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
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.
Blog
Union Front Groups Deploy Dishonest Tactics against Nominee Puzder
Pro-union activist groups are pulling out all the stops to derail the nomination of Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, to head the Department of…
Daily Caller
Labor Unions Deploy Dishonest Tactics, Paid Protesters Against Trump’s DOL Nominee
The Daily Caller discusses with Trey Kovacs union-backed groups’ dishonest tactics against Department of Labor head nominee Andrew Puzder. The dishonest tactics employed…
The Hill
Use Holman Rule on federal employees that work full-time for union
Last week, Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) resurrected a little-known procedural rule that allows lawmakers to slash a federal employee’s pay to $1. What is known…
Blog
Best of the Blog 2016
Certain topics were especially popular with readers in 2016.
Blog
Five New Year’s Resolutions for a New Administration
Now is the perfect time for members of the incoming Trump administration to reflect on where America is and set policy goals for the coming…
Blog
Must-Have Gifts for America’s Wish List
It isn’t Christmas Day yet, much to the chagrin of impatient youngsters, but it’s already time for America to put together a wish list for…
The Hill
Immigration Reform to be Discussed During Obama’s State of the Union Address; Critics Weigh in on Rubio’s E-Verify Work Plan
“Using employers as a fourth arm of the government is not the framework that the founders of this country envisioned when they created the Constitution,”…
Blue Grass Policy
Big Labor’s Making Us Offers We Can Refuse
Blue Grass Policy
CEI and Crossroads GPS Announce Launch of Big Labor vs. Taxpayers
Blue Grass Policy
CEI and Crossroads GPS Announce Launch of Big Labor vs. Taxpayers
Washington Examiner
How Congress can fix labor and employment laws in 2017
Reining in the top federal labor regulatory agencies should be a top priority for the new Congress. The National Labor Relations Board, created by Congress…
Blog
A Free Market Policy Agenda for the Trump Administration
CEI’s free market policy agenda for the incoming Trump administration is aimed at strengthening the economy and removing barriers to economic freedom in five key…
Study
First Steps for the Trump Administration: Unleash America’s Labor Force
View full document as PDF During the Obama administration the Department of Labor (DOL) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) failed to…
Blog
Labor and Employment Reforms for the Next Congress
In the arena of labor and employment policy, the next Congress has its hands full in reversing eight years of red-tape that unduly burdens the…
Blog
Court Strikes Down Another Unlawful Labor Rule
On December 12, 2016, the federal Northern District Court of Texas put the final nail in the coffin of the Department of Labor’s misguided persuader…
Washington Examiner
Court scraps Labor Department’s ‘persuader’ rule
Washington Examiner discusses a court ruling on the Department of Labor's "persuader rule" with Trey Kovacs. Trey Kovacs, labor policy analyst for…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Political Disasters in Science and Economics
This week on RealClear Radio Hour, Marc Edwards and Dan Liljenquist recount politically induced disasters from the perversion of science to the pension crisis.
