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
Marketplace
Job satisfaction up, but may be near a plateau
CEI’s Sean Higgins is cited in Marketplace on employment satisfaction: These days, Sean Higgins at the Competitive Enterprise Institute think tank said people are…
National Review
CA’s $20 Fast Food Minimum Wage Is a Regressive Tax
California’s new $20 an hour minimum wage for fast food restaurants has turned into a regressive tax on the state’s low-income residents. People who wanted…
National Review
The Biden Administration Is Working Overtime to Make Work Less Flexible
The Biden administration has been putting in extra hours to quash the burgeoning trend of employment flexibility, and its latest effort is overhauling overtime rules. It may…
Search Posts
Inside Sources
After the Supreme Court Rules On Forced Union Dues
Inside Sources talks to Trey Kovacs about the Janus v. AFSCME forced union dues case before the Supreme Court: The Competitive Enterprise…
Blog
Landmark Supreme Court Case Can Restore Worker Freedom
Today at oral argument in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said “You're basically arguing, do away with unions,” when questioning Bill…
News Release
CEI Hopeful Supreme Court Will Strike a Victory for Worker Freedom and First Amendment in Janus Case
“No worker who wants to serve the public should be forced to pay union fees against their will at the risk of losing his or…
Blog
The Dues and Don’ts of Government Union Life
No worker should be forced to financially support a union to speak and bargain on their behalf with the government. Check out CEI's video on the…
Blog
Lawson v. Grubhub a Big Win for Flexible Work Arrangements
Classyfying sharing economy workers as employees, rather than independent contractors, would undercut why many individuals find sharing economy work appealing. Sharing economy workers can choose how much and…
Fox News
Dear Supreme Court, It’s Time to Let Union Workers Decide How to Spend Their Money
Mark Janus is a child-support specialist in Illinois who is forced to pay union dues in order to keep his job. As a public employee,…
The Hill
Congress Must Stop Union Scheme Siphoning Funds From Medicaid
Congress created Medicaid to exclusively fund care to the elderly and disabled, not fund labor unions. But powerful labor unions like the Service Employee International…
Reflections On The Evolution Of Trade Policy
Reflections On The Evolution Of Trade Policy
Forbes has published an article by Fred Smith detailing the effects of renegotiation and its effects on the North American economy as well as the…
Blog
In Illinois, Public Pension Funding Cannot Keep up with Pension Benefits’ Growth
Public pension shortfalls result from too little money being paid into the pension funds. Or so government employee unions and their political allies would have…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Opposing Taxpayer-Funded Pension Bailouts
View Full Document as PDF Dear Members of Congress: On behalf of our organizations and the millions of American taxpayers we represent,…
Inside Sources
Free-Market Coalition Urges Action on Franchise Rule
Inside Sources cites the leadership role which CEI is playing in defining joint-employment as head of a coaltion of free-market advocacy groups. A coalition…
The Washington Post
Gorsuch could deal government unions a mortal blow
The Washington Post cited the Competitive Enterprise Institute on the AFSCME’s use of compulsory agency fees to fund political advocacy on a slew of partisan…
Chicago Tribune
Commentary: Gorsuch could strike a mortal blow to unions
The Chicago Tribune has cited the Competitive Enterprise Institute for its role in bringing to light the breadth of influence the American Federation of State, County and…
Blog
Federal Employee Unions Hamstring Government Reorganization Efforts
President Trump has said that “billions and billions of dollars are being wasted on activities that are not delivering results for hardworking American taxpayers.” The inspection…
Blog
A Highly-Skilled Opportunity for Trump on Immigration
If the president wants to make America great again, he should call for an expansion of high-skilled immigration to improve the competitiveness of U.S. companies,…
Tribune-Review
Forced Union Fees: Fairness Where It’s Due
Tribune quoted CEI on the point in which union fees used to fund national conventions is an inherently political activity. In what portends…
Law360
Trump’s First Year: Labor And Employment Report Card
Law360 discusses the Trump administration’s labor policy with Trey Kovacs. Saturday marked one year since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and the past 365 days…
Blog
7 Congressional Efforts the President Should Urge Members to Support
President Trump should use his State of the Union address to encourage members of Congress to pass these 7 bills immediately.
Watchdog
Labor Analyst: Members-Only Unions Would Be Answer in World Without Forced Dues
Watchdog covers the release of CEI’s latest publication, “Supreme Court Can Strike a Victory for Worker Freedom in Janus Case.” A free-market public…
Reason
The Supreme Court’s Big Public Sector Union Case Is Really About Free Speech
Reason covers Janus v. AFSCME. Mark Janus did not vote to join a union, and he does not support the union that he was forced…
InsideSources
How Member-Only Unions Could Solve the Free-Rider Problem
InsideSources covers the release of CEI’s latest report “Supreme Court Can Strike a Victory for Worker Freedom in Janus Case.” The U.S. Supreme…
Blog
Stop Forcing Unions on Workers
Workers should have the right to speak for themselves at their workplace and decide how to spend their hard earned wages.
News Release
Report: Supreme Court Janus Case Could Stop Forced Union Dues, But States Need Change to Members-Only Unions
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear oral argument in a lawsuit challenging forced union dues for public-sector workers, Janus v AFSCME Council 31,…
Study
Supreme Court Can Strike a Victory for Worker Freedom in Janus Case
View Full Document as PDF Mark Janus is a state child support specialist in Illinois. He works to ensure that children receive…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Opposing Contractor Nexus Tax Grab in Massachusetts
View Full Document as PDF Dear Mr. Harding: We, the undersigned, write in opposition to the “Proposed Update – 12/19/17” 830 CMR…
Blog
Prohibit Union Official Time during Potential Government Shutdown
Under OPM policy, exempt federal employees who work during a shutdown “serving as union officials may continue to be granted official time to the same…
InsideSources
Ending the Federal Labor Policy Swing
InsideSources discusses the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. Former President Barack Obama was accused by critics of unilaterally implementing an extensive labor…
Blog
End of ‘California Rule’ Can Open Path for Pension Reform
Ending the 'California Rule' won’t mean that pension reform will become easy—union opposition will remain as fierce as today—but it’s a needed start.
Fox Business
Minimum Wage Hikes Sending Restaurants the Way of the Shopping Mall?
Fox Business discusses minimum wage hikes with Iain Murray. Eighteen states raised their minimum wages at the start of 2018, but increasing labor…
Blog
The Dangerous Posturing of New York’s Fossil Fuel Pension Divestment
New Yorkers should be wary of Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision to divest fossil fuel energy stocks from the city's public employee pension plan.
Blog
Right to Work Laws Protect Workers from Union Corruption
Widespread union corruption is just another reason why states should adopt right-to-work laws and free workers from forced union dues requirements.
Fox Business
Red Robin Eliminates Bus Boys as Restaurants Combat Minimum Wage Hikes
Fox Business discusses minimum wage hikes with Iain Murray. At the beginning of January, minimum wage increases took effect in 18 states and…
Blog
New Evidence on the Effects of Teacher Unions
At a time when minimum wage laws are causing opportunities for unskilled young people to disappear, it is all the more vital that education provides…
Blog
Tax Reform Delivers Another Blow to Union-Funded ‘Fight for $15’
Tax reform has produced results that have largely eluded the union-funded movement to raise the wages of workers across the country.
InsideSources
The Merciless Death of Obama’s Workforce Legacy
InsideSources discusses changes to labor policy with Trey Kovacs. Former President Barack Obama oversaw significant changes to employment policies during his time in office,…
Blog
Top 5 Changes in Labor Policy to Look for in 2018
In 2018, expect a hard push by Congress to cement the traditional joint employer standard into law.
Blog
Pension Bailout Bill Would Put Taxpayers on the Hook for Billions
Policymakers can help underfunded pension plans meet their payout obligations without bailouts.
Blog
NLRB Restores Commonsense Joint Employer Standard
During the past eight years, the Obama National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) tilted labor-management relation precedent far in favor of labor unions. This came in…
The Washington Times
NLRB Reverses Obama-era Ruling on Employers’ Liability for Subcontractors
The Washington Times covers the National Labro Relations Board’s reversal of the joint employer standard. The National Labor Relations Board reversed an Obama-era ruling Thursday…
News Release
CEI Praises NLRB Decision to Reverse Course on Harmful Joint Employer Liability
Today the National Labor Relations Board, in a 3-to-2 decision, overturned its Obama-era ruling in the board’s own case against waste management company Browning-Ferris Industries. The…
The Washington Examiner
Democrats Seek to Hobble Republican-led Labor Board
The Washington Examiner discusses an attemt to hobble the National Labor Relation Board’s pro-worker agenda with Trey Kovacs. Democrats led by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth…
Watchdog News
More Briefs Filed with SCOTUS in Forced Union Dues Case
Watchdog News covers CEI’s amicus brief in Janus v. AFSCME. Three more briefs were filed with the U.S. Supreme Court this week in support…
Politico
CEI to File Janus Brief
Politico’s Morning Shift covers CEI’s amicus brief in Janus v. AFSCME. The Competitive Enterprise Institute will file an amicus brief this morning in …
InsideSources
A Case for Banning Forced Union Dues
InsideSources covers CEI’s amicus brief in Janus v. AFSCME. The U.S. Supreme Court should outlaw forced union dues in the public-sector when it hears…
Blog
Forced Union Dues Fund Labor Union Politics
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) submitted a brief in Janus v AFSCME, Council 31, a case before the United States Supreme Court. The question at…
Blog
Labor Department Should Delay Overtime Rulemaking Pending Report
Trey Kovacs suggests a way to improve the Department of Labor's evidence-based policy making.
Comment
Comments to the Department of Labor on the 2018 Draft Strategic Plan
View Full Document as PDF Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Draft Strategic Plan for…
Blog
Brief Filed to Supreme Court in Forced Union Dues Case
No worker should be forced to fund an organization they do not wish to support.
Blog
What to Expect from the Department of Labor
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta has made a much needed course correction at the Department of Labor (DOL). During the past administration, federal regulators consistently issued…
Townhall
Democrats’ ‘A Better Deal’ Revised to Help Unions Wield More Power
Democratic leadership made one huge gaffe when they released “A Better Deal,” a new economic plan aimed at building a strong economy. They forgot to…