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
The Daily Signal
How Many Biden Appointees ‘Burrowed in’ to the Permanent Bureaucracy?
The Daily Signal cited CEI’s expert on political career placements Sean Higgins, a research fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, also highlighted the threat of…
News Release
April adds 177,000 jobs to economy, tariff policies yet to majorly shakeup labor market: CEI analysis
The job numbers for April show 177,000 jobs were added to the economy, with the unemployment rate staying steady at 4.2 percent. While job growth…
Blog
CEI suggests DOT put the brakes on train two-person crew rule
The Transportation Department recently asked the public for comments on how to reduce the regulatory burden. One thought that the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)…
Search Posts
News Release
NLRB Retools Joint Employer Rule: CEI Statement
Today, the National Labor Relations Board put out a proposed rule establishing a new “joint employer” standard on when two employers would be liable for…
Bloomberg BNA
Trump Nominates Pearce for Third Term on Labor Board
Bloomberg BNA cited policy analyst Trey Kovacs on President Trump’s Labor Board nominee. Business groups continue to oppose Pearce’s confirmation, despite the talk…
USA Today
This Labor Day, Consider A Labor Reform That Both Democrats And Republicans Can Get Behind
Labor Day was established in the late 19th century as a way to honor all the workers who contribute to the wealth and prosperity of…
Blog
Trump Renominates Pro-Union Advocate to Labor Relations Board
Late last night, the White House cut a deal with Senate Democrats to renominate Mark Pearce to the National Labor Relations Board, according to…
News Release
In Horse-trading Deal, Trump Renominates Problematic NLRB Democrat
Last night, President Trump renominated a controversial Democrat for another five-year term at the powerful National Labor Relations Board,…
Blog
Judge Strikes Down Trump Executive Orders on Federal Employment
In a lengthy decision, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia effectively struck down a package of…
American Radio Journal
AUDIO: Trey Kovacs Discusses the Possible Re-Appointment of an Obama Member of the National Labor Relations Board
Policy Analyst Trey Kovacs discussed the possible re-appointment of an Obama Member of the National Labor Relations Board on the American Radio Journal. Listen to…
Citation
Labor Watchdogs Back Trump’s Dues Skimming Crackdown
The Washington Free Beacon cited Policy Analyst Trey Kovacs on labor unions. The move earned high praise from labor watchdogs, who have long objected…
The Washington Examiner
Conservatives Urge Trump to Leave Labor Board Seat Empty
The Washington Examiner cited Policy Analyst Trey Kovacs on the National Labor Relations Board. “President Trump cannot allow Democrats to grind the NLRB…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Letter Opposing the Renomination of Mark Pearce to the National Labor Relations Board
The undersigned organizations urge President Trump not to renominate National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Mark Pearce. The NLRB is an independent agency made up…
Blog
Republicans Must Take Back Control of National Labor Relations Board
Since Republicans reclaimed the majority at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Democrats and unions have been conducting an obstruction campaign against the Board by…
Blog
Celebrate National Employee Freedom Week 2018
Every worker should be able to decide whether union membership is right for them. And workers who do not want union representation should be able…
Blog
National Labor Relations Board Recusal Ruse Continues
Since a Republican majority was installed at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), labor unions and Democrats in Congress have lobbed baseless conflict of…
Blog
Escape from New York: Minimum Wage is Killing and Chasing Away Small Businesses
Big government is crushing small business owners around the nation, punishing decades of hard work and job creation. Too few people speak up as the…
Blog
End Union Medicaid Dues Skim
Every Medicaid dollar is statutorily required to directly fund care for the elderly or disabled. This requirement is known as the “direct payment requirement.” Congress,…
Comment
CEI Comments on Labor Union Dues – Skimming of Medicaid Benefits
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Notice…
Blog
Protect Home Healthcare Providers: End Dues Skimming
Our friends at the State Policy Network have produced a compelling new video about the plight of men and women who have been forced…
Blog
Setback in Missouri Won’t Stop Worker Freedom Momentum
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka took to the pages of The Wall Street Journal to beat his chest on Big Labor’s victory in striking down…
The Pittsburgh Tribune
Pa. Workers Deserve Freedom From Forced Union Representation
Pennsylvania public employees are now free to decide how best to spend their hard-earned paychecks. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court in Janus v. AFSCME…
The Daily Caller
Right to Work is Right for Missouri
Private-sector workers in states without Right-to-Work laws can still be forced to pay fees to a union they vehemently disagree with, even as their public…
Citation
Missouri Workers Stuck With Their Unions After Ballot Failure
Missouri voters on August 7 defeated a right-to-work ballot measure. That means workers will remain stuck in a labor union they may not want and…
Blog
Right to Work Is Right for Missouri
Private-sector workers in states without right to work laws can still be forced to pay fees to a union they vehemently disagree with, even…
Blog
New Jobs Numbers Suggest There’s More Work to Do on Free-Market Reform
At an unemployment rate of 3.9%, it should be expected that job growth will slow. Employers around the country are reporting that they are unable…
Blog
Employee Rights Act Strengthens Worker Choice
Public employees are no longer required to pay fees to a union as a condition of employment. This newfound freedom was secured by the United…
Blog
Federal Employees Fight to Keep No-Show Jobs in Union Lawsuit
Federal employee unions and the Trump administration sparred in court over a set of executive orders that make changes to official time and grievance procedures…
Blog
Priorities for DOL’s Office of Labor-Management Standards
The Trump administration recently installed Arthur Rosenfeld as the head of the Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), which administers and enforces the…
Blog
Guidance on How to Curtail Time Federal Employees Spend Performing Union Business
If the Trump administration wants to achieve its stated goal to use tax dollars as effectively as possible, ending the practice known as official time, which…
Blog
Congressional Democrats Seek to Undermine Janus Decision
Despite union hysterics, the Supreme Court's Janus decision does not impede or prohibit public employees’ right to unionize or collectively bargain. Instead, government unions will simply…
Fox Business
Trey Kovacs Discusses Janus Supreme Court Ruling on Fox Business
June 27, 2018 – Trey Kovacs, Policy Analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, joined Varney & Co on Fox Business to…
Blog
Supreme Court: Compelled Support of Unions Ends Now
Public sector workers who haven’t affirmatively chosen to support labor unions should see a bump in their paychecks, thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in…
News Release
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Workers in Janus Union Dues Case
The Competitive Enterprise Institute praised a 5-to-4 Supreme Court ruling today in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 ending forced union dues for public sector workers.
Inside Sources
How States Can Increase Worker Freedom After Janus
he U.S. Supreme Court struck down forced union dues for state government workers this week, in a ruling that restores the First Amendment rights of…
Blog
Relearning Old Lessons about the Minimum Wage
The question of the minimum wage is a hot topic this week, as the voters of the District of Columbia just approved Initiative 77, …
News Release
CEI on The White House Plan to Reform and Reorganize Regulatory Agencies
Today, the White House released its much-anticipated plan for reorganizing federal government agencies. Competitive Enterprise Institute policy experts praised some of the reforms but pointed…
Inside Sources
Trump Orders Make Regulatory Agencies More Accountable
At the start of summer, just as most Americans were headed out for Memorial Day observances and travel, President Trump suddenly put out three hugely…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Opposing Obama Employment-Based Visa Program (EB-5)
View Full Document as PDF The Honorable Mick Mulvaney Director, Office of Management and Budget 725 17th Street, NW Washington,…
Forbes
Universal Basic Income: What’s The Plural Of Apocalypse?
Is homo sapiens, in the final analysis, a being incapable of living unless supported by a universal basic income (UBI)? One of the mounting threats…
Blog
Minimum Wage Proposal Divides D.C. Workers, Voters
Washington, D.C. has a $12.50 per hour minimum wage. But for tip-earning workers, such as servers and bartenders, the minimum is $3.33 per hour—tips are…
Blog
Last Chance for the 115th: Legislative Action on Labor and Employment
Lawmakers have made little to no progress during the 115th Congress to improve labor and employment policy. U.S. labor law is outdated and in…
Blog
Surprising Results from the Labor Department’s Alternative Work Arrangements Report
A growing economy helps all workers, both those in the sharing economy and those in traditional employment, as new federal employment data bear out.
Blog
Democratic Senators Criticize Labor Rulemaking on Joint Employment
A group of Democratic senators recently took issue with the National Labor Relations Board’s announcement it may initiate a notice and comment rulemaking to clarify…
The Washington Post
Trump’s Orders Show Unwavering Attack on Federal Unions, Employees
The Washington Post cited Ian Murray on the sweeping reform occurring throughout the federal government since the Trump administration instituted new procedures through which federal…
Federal Times
Official time use: vital for feds or a waste of time?
Federal Times cited Trey Kovacs on the negative impact which official time imposes on dispute resolution in the bargaining process. Federal employee use of…
The New York Times
Trump Moves to Ease the Firing of Federal Workers
The New York Times cited Kent Lassman on the conditions which have ensued where workplace equity has increased following changes to federal regulation set in…
The Wall Street Journal
NLRB Acting Like It Has Something to Hide
Regarding your editorial “Funny Business at the Labor Board” (May 17): The National Labor Relations Board Inspector General Office has responded to the Competitive Enterprise…
Comment
Testimony of Trey Kovacs: Union Time on the People’s Dime, a Closer Look at Official Time
CEI labor policy analyst Trey Kovacs testifies before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform's Subcommittee on Government Operations on the issue of official time in the federal workforce.
News Release
Trump Executive Orders on Civil Service Reform Are a Huge Win for Taxpayers, Workplace Equity
On news today that President Trump signed three executive orders aimed at making federal workers more accountable and better-performing, Competitive Enterprise Institute experts praised the…
Blog
House Committee Examines Union Subsidy
Today the House Subcommittee on Government Operations held a hearing entitled “Union Time on the People’s Dime: A Closer Look at Official Time.” The purpose…
InsideSources
Government Report Breaks Down Taxpayer Funded Union Hours
InsideSources cited Trey Kovacs on the irony and need for getting rid of “official time” where union officials are paid with tax-payer dollars while conducting…
Blog
Wishful Thinking Is No Way to Address Public Pension Shortfalls
More state revenue but less money for public services? That’s the situation in which states with large unfunded pension obligations can find themselves if they…
