Whether it is exposing legislation and regulations that benefit unions, lawyers or management at the expense of workers, detailing the folly of occupational licensing laws; supporting the expansion of state right-to-work laws; or highlighting the overreach of lawmakers, bureaucrats, and courts; CEI advances reforms in this crucial, often overlooked policy area. Our op-eds, policy papers, media appearances, coalition work, and innovative research serve as crucial counterweights to the aggressive efforts by unions and their allies to frame the policy debate.
Labor and Employment Issue Areas
Featured Posts
DC Journal
This Labor Day, Respect the Right to Join (or Not) a Union
Labor Day was created to celebrate all the Americans who work to support their families. The least the government can do in return is…
News Release
US economy adds 162,000 jobs in August, higher than expected: CEI analysis
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report for August shows the economy added 162,000 jobs, higher than economists predicted. While the news is a…
Blog
The ‘no hire, no fire’ era is starting to crack
Families gathering around the barbeque next Monday to celebrate the national day off from work will probably be grilling more hot dogs and cheap…
Search Posts
Blog
Crafting a Sensible Overtime Rule
It is important that the Trump administration avoid the pitfalls the Obama Department of Labor fell into on overtime regulation.
The Hill
Senate Confirms Second Trump Nominee to Labor Board
The Hill discusses the confirmation of William Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. The Senate confirmed President Trump’s second pick…
InsideSources
Senate Confirms Trump’s Last Labor Board Nominee
InsideSources discusses the confirmation of William Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. President Donald Trump had his last federal labor…
The Washington Examiner
Senate OKs Trump pick for NLRB
The Washington Examiner discusses the confirmation of William Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. The Senate on Monday confirmed business…
The Washington Free Beacon
GOP Controls Labor Board
The Washington Free Beacon discusses the confirmation of William Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. Republicans hold majority on the…
News Release
CEI Praises Senate Confirmation of NLRB Nominee William Emanuel
The Senate voted September 25 to confirm Trump nominee William Emanuel to the powerful National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). CEI labor policy expert …
Comment
CEI Comments to the Department of Labor on Overtime Rule Regulations
View Full Document as PDF The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is pleased to submit these comments in response to the Department of…
Blog
Will Government Union Gravy Train Come to an End?
No worker should be forced to financially support an organization against his or her will. For too long, government employee unions have possessed the power…
Blog
Missouri’s $5 Billion State Pension Underfunding Shows Results of Faulty Accounting
Government pension managers should calculate the state contribution using a more realistic rate-of-return estimate.
Federal Times
Report Calls for Drastic Workforce Cuts at Regulatory Agencies
Federal Times covers CEI’s publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. The non-profit Competitive Enterprise Institute is all about shrinking government. In a newly released report…
Blog
Why Should Millennials Want to Shrink Government Bureaucracy?
Free markets and limited government are for every generation.
Washington Examiner
Labor Day: Give Workers, Not Labor Unions, More Rights
With Labor Day around the corner, it’s an appropriate time to examine federal labor policy in relation to worker rights. Upon examination, it becomes clear…
Blog
White House Suspends EEO-1 Form that Cost Businesses $400 Million to Gather Wage Data
On August 29, the White House suspended a burdensome reporting requirement for employers that would have cost them $400 million while yielding information…
Blog
Texas Court Strikes Down Costly Obama Overtime Rule
Today, the Eastern Texas District Court struck down the Obama administration’s misguided overtime rule. This is a crucial victory for the rule of law and…
Reason
Report: Florida Unions Milk Taxpayers for Millions Through ‘Release Time’
Reason covers a new report co-authored by Trey Kovacs on public uninon release time in Florida. Taxpayers in Miami have spent more than…
Blog
Subsidy Forces Florida Taxpayers to Pay for Union Work
Most hardworking Americans would be shocked to learn that public employees at all levels of government—federal, state, and local—conduct union business that is totally unrelated…
News Release
Union Subsidy Wastes Millions of Taxpayer Dollars in Florida
Florida has a problem with taxpayer giveaways to labor unions due to a practice known as “release time,” explains a new report from Florida’s James…
Study
Union Time on the Taxpayer Dime
View Full Document as PDF Published with the James Madison Institute Over the past 20 years, Floridians have consistently made conscious decisions…
Reason
Instead of Filling Vacancies, Congress Should Abolish the NLRB
Reason discusses the National Labor Relations Board vacancies with Trey Kovacs. The U.S. Senate voted earlier this month to confirm Marvin Kaplan’s appointment…
Blog
Congress Expands Investigation into Inappropriate Federal Employee Political Activity
U.S. Postal Service employees and union engaged in a “systematic violation” of the Hatch Act, a law placing limits on political activity performed by federal…
U.S. News & World Report
Why Google Could Lose
The fired and now-infamous Google engineer James Damore may have a federal case against his former employer. In the aftermath of Damore’s 10-page memo criticizing…
Blog
Workers Desire the Freedom to Choose
It is past time to give workers the freedom to choose that they desire.
Blog
Rethinking the National Labor Relations Board
The NLRB has become a highly partisan agency that does more harm than good.
InsideSources
Worker Choice — Pay Dues, or Not
Forcing workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment may soon become a policy of the past, at least for government employees. As…
Blog
Occupational Licensing Reform in the Beehive State
Occupational licensing reform is a winner in terms of giving the working poor greater opportunities to earn a living…
Washington Times
Federal Government Needs Major Overhaul to Cut Red Tape, Reduce Costs: Report
The Washington Times covers CEI’s latest publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. Shrinking the federal bureaucracy would spur economic growth and reduce costs to taxpayers,…
Washington Free Beacon
Report: Reducing Regulatory Agencies’ Authority Could Boost Economy, Increase Job Creation
The Washington Free Beacon covers CEI’s latest publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. Reducing some of government’s regulatory agencies’ authority could boost economic growth and…
InsideSources
REPORT: Why the Federal Labor Board Should Be Dismantled
InsideSources covers Trey Kovacs’ suggested reforms for the National Labor Relations Board as part of CEI’s most recent publication Shrinking Governmnet Bureaucracy. The…
OneNewsNow
Min. Wage Study Suggests a Robot Works for Free
OneNewsNow discusses a new report by the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. A new study has concluded what many people have…
Study
Rethinking the National Labor Relations Board
View Full Document as PDF The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency that oversees private sector labor relations in the…
Blog
NLRB Fails to Explain Departure from Joint Employer Precedent
Today, for the second time this week, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a decision that…
News Release
Court Ruling in NLRB Joint Employer Case Against CNN Points to Urgent Need for Reform
Today the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals gave a partial win to news network CNN in a labor dispute with the National Labor Relations Board…
News Release
Improving Job Numbers Emerge but Damaging Regulations Remain a Problem
The U.S. economy added 209,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate declined to 4.3 percent, the lowest since March 2001, according to the U.S.
Blog
Can You Make a Living without a Government License?
There is an expanding strange-bedfellows coalition that would like to see fewer professions for which people need a government-issued license.
Blog
$15 Minimum Wage Could Cost 47,000 Jobs in a Single U.S. County
The Washington Post has “sobering news for $15 minimum-wage boosters.”…
Washington Examiner
Senate Confirms Marvin Kaplan for NLRB
Washington Examiner covers Marvin Kaplan’s confirmation to the National Labor Relations Board. The Senate on Wednesday approved President Trump’s pick of Marvin Kaplan…
The Washington Free Beacon
Senate Confirms Second GOP Board Member to NLRB
The Washington Free Beacon covers Marvin Kaplan’s confirmation to the National Labor Relations Board. Republicans are no longer the minority at the National…
News Release
Urgent Labor Reforms Depend on Senate Confirming Trump Labor Nominees
Update: The Senate voted on August 2, 2017 to confirm Marvin Kaplan to the National Labor Relations Board. The Senate is expected to vote today…
The Daily Signal
One Union’s Desperate Effort to Unionize Automakers in the South
A union organizing campaign at one workplace does not normally generate national headlines, but the 10-year-plus effort by the United Auto Workers to unionize the…
InsideSources
House Introduces Bill to End Joint-Employment Uncertainty
InsideSources discusses joint employer with Trey Kovacs. House lawmakers are looking to add clarity to a patchwork of legal interpretations Thursday by introducing…
Blog
Senate Committee Advances Union Subsidy Transparency Bill
The Senate took a great step forward today to bringing transparency to the wasteful practice of official time. Now it is time to finish the…
Blog
Congress Introduces Cure to Job-Killing ‘Joint Employer’ Standard
It is of the utmost importance to repeal regulations, like the joint employer rule, that stifle small businesses.
The Daily Caller
Dems Push For $15 Minimum Wage While Paying Their Own Staff WAY Less
The Daily Caller discusses the Democrats’ proposed $15 minimum wage hike with Hans Bader. The Democratic Party is pushing for a federal $15…
News Release
CEI Praises House Plan to Roll Back NLRB Joint Employer Rule
Today, Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL) will introduce a bipartisan bill to roll back the National Labor Relations Board’s controversial joint employer ruling from 2015. The ruling…
Blog
Democrats Peddle Job-Killing Proposal in ‘Better Deal’ Blueprint
A $15 national minimum wage would eliminate more than 7 million jobs, according to a 2016 study.
Blog
Restore Economic Opportunity by Repealing Occupational Licensing Rules
To increase growth, we need to get rid of some of the unnecessary barriers to economic opportunity that have arisen in recent years – such…
Blog
Bills Allow States to Protect Workers from Identity Theft and Stalking
Protecting workers from identity theft and stalking should be a bipartisan issue. While Republicans and Democrats can hardly agree on whether the sky is blue,…
Citation
CEI Responds to Secretary of Labor Acosta’s Comments on Job Creation
Ahead of President Trump’s “Made in America” roundtable event, Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta offered comments on job creation. Competitive Enterprise Institute Policy Analyst…
Blog
Union Seeks to Protect Jobs of the Past Rather than Train Members for Jobs of the Future
The better way to defray the negative impact on workers from automation is through better education, skills development, and removing restrictions on work and entrepreneurs.
InsideSources
Amazon Faces Union Pressure in Whole Foods Merger
InsideSources discusses union pressure in the Whole Foods-Amazon deal with Trey Kovacs. A major union with members in the retail food industry released a…
Blog
Don’t ‘Liberate’ Interns from Valuable Career Experience
In a diverse labor market in which college students can choose between many different combinations of work, recreation, study over the course of a summer,…
Blog
Gosar Amendment on Labor Costs a Test for Republicans as Party of Fiscal Responsibility
For far too long, the federal government has squandered countless tax dollars by inflating the cost of public works projects.
Blog
Time to End Democrat Majority at the National Labor Relations Board
Filling the vacant seats on the NLRB is imperative to returning the agency to a body of impartial members that represents the public interest in…
News Release
CEI Leads Coalition Urging Swift Senate Vote on Trump NLRB Nominees
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today sent a coalition letter to the Senate urging swift confirmation of President Trump’s two nominees to fill vacancies on…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Urging Senate to Confirm Marvin Kaplan and William J. Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board
View Full Document as PDF Dear Senator: The undersigned organizations urge the Senate to confirm Marvin Kaplan and William J. Emanuel to…
Blog
Joint Employer Standard an Obstacle to Job Creation and Entrepreneurship
Congress is working on legislation to address and clarify joint employment in a way that enables entrepreneurs to start businesses without regulatory roadblocks. …
Reuters
Conservative Group Backs Supreme Court Challenge to Forced Union Dues
Reuters covers CEI’s amicus brief filing in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 regarding forced union dues. A business-backed think tank has urged the U.S.
Bloomberg BNA
FedEx Freight Drivers in NC Decertify Teamsters
Bloomberg BNA discusses the decertification of Teamsters by FedEx Freight in North Carolina with Trey Kovacs. FedEx Freight drivers in Charlotte, N.C., voted…
Inside Sources
A Whirlwind Week for the Fight for $15
Inside Sources discusses Seattle’s $15 minimum wage study with Hans Bader. The Fight for $15 movement went into the July Fourth weekend facing…
Washington Examiner
NLRB Policy Could Stifle Expansion of Apprenticeships and Worker Training Opportunities
As extremely partisan as Congress has become nowadays, there are glimmers of hope for agreement on reforms to help boost jobs and economic opportunity. Republicans,…
Blog
Conservatives Oppose Forced Unionism, not Unions
The July/August edition of The Atlantic features an article by Jonathan Rauch, “The Conservative Case for Unions,” in which he cites Barry Goldwater and…
The Columbus Dispatch
Act Makes Union Bosses Listen to Workers
President of the AFL-CIO Richard Trumka recently delivered a heap of advice on “compromise” in a commencement speech to Penn State Fayette Graduates. His college…
Washington Free Beacon
Sudden Death for Obama OT Rules
The Washington Free Beacon covers the Trump administration’s decision not to defend President Obama’s proposed overtime regulations. The Trump administration will not defend…
News Release
CEI Praises Trump Decision on Labor Overtime Rule
The decision not to defend the controversial Obama-era mandate is a much-needed step toward repealing the misguided regulation.
Roll Call
Trump Nominees for Labor Board Could Nix Obama-era Rules
Roll Call discusses President Trump’s NLRB nominations with Trey Kovacs. President Donald Trump’s nomination of two attorneys to serve on the National Labor…
Blog
New Bill Requires VA Employees to Serve Veterans Instead of Union
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has introduced legislation to ensure federal employees working at the Department of Veterans Affairs serve veterans instead of performing union business.
Blog
Seattle Minimum Wage Hike Shrinks Workers’ Incomes
A credible new study on Seattle’s $15 minimum wage has bad news for liberals, notes Max Ehrenfreud at The Washington Post’s Wonkblog. The City…
Blog
Can Federal-Employee Unions Continue Automatic Dues Deductions from Retirees?
Siphoning off dues, at the taxpayers’ expense, from federal employee retirees’ benefits is absurd.
Washington Free Beacon
Trump Set to Give Employers a Leg Up at NLRB
The Washington Free Beacon covers President Trump’s NLRB nomination and a statement by Trey Kovacs. The Trump administration may give Republicans a majority at…
News Release
CEI Comments on Amazon’s Plan to Buy Whole Foods
Amazon’s recent announcement of its plan to buy the grocery chain Whole Foods has set off a series of questions and speculation. CEI experts on…
Blog
Five Big Reforms for Trump Labor Nominees
It is imperative for the Senate to confirm President Trump’s nominees so they can bring fairness and predictability to agency decisions. …
Blog
A Birthday Wish List for the President
Here are four gifts Congress should give the president before its annual July 4th recess.
Reason
Trump Can Gut Obama-Era Labor Regs Because They Were Never Meant to Last
Reason covers the Secretary of Labor Acosta’s decision to eliminate independent contractor rules. Eliminating a set of Obama administration rules for independent contractors…
Washington Examiner
Trump Is Dismantling Obama’s Workplace Law Legacy
Washington Examiner discusses President Trump’s rollback of labor regulations with Trey Kovacs. The White House is systematically dismantling former President Barack Obama’s legacy…
Inside Sources
Trump’s DOL Rescinds Obama-Era Franchise Rule
Inside Sources discusses the rollback of the joint employer rule with Trey Kovacs. The Department of Labor (DOL) withdrew Wednesday from an Obama-era…
Washington Free Beacon
Labor Department Rolls Back Obama Franchise Rules
The Washington Free Beacon discusses the rollback of the joint employer rule with Trey Kovacs. The Department of Labor will roll back an Obama-era…
The Hill
Curtailing Use of ‘Official Time’ in VA Will Benefit Veterans Care
A recent op-ed in The Hill by Jeff Shapiro, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees’ Veterans Affairs Council, (“A true labor-management partnership at…
News Release
CEI Praises Move by Trump Labor Secretary to Withdraw Rules on Independent Contractor, Joint Employer Liability
Today Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta reportedly rescinded Obama-era rules on joint employer and independent contractor liability, according to a Bloomberg BNA reporter. CEI labor policy…
Blog
Janus v. AFSCME Could End Forced Union Dues in Public-Sector
Today, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the Liberty Justice Center asked the United States Supreme Court to hear a case…
Blog
New York City Passes Automation-Inducing Labor Laws
In the ongoing battle between New York City and San Francisco to enact the nation’s costliest labor laws, the Big Apple may have just pulled…
The Hill
Congress Introduces Legislation to Reverse Obama’s Big Labor Agenda
Federal labor agencies issued numerous regulations during the Obama administration in hopes of boosting union membership rolls. It didn’t work. The latest data published by…
Blog
Paid Parental Leave Proposal Increases Cost of Employment and Burdens States
President Trump’s first budget proposal includes an unfunded mandate that likely will lead to tax hikes. This comes in the form of a paid family…
Inside Sources
House Republicans Target Taxpayer Funded Union Work
Inside Sources discusses the “Official Time” bill with Trey Kovacs. House Republicans passed a bill Wednesday aimed at providing further oversight into a…
News Release
Labor Union Official Time Bill Set For May 24 House Vote
On Wednesday, May 24, the House is expected to vote on a plan, H.R. 1293, requiring better reporting on labor union “official time” –…
Blog
Center for American Progress’ Make-Work Scheme Needs Details
A debate over income inequality and job growth is worth having.
Foundation for Economic Education
The Progressives Took Away Our Right to Contract. It’s Time to Reclaim It
According to surveys, 77 percent of millennials want flexible work hours, which many say makes them more productive at work. Yet some recent…
Blog
Greater Government Economic Intervention Isn’t the Only Way for Workers to Receive More Paid Leave
President Trump, along with his daughter Ivanka, have frequently advocated for mandated paid family leave. Most recently, on Mother’s Day, Trump touted his desire…
Inside Sources
Free-Market Coalition Urges Lawmakers to Support Overtime Choice Bill
Inside Sources covers a coalition letter led by CEI urging lawmakers to support The Working Families Flexibility Act. A coalition letter from free-market…
Inside Sources
Congress Considers Plan to Improve Workplace Flexibility
Sometimes people need extra time off work to take care of loved ones or tend to life’s other demands and goals. But for many, that…
Bloomberg BNA
Trump to Nominate Kaplan, Emanuel for Key Labor Board Spots
Bloomberg BNA covers President’s Trumps progress in nominating two members to the National Labor Relations Board and CEI’s take on the matter. The…
Fortune
This Overlooked Labor Rule Could Be a Huge Drag on U.S. Businesses
On May 10, 13 Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) expressing concerns over the…
News Release
April Jobs Report Still Falls Short, Regulatory Reform Needed
The jobs report for April, 2017 shows decent but not spectacular progress, says the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Iain Murray. Though the economy added 211,000 jobs in April…
Blog
Celebrate National Small Business Week
There is no better way to celebrate National Small Business Week than for the Trump administration to rollback red tape that discourages business formation and…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Supporting Working Families Flexibility Act
View Full Document as PDF Dear Members of Congress: On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write in support of the Working…
InsideSources
Senate Confirms Trump’s Labor Secretary Pick
InsideSources highlights CEI’s coalition letter’s estimation of regulatory costs from the Department of Labor. Those opposed to the last administration also hope the…
Washington Free Beacon
Acosta Is New Secretary of Labor
The Washington Free Beacon discusses the confirmation of Alexander Acosta as Labor Secretary with John Berlau. Conservative legal experts urged Acosta to act…
News Release
CEI Priorities for New Labor Secretary Acosta
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Alexander Acosta to head the U.S. Department of Labor. CEI experts on labor and financial policy, respectively, offered their thoughts…
Blog
Time to Repeal Special Interest ‘Prevailing Wage’ Laws
If Congress passes a massive infrastructure spending plan, it is imperative to ensure the best rate of return for tax dollars spent on these projects.
Blog
Reviewing Trump’s First 100 Days
This Saturday, April 29th, marks President Trump’s 100th day in office, which offers us the opportunity to reflect on what his administration has accomplished so…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Urging Missouri Governor to Champion Public Sector Union Reform
View Full Document as PDF Dear Governor Greitens, In your first month in office, Missouri joined a growing majority of states to…
Staff & Scholars
Sean Higgins
Research Fellow
- Deregulation
- Labor and Employment
Ryan Young
Senior Economist and Director of Publications
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform
Ivan Osorio
Editorial Director
- Labor and Employment
Iain Murray
Vice President for Strategy and Senior Fellow
- Banking and Finance
- Trade and International