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
Free the Economy podcast: Liberty movement jobs with Claire Kittle Dixon
In this week’s episode we cover the war on prices, the great un-wokening of corporate America, the attack on credit card…
Blog
UAW loses 13,000 members
The United Auto Workers (UAW) lost 13,000 members in the last year, according to filings the union made to the Labor Department. The UAW said…
Blog
NLRB seeks to revoke First Amendment for management.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week sent a warning that literally anything management says about a union organizing bid…
Search Posts
Blog
Columnist Misrepresents Civil Service Reforms
In a recent column, The Washington Post’s Joe Davidson presents a gravely distorted view of Republican civil service reform efforts, which seek to save…
Washington Free Beacon
Taxpayers Paid $162.5 Million for Union Work
The Washington Free Beacon discusses the practice of official time with Trey Kovacs. Trey Kovacs, a labor policy expert at the pro-free-market Competitive…
Blog
President Trump Expected to Block Blacklisting Rule
Today, President Trump is expected to approve a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval to repeal what is known as the Blacklisting rule. Upon signing,…
Blog
New Report: Federal Employee Union Subsidy Costs $162 million
Last Friday afternoon, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released its biennial report, “Official Time Usage in the Federal Government—Fiscal Year 2014.” The survey…
The Hill
Skinny Trump budget has fat omission: NLRB cuts
President Trump has released his “skinny budget” giving a blueprint of where the administration would like to see spending and cutbacks at federal agencies.
InsideSources
Taxpayers Spend Millions Providing Unions With Free Labor
InsideSources discusses the practice of official time with Trey Kovacs. Supporters argue that official time allows federal unions to properly fulfill their legal…
Blog
Mr. Acosta Goes to Washington
Mr. Acosta came off as smart, accomplished, and an individual who will enforce the laws on the books, not pursue a political agenda.
Inside Sources
Labor Secretary Nominee Finally Gets Confirmation Hearing
Inside Sources discusses Labar Secretary Nominee Acosta’s confirmation hearing Acosta noted during his opening statement that his views regarding labor stem from his…
Blog
Court Slaps Down Overreach of Federal Labor Regulators
President Trump needs to fill the vacancies at the National Labor Relations Board in order to restore balance at the agency.
Blog
White House Should Expand Budget Cuts to Additional Agencies
President Trump’s proposed budget blueprint rightly eliminates funding for many agencies, but there are additional candidates for cuts.
Blog
Trump Administration Budget Request Targets Union Slush Fund
The White House budget finds savings in the Department of Labor prominently through eliminating or cutting back ineffective or duplicative training programs.
Blog
Takeaways from Browning-Ferris ‘Joint Employer’ Hearing
The National Labor Relations Board’s Browning-Ferris decision upended 30 years of precedent and creates immense uncertainty. Congress needs to step in and pass legislation that…
Investor's Business Daily
Labor Reform Is Necessary To Sustain Economic Optimism, Growth
Economic optimism is on the rise among small businesses and consumers alike, judging from recent surveys. The monthly Index of Small Business Optimism finds…
InsideSources
States Give Trump Administration Roadmap for Government Union Reform
President Donald Trump has signaled federal workforce reform is a high priority as a means to cut wasteful spending and improve the delivery of public…
Washington Free Beacon
Senate Rescinds Obama’s Blacklist Rule
The Washington Free Beacon discusses the Department of Labor’s blacklisting rule with Trey Kovacs. Labor law experts on both sides of the union…
Blog
Senate Takes Aim at Federal Contractor ‘Blacklisting’ Rule
Senators are considering a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act which would repeal the Department of Labor's "blacklisting" rule.
Blog
Federal Workplace Officials Using Un-‘Reasonable’ Legal Standard on Harassment
The primary winners from defining harassment very broadly are trial lawyers, not minority employees.
Washington Examiner
New DNC chair Tom Perez has record of executive overreach
On Saturday, former Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Many portray Perez as the moderate pick compared to…
Blog
Policy Background on Trump’s Joint-Session Address to Congress
Here are five areas where the administration has the opportunity to implement valuable and much-needed reforms for the American people.
Blog
Veterans Affairs Employees Spent 1.1 Million Hours on Union Activities
Department of Veterans Affairs employees spend over 1 million hours per year performing union activities instead of fulfilling the mission of the agency.
Washington Free Beacon
GOP Outraged After Discovering VA Employees Spent 1.1 Million Hours on Taxpayer-Funded Union Activities
The Washington Free Beacon reports on Trey Kovacs testifying before a House subcommittee on the Department of Veterans Affairs use of official time. …
The Hill
Unlike Puzder, Acosta’s commitment to business growth is unclear
During the Obama administration, Republicans in Congress criticized the Department of Labor for its pro-union activism and economically crippling government mandates that hurt worker opportunity…
News Release
CEI Comments on Trump’s Announcement of Alexander Acosta as Labor Secretary Nominee
Earlier this week, President Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew his nomination. On February 16, 2017, President Trump announced that his new Labor…
Daily Caller
Republicans Blast VA For Putting Unions Ahead Of Veterans Care
The Daily Caller discusses the use of official time at the Department of Veterans Affairs with Trey Kovacs. William Lawrence Kovacs, a labor…
Daily Caller
House GOP Could Deliver Major Blow To Federal Unions
The Daily Caller reports on Trey Kovacs testifying before a House subcommittee on the Department of Veterans Affairs use of official time. “With…
Washington Post
House Republicans launch latest hit on federal unions
The Washington Post reports on a House subcommittee hearing where Trey Kovacs testified on the practice of official time at the Department of Veterans Affairs. …
Citation
VIDEO: Trey Kovacs Discusses Puzder Withdrawing Nomination on Fox Business
[VIDEO::https://youtu.be/AsNXYhWHmH4::aVideoStyle]…
Blog
Congress: Federal Labor Board Must Be Fair to Both Employers and Workers
The National Labor Relations Board has become an overly political agency that, as currently constructed, does more harm than good. It is in dire need of reform.
Fox News
Here’s why Trump’s Labor pick Andy Puzder will help grow the economy and create jobs
Under the Obama administration, the Department of Labor put out numerous regulations and abrupt policy changes that increased the cost of doing business in America…
News Release
CEI Statement on Trump Labor Nominee Andrew Puzder Withdrawing His Nomination
Competitive Enterprise Institute labor policy expert Trey Kovacs commented on the decision by President Trump’s Labor Department nominee, Andrew Puzder, to withdraw his nomination:…
InsideSources
Why Union Membership Is Down but Favorability Is Up
InsideSources discusses labor union membership decline and public perceptions of labor unions with Trey Kovacs. “I think people like the perceptions and the…
Washington Examiner
Union membership hits rock bottom
Union memberships keep declining. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report on union membership found the trend has not changed. This time, it’s declined…
Blog
Worker Freedom Extends to Missouri
Today, Missouri became the 28th state to enact right-to-work legislation, which prohibits forced payment of union dues as a condition of employment.
Blog
Pence Shows Interest in Scott Walker-Style Collective Bargaining Reform
Recent conversations between Vice President Pence and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker signal interest in collective bargaining reform for federal employees.
Blog
Encouraging Job Report Suggests Deregulation Will Get America Back to Work
New employment numbers suggest that employers are starting to respond to the promise of substantial deregulation by the new administration.
Blog
Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. Employees Set Record Straight on Working for Andy Puzder
This week employees of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. described their experiences working for CKE Restaurants, where Secretary of Labor-designate Andrew Puzder is CEO.
Blog
Congress Puts Dept. of Labor’s Blacklisting Rule in Crosshairs
Congress is taking a first step in rolling back parts of the Obama administration’s costly red-tape put out by the Department of Labor.
InsideSources
Labor Secretary Nominee Faces Battle Between His Own Employees
InsideSources reports on a CEI led letter to the Senate in support of Andrew Puzder as the next labor secretary. Democratic lawmakers and…
Blog
Free-Market Groups Urge Senate to Confirm Labor Nominee Puzder
A coalition of 17 free-market groups is urging the Senate to confirm Andrew Puzder as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Washington Examiner
Conservative groups urge Puzder’s confirmation for Labor secretary
Washington Examiner reports on a letter CEI and other free market groups sent the Senate urging them to confirm labor nominee Andrew Puzder. …
Politico
Puzder’s mob-lawyer mentor: OK, Enough Immigration News
Politico’s Morning Shift reports on a CEI led letter to Congress supporting Andrew Puzder’s nomination for Labor secretary. A coalition of 17 pro-business…
InsideSources
Free-Market Coalition Urges Senate to Approve Trump’s Labor Secretary Pick
InsideSources reports on a CEI led letter urging Senate to approve Andrew Puzder for labor secretary. A coalition of free-market groups sent a…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition In Support of Trump Labor Secretary Andrew Puzder
View Full Document as PDF Dear Senators: On behalf of the undersigned organizations and our members, we write to express our strong…
Blog
Union Membership Hits Rock Bottom
Union membership is on the decline, in part, because many labor unions have become reliant on government to ease union organizing rather than providing value…
News Release
CEI Praises Trump Pick for National Labor Relations Board
Competitive Enterprise Institute labor policy expert Trey Kovacs praised President Trump’s pick to head the National Labor Relations Board, which is an independent federal agency…
American Legislative Exchange Council
Missouri May Become Model State for Government Union Labor Relations
A right-to-work bill making its way through Missouri’s legislature is generating most of the labor-related headlines in the Show-Me state. However, government union reform legislation…
Blog
Federal Officials Should Reopen Investigations of Union Activist ‘Worker Centers’
It is certainly time to reinvestigate the issue of “worker centers,” which operate outside of the traditional boundaries of labor law.
Blog
Wasteful Spending, Minimum Wage Hike Fuel California Budget Deficit
California’s projected budget deficit is rising, but that could have been avoided by curtailing wasteful spending.
Blog
Obama’s Labor Legacy: Overreach and Overregulation
In the past eight years, the Department of Labor has consistently pushed the boundaries of its authority. The agency’s overreach greatly restricted how people work,…
Blog
‘Corporate Campaign’ Deployed against Labor Secretary Nominee Puzder
Democrats, labor unions, and their allies have deployed a coordinated attack against President-elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of Labor nominee, Andrew Puzder.