trey Kovacs on the Texas union “release time” benefits: “Union release time is a plague on local, state…
Blog
CEI Joins Coalition to Support Right-to-Work Protections in Missouri
No individual should be forced to financially support an organization with which they disagree or risk penalty. However, in Missouri and 24 other states, private-sector…
Blog
CEI Joins Coalition to Support Right-to-Work Protections in Missouri
No individual should be forced to financially support an organization with which they disagree or risk penalty. However, in Missouri and 24 other states, private-sector…
Blog
Missouri Tax Dollars Finance Union Political Activity
As Thomas Jefferson wrote, the constitution created a "wall of separation between church and state." An equally impenetrable wall of separation should be erected to…
Watchdog.org
San Antonio police, researcher trade shots over ‘release time’
The Watchdog.org cites CEI`a Trey Kovacs on the Texas union “release time” benefits: A critic of union “release time” is sticking by his…
Watchdog.org
Missouri tax dollars subsidize union activism
Taxpayers expect their government to spend tax dollars only on activities that benefit the public. But in Missouri, public employers at nearly every level of…
Blog
Time to Enforce Texas Constitution’s Bar on Taxpayer Subsidies to Private Parties
Use of taxpayer funds should be reserved for purely public purposes, not the private benefit of an individual, corporation, or association. Yet, Texas public employee…
Study
A Remedy for the Lone Star State’s Taxpayer Giveaway to Unions
Full Document Available in PDF Use of taxpayer funds should be reserved for purely public purposes, not the private benefit of an…
Blog
After 80 Years, Labor Law Needs Reform
Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) recently penned an op-ed that celebrates the 80th anniversary of the National Labor Relations Act and praises the work of the…
Blog
Largest Union Decertification Effort in Railway Labor Act History Underway at Allegiant Air
Last week, Allegiant Air flight attendants have filed with the National Mediation Board to decertify the Transport Workers Union. If successful, it would be largest…
Blog
Texas: Austin and San Antonio Release Time Records
The San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) granted 4,238 release time hours in fiscal year 2012, at a cost to taxpayers $135,786. In FY 2013, release…
Blog
Government Union Privilege Highlights Necessity to End Forced Union Dues in Public Sector
Every worker should be able to get and keep a job without being forced to pay union dues. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it…
Blog
U.S. Supreme Court to Take on Government Union Power
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted cert to a case that could give all public employees right-to-work protections. If SCOTUS rules in favor of the…
Blog
California Department of Water and Power Trusts Used as Union Slush Fund
Public resources should be used to promote public purposes, meaning tax dollars should not go toward efforts that exclusively financially assist a private entity.
Blog
Was Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s Right-to-Work Veto Influenced by UAW Campaign Contributions?
On June 4, Governor of Missouri Jay Nixon vetoed right-to-work legislation, which would end forced union dues payments, and was joined by UAW Local 249…
Blog
Only One Option to Rein in Politicized NLRB: Eliminate Appropriations
In a recent Forbes article my colleague Wayne Crews explains that "federal regulation matters more than spending." On the flip side, one of the only…
Blog
California Labor Commission Rules Uber Drivers Are Employees
A recent ruling by the California Labor Commission found that an Uber driver is an employee, not independent contractor as the ridesharing company argues. The…
Blog
Union Deauthorization Provides Workers Weapon to Combat Pro-Union NLRB Actions
Nearly all action to come out of the Obama administration's National Labor Relations Board has sought to ease union organizing campaigns in order to funnel…
Blog
Union Official Time Breeds Corruption
The Office of Labor-Management Standards of the Department of Labor conducts criminal investigations to unearth union wrongdoing that violates the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.
Blog
NLRB Approves of Vulgar Union Gear at Workplace
Under the Obama administration, the National Labor Relations Board has gone to great lengths to expand employee Section 7 rights to the point of absurdity.
Blog
NLRB’s End Run Around Right to Work Laws
Yesterday, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing entitled, "Compulsory Unionism Through Grievance Fees: The NLRB’s Assault on Right to Work," which examined…
Blog
Texas Court Upholds NLRB Ambush Election
On June 1, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas upheld the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) ambush election, which dramatically alters…
Blog
Union Bosses Lobby for Exemption from $15 LA Minimum Wage
As I reported in yesterday, Big Labor spent a lot of money and resources supporting the Los Angeles' $15 minimum wage.
Blog
Big Labor Money Behind Los Angeles Minimum Wage Hike
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted 14-1 in favor of raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2020.
Blog
Defund the Partisan NLRB
One of the primary objectives of the National Labor Relations Act is to remedy the perceived "inequality of bargaining power" between employees and employers. However,…
Blog
Missouri House and Senate Pass Right to Work
On May 12, Missouri took a great leap forward toward becoming the 26th right to work (RTW) state. First, the State Senate passed the bill…
Blog
Right to Work is Right for Missouri
On May 12, Missouri took a great leap forward toward becoming the 26th right to work (RTW) state. First, the State Senate passed the bill…
Blog
Government Union Collective Bargaining Needs Sunlight
Taxpayers should have a right to know how tax dollars are spent. Unfortunately, one of state and local governments' largest expenditures, public union contracts, mostly…
Blog
Congress Tables Ambush Election Resolution of Disapproval
The Competitive Enterprise Institute planned on scoring the Senate’s veto override vote on S.J. Res. 8, a Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval to void…
Blog
Congress Gives Up Fight against NLRB Ambush Election Rule
The Competitive Enterprise Institute planned on scoring the Senate’s veto override vote on S.J. Res. 8, a Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval to void…
Blog
Republicans Vote in Favor of Union Giveaways
Last week, the Competitive Enterprise Institute sent out a Key Vote alert on two amendments. Both were designed to save taxpayers money by ending policies…
Blog
SEIU Support for Minimum Wage Hikes Based on Self-Interest
Why is the Service Employees International Union funneling $15 million into the Fight for 15 campaign when the average private-sector union member makes $22 an…
Blog
SEIU Support for Minimum Wage Hikes Based on Self-Interest
Why is the Service Employees International Union funneling $15 million into the Fight for 15 campaign when the average private-sector union member makes $22 an hour and…
Blog
Washington Teachers’ Union Boss Compensation Not Unusual
A recent article in the Yakima Herald-Republic describes a union subsidy, which pays 75 percent of the teachers' union president's salary, as "unusual." Unfortunately, that…
Products
New Rule Empowers Union ‘Ambush Elections’
With declining union membership, the easiest way for the NLRB to help unions increase their ranks is limiting the time that workers have to contemplate the…
Investor's Business Daily
New Rule Empowers Union ‘Ambush Elections’
Americans usually associate mid-April with tax filing — a trying yet predictable annual ritual. This year, however, it will mean a change in America’s workplaces…
Blog
NLRB Holds Training at Union Office and Top Lawyer Forgets Details of Ambush Election Rule
Congress has held numerous hearings and passed a resolution of disapproval of the National Labor Relations Board regulation known as the "ambush election" rule due…
Blog
Missouri Government Employers Rarely Keep Track of Union Subsidy
One would expect government employers to know where and what its employees are doing while paid by the taxpayer. Unfortunately, in Missouri, that is not…
Washington Free Beacon
Missouri Officials Block Efforts to Track Time Teachers Spend on Union Business
The Washington Free Beacon cites Trey Kovac's study on Missouri union release time: The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a think tank based in…
Study
A Remedy for Taxpayer Giveaway to Unions
Full Document Available in PDF Use of taxpayer funds should be reserved for purely public purposes, not the private benefit of an…
Blog
Congress Introduces Bill to Combat NLRB Overreach
Last week, Congress introduced a bill that would restore decades-old National Labor Relations Board precedent by overturning a decision that inappropriately eased union organizing drives.
Blog
Maine Legislators Try to Bring Right-to-Work to the Northeast
Last week, Wisconsin became the 25th right-to-work (RTW) state, meaning workers cannot be forced to pay dues to a union which they may disagree with.
Blog
Wisconsin Unions Sue to Maintain Coercive Power
Workers should find the union lawsuit against Wisconsin's recently enacted right-to-work law (RTW) bizarre and, probably, offensive. The argument put forth by unions is that…
Blog
State Labor Law Reform Beyond Right-to-Work
Governor Scott Walker and Wisconsin's legislature are not alone. A number of states are introducing legislation that enhances worker freedom and holds unions accountable to…
Blog
Steelworkers Allegedly Intimidate Members that Just Want to Work
On February 1, the United Steelworkers (USW) instigated a strike at several oil refineries around the country, a first since the 1980s. After contract negotiations…
Blog
Gov. Scott Walker Aims to Make Wisconsin 25th Right-to-Work State Monday
No individual should be forced to financially support an organization they disagree with or risk penalty. Thankfully, Governor Scott Walker is determined to ensure that…
Blog
U.S. Supreme Court Could Free Government Workers from Forced Union Dues
Public-sector workers could soon gain the freedom to decide whether or not to pay union dues if the U.S. Supreme Court hears the impending case,…
Blog
Union Employees on Public Payroll Challenged in Pennsylvania Courts
A recent lawsuit filed by The Fairness Center, a public interest law firm, is challenging the Philadelphia School District's practice of allowing school employees perform…
Blog
Wisconsin Opponents of Right-to-Work Offer Weak Defense of Compulsory Dues Payments
Predictably, yesterday, labor unions and its supporters protested outside of the Wisconsin Capitol to voice their displeasure with the right-to-work (RTW) bill that is making…
Blog
NLRB Ambush Election Rule Weakens Worker Privacy
Government should not have the power to force private-sector employers to disclose workers’ private contact information to a third party special-interest group for any cause.
Blog
Missouri a Step Closer to Enacting Right to Work
Last Thursday, right-to-work passed the Missouri House. The bill, approved 91-64, makes union dues payments in the private-sector voluntary and now awaits a contentious political…
Blog
Congress Takes First Shot at NLRB Ambush Election Rule
Congress established the National Labor Relations Board as a body made up of neutral arbiters to represent the public in labor disputes. Under the Obama…
Blog
Congress Takes First Shot at NLRB Ambush Election Rule
Congress established the National Labor Relations Board as a body made up of neutral arbiters to represent the public in labor disputes. Under the Obama…
Blog
Treasury Union President: IRS Needs More Money
As budget talks heat-up, union officials are making their presence known and that their agencies need more money.
Blog
Poll: 75% of Ohioans Disapprove of Using Taxpayer Funds to Collect Union Dues
Jason Hart, Watchdog.org labor reporter, recently published a story that highlights a new poll from the think tank Opportunity Ohio on Ohioans' opinions of labor…
Blog
GOP Introduces Labor Reform Bills
As the 114th Congress kicks-off, labor reform seems to be on the minds of the GOP. On January 28, Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Lamar…
Blog
National Labor Policy Increasingly Grants Big Labor Privileges as Union Membership Declines
A recent press release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the percentage of American workers in labor unions dropped again. In 2014, only…
Blog
Oregon Blueberry Farmers Prevail over Department of Labor Overreach
A majority of attention paid to federal agency overreach in the labor policy arena during the Obama administration has focused on National Labor Relations Board…
RealClear Policy
Public-Sector Union Fixes for the States
As states begin their new legislative sessions, lawmakers have many opportunities ensure that government works toward the benefit of the public, not the benefit of…