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
Blog
Pardon me boys, is this the Special Interest Express?
The Washington Post published a smart editorial on Monday on why the proposed Railway Safety Act is a bad idea. The legislation is…
News Release
21st Century Worker Act Aims to End Worker Classification Confusion
Today, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the 21st Century Worker Act, a much needed practical step to clear up persistent confusion surrounding worker classification under…
News Release
92,000 jobs were lost in February, turbulent labor market continues: CEI analysis
The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report shows 92,000 jobs were lost in February, indicating a turbulent labor market. Given today’s report, attention will…
Search Posts
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…
Blog
More Affirmative-Action Red Tape for Contractors: Sexual Orientation Added in California
Governments impose a cobweb of complicated and confusing affirmative-action mandates on government contractors. That imposes billions of dollars in compliance costs on contractors. It also …
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…
Washington Examiner
Labor-Dem money-go-round
The Washington Examiner references Ivan Osorio on the Amalgamated Bank union's endorsement Democratic candidates and cash offerings to PACs. Ivan Osorio, editorial director at…
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.
Cato Journal: Fall 2015 Vol. 35 No. 3
Government Against Itself: Public Union Power and Its Consequences
Full Document Available in PDF This article was originally published in the Fall 2015 Edition of the Cato Institute’s Cato Journal.
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
Fed Reacts to Job Reports, Why Doesn’t Department of Labor?
We had another jobs report below expectations this morning, coupled with a rare revision downwards of last month’s jobs report. This ends a summer of jobs…
The Daily Caller
Stalled Unemployment Spells Bad News for the Economy
The Daily Caller cites CEI's report by Iain Murray on the recent announcment of job editions. Palley also argued the Federal Reserve should not…
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…
Examiner
Trump’s immigration stance resonates with voters
Examiner references CEI's report on immigration for data behind Donald Trump's stance on illegal immigration which resonates with voters. The average cost to illegally…
Study
How Government Unions Undermine Upward Mobility
Full Document Available in PDF A common claim made by government employee unions and their supporters is that they stand up for…
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…
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…
News Release
CEI Statement on Missouri Right-To-Work Veto
Statement by Competitive Enterprise Institute labor policy expert Trey Kovacs on today's vote in the Missouri legislature that failed to override the governor's veto…
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…
News Release
CEI Report Examines Potential Gains in Missouri Right to Work Showdown
A new report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute explains how the people of Missouri would greatly benefit from becoming a right to work state. This…
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
NLRB’s BFI Decision Deserves Overturning
Who’s the boss? That’s not often a difficult question to answer. But thanks to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), it’s no longer so easy.
News Release
CEI Statement on Protecting Local Business Opportunity Act
On the joint employer issue, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today introduced a bill to undo the recent NLRB ruling in the case against the Browning-Ferris waste management company. You will…
Letters
Coalition Letter Supporting Missouri Right-To-Work
View the PDF here Dear Members of the Missouri State Senate and General Assembly: We represent organizations from across the country dedicated…
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
NLRB’s Joint-Employer Ruling: Payback for Unions at Workers’ and Business’ Expense
In a radical new ruling, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) late last week threw all American franchise and contract businesses into a state of…
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…
Daily Caller
NLRB Upends Franchising And Contracting In Landmark Case
Iain Murray talks to the Daily Caller about the devastating effects of the NLRB Joint Employer ruling: The impact could be great. Many…
News Release
Report: Obama Labor Regulators Set for Big Changes That Help Unions, Hurt Businesses and Jobs
A new report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute outlines how the Obama administration is working to make major, unilateral changes to labor policies to reward…
News Release
NLRB Ruling in Joint Employer Cases Will Have Devastating Economic Impact
In response to today's 3-2 ruling by the National Labor Relations Board expanding employers’ liabilities as so-called "joint employers," Competitive Enterprise Institute vice president for…
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.
Blog
NLRB Denies Petition to Form College Athlete Union, for Now
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) yesterday denied a petition by Northwestern University football players to form a union. While this is a rare…
Blog
The NLRB Declines Jurisdiction in College Athlete Unionization Case
The National Labor Relations Board has declined the opportunity to rule on whether or not college athletes are employees and can therefore be…
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…
Blog
The Administration Is about to Upend American Business Practices
It is probably the biggest change in American employment law since the National Labor Relations Act and its reform in the 1930s and ‘40s, 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
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…
The Southwest Times Record
Analysis: Businesses Getting Steamrolled On Minimum Wage; Here’s Why
The Southwest Times Record cites CEI`s Carrie Sheffield on the minimum wage: “I think it’s complex,” says Carrie Sheffield, who covers the issue…
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…
Blog
New York State Mulling Minimum Wage Increase
A few weeks ago, the New York Times ran an article asking, “It’s Summer, but Where Are the Teenage Workers?” It’s a good question:…
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…
News Release
Report: Texas Cities Reveal Cost of Labor Union Subsidy
A new report released today by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) reveals some of the costs associated with a little-known taxpayer giveaway to labor unions in…
Blog
EEOC Legislates New Federal Ban on Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation
When Congress declines to pass a law that would expand an agency’s powers, the agency will sometimes respond by making up the law on its own.
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…
Fox News
Don’t let Team Obama ‘protect’ your retirement account they way it has ‘protected’ your health care
Taking a victory lap as the Supreme Court vindicated ObamaCare, the Obama administration is busy preparing to apply the paternalistic precepts of the health care…
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…
News Release
CEI Labor Policy Experts Warn New Obama Overtime Rule Will Hurt Jobs, Businesses
“The Department of Labor’s moves to revise overtime rules are another of its attempts to set the clock back on modern work practices," said…
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
Significant Labor and Employment Issues in FY 2016 Labor-HHS-Ed Appropriations Bill
Stamped June 15, 2015 (5:55PM), the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee Department on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has…
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.
POLITICO
Barack Obama poised to hike wages for millions
POLITICO quotes CEI`s Aloysius Hogan on the rule to raise the overtime treshold to be proposed by the Labor Department: Aloysius Hogan, a…
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
“Worker’s Choice” Proposal
On June 2, 2015, Vincent Vernuccio, the Director of Labor Policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and one of my predecessors here at…
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
Employment Effects of the NLRB’s Joint-Employer Cases
Following the script of the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Administrator David Weil in his book The Fissured Workplace, the National Labor Relations…
Study
The NLRB Joint-Employer Cases
Designating companies with certain business models as “joint employers”, including many restaurants, gas stations, day care providers, cleaning services, auto repair shops, hotels, and more,…
News Release
Report: Labor Union Attack on Franchise Businesses and Jobs Turns on Politicized ‘Joint Employer’ Lawsuits
A new report by the Competitive Enterprise Institute spells out how a set of lawsuits brought by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) attacks independent…
Overlawyered
Liability Roundup
Overlawyered cites CEI`s Hans Bader on the Brown v. Nucor Corp. case: "Brown v. Nucor Corp.: did…
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,…
The Washington Free Beacon
SEIU Wants to Kill Franchisees with Kindness
The Washington Free Beacon talks to CEI's Aloysius Hogan on the SEIU threat to franchises: Aloysius Hogan, a labor policy expert at the…
News Release
SEIU Targets Franchisers (Again)
CEI labor policy expert Aloysius Hogan is commenting on today's announcement by the SEIU that the labor union is further targeting franchisors. This is…
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
President Again Makes False Claims about Supreme Court’s Ledbetter Decision
On April 15, President Obama once again made false claims about what the Supreme Court did in its decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire &…
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
Will Gov. Cuomo Kill the Economic Opportunity James Franco Extols?
Kudos to actor, writer, and director James Franco for his Washington Post piece yesterday explaining an important benefit of McDonald’s and the fast-food and franchise industries writ…
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
Key Vote Alert: “YES” on Overriding the Veto of S. J. Res. 8
On Monday, May 4, 2015, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) will score the Senate’s veto override vote on S. J. Res. 8, a Congressional Review…
Blog
Key Votes Alert: Amendments to H.R. 2029, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill
Key Votes Alert: Amendments to H.R. 2029, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) will score votes in the…
Blog
Theatrical Union Ignores Membership Vote to End Volunteering Exemption
If a vote goes against you, ignore it. That is what a theatrical union did this week, when it announced it would ditch a longstanding…
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…
The Fresno Bee
The NLRB’s Emerging, Disastrous Joint-Employer Cases
Franchise businesses provide us food, tax preparation, daycare, and gasoline. Many of us have worked a temporary job or know someone who has. Businesses commonly…
News Release
CEI’s John Berlau Responds to Department of Labor’s Fiduciary Rule
Today, the Labor Department is expected to release its long-awaited "fiduciary rule." Ostensibly aimed at addressing potential conflicts of interest by brokers who offer retirement investment advice, Competitive…
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