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
CEI Leads Coalition Urging Congress to Reject Obama Overtime Rule
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today sent a coalition letter to Congress urging support for S. 2707 and H.R. 4773, the Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act –…
Blog
Air Traffic Control Reform Opponents Still Miss the Big Picture, Repeat Errors
Air traffic control is in dire need of reform and modernization, and there is a great plan in the House FAA bill to do just…
Blog
Members-Only Unions Benefits Unions and Individual Workers
There has been a surge in right-to-work laws over the past couple of years. Since 2012, four states (Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and West Virginia) revoked…
Daily Caller
Unprecedented Overtime Expansion Likely To Send Business Leaders Into Payroll Damage Control
The Daily Caller discusses the impact of the Department of Labor's overtime rule with Trey Kovacs. "These small businesses, who may not be…
Blog
Small Businesses and Nonprofits Ill-Equipped to Handle DOL’s Overtime Rule
The Department of Labor's overtime rule may be published as early as next week. The rule's "one-size-fits-all" nature is set to harm small businesses the…
Blog
Conservatives for Big Government: Air Traffic Control Reform Opponents Have Lost Their Minds or Principles
UPDATE: Diana Furchtgott-Roth has responded. I offer my reply. Right now in Congress, there is a proposal to end a government monopoly, replace…
Blog
Seattle Regulators Go After Rideshare Driver Privacy
Today, I have a column up at FEE.org on the need for classical liberals to make financial privacy as important an aspect of their…
Blog
Companies May Scrutinize Employee Activity More under DOL’s Proposed Overtime Rule
The battle over the Department of Labor’s proposed overtime rule is heating up. A number of business groups, labor unions, and progressive organizations have met…
Blog
Congress Needs to Halt DOL Regulatory Onslaught
Last week, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) called out recent Department of Labor policies as having a “chilling effect” on the economy. Ryan’s statements were…
One News Now
Labor representative reporting rule burdens businesses
One News Now discusses the Department of Labor's "persuader rule" with Ivan Osorio. Critics refer to this latest effort as “the persuader rule” and…
Blog
Why Is Employee Involvement an Unfair Labor Practice?
U.S. labor law is largely based on the false narrative of an inequality of bargaining power between employees and employers. The theory goes that an…
The Hill
Department of labor overtime rule is a roadblock to a bright career path
Obama labor regulators are touting a plan to boost wages, but unfortunately for people living in the real world, it’s a bill of false goods.
Blog
A Diverse Collection of Stakeholders Oppose the DOL’s Overtime Rule, Really
The Huffington Post recently ran a piece entitled, “Who Opposes Overtime Pay Increase, Really?” The author, Harlan Green, publisher at PopularEconomics.com, says, “That’s a…
Blog
Give Job Seekers a Break: Get Government Out of the Licensing Business
Public policy easing union organizing is not an economic cure-all, and really wouldn’t help at all—no matter how many times union-backed politicians say so (see…
Blog
Labor Department’s “Persuader Rule” Gives Unfair Advantage to Unions
The Department of Labor’s “persuader rule,” which is set to go into effect on Monday, April 25, will give unions a new tool to…
Blog
Easing Union Organizing Won’t Fix the Economy
Most progressive policy makers view labor unions as the panacea that would address the problem of stagnate wages and disappearing middle class. A proposal to…
Detroit News
NLRB rule threatens worker right to privacy
The National Labor Relations Board, charged with conducting private-sector union elections, is now implementing an “ambush election” rule overhauling the union election process. The rule…
Blog
Employment Lawsuits for Thee, But Not for Me
The New York Times loves legislation that restricts employment-at-will, and it loves to increase penalties for employers who don’t hire and promote in…
Blog
California Court’s Indefensible Defense of Dysfunctional Education Policies
A California appeals court yesterday restored a series of education policies that harm students by making ineffective teachers extremely difficult to fire. The court…
Blog
NLRB Puts Stamp of Approval on Harassment in the Workplace
Around 80 years ago, Congress created the National Labor Relations Board to bring stability to labor relations in the private sector. The current iteration of…
Blog
Pay Gap Myths Spread Around Equal Pay Day
In the lead up to Equal Pay Day this month, supporters of more federal pay regulations promoted myths about the pay gap between men and…
CNS News
Coercive Union Power Can Still Be Abated Despite SCOTUS Decision in Friedrichs
Public sector workers in over 20 states must continue paying union dues, like it or not, after the Supreme Court deadlocked in Friedrichs v California…
Blog
Union Bosses Order Verizon Workers to Strike
Today, union bosses ordered 36,000 Verizon workers on the east coast to strike. Nearly all of these employees, 99 percent, service the Verizon…
WMAL
36,000 Verizon workers go on strike
WMAL discusses the Verizon workers strike with Trey Kovacs. As the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Trey Kovacs puts it, the unions aren’t looking at…
Blog
PBGC’s Perverse Incentives Undermine Multiemployer Pensions
For years, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), the federal agency that insures private sector defined benefit (DB) pension plans, has been severely underfunded below…
Watchdog.org
Public employee union spends $28 million on progressive politics
Watchdog.org discusses with Trey Kovacs the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees political spending of $28 million. Trey Kovacs, a policy analyst…
Blog
Federal Minimum Wage: The Case of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is in crisis and drowning in debt. Now it looks like the island’s Development Bank, set up to raise living standards in the…
Blog
Minimum Wages Tradeoffs: Are They Worth It?
Minimum wages help some workers, but only at other workers’ expense. Whether or not these tradeoffs are worth it is for each individual to decide.
Blog
California Minimum Wage Hike Could Cost State Taxpayers $10 Billion
California’s legislative analyst projects that the recent increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour will cost taxpayers $3.6 billion more a year in…
Foundation for Economic Education
Why Is the Middle Class So Angry?
The middle class is angry. Feeling left out of sharing in the nation’s prosperity the way they used to, they are increasingly turning to…
American Legislative Exchange Council
What Can be Done after Friedrichs?
Public sector workers in over 20 states must continue paying union dues, like it or not, after the Supreme Court deadlocked in Friedrichs v California…
Real Clear Policy
Minimum Wage: Is Job Loss Acceptable?
Finally, some minimum-wage advocates are acknowledging the policy's tradeoffs. New School economics professor David Howell recently asked the Washington Post, "Why shouldn't we in…
Blog
Wisconsin Judge Rules that Workers’ Wages are Unions’ Property
On Friday, April 8, a Wisconsin judge handed unions a surprising victory—surprising because of the argument behind his decision.
Charleston Gazette-Mail
Trey Kovacs: NLRB rule threatens worker privacy
Poll after poll indicates Americans value their privacy. Yet government is a top offender in this regard, with federal agencies infringing on private citizens’ information…
Inside Sources
NLRB Rule Threatens Worker Right to Privacy
Poll after poll indicates Americans value their privacy. Yet government is a top offender in this regard, with federal agencies infringing on private citizens’ information…
Blog
Air Traffic Control Reforms Will Give Us Modern Technology, Not Union Giveaways
Guest Post by David Grizzle Former Chief Operating Officer and Chief Counsel, FAA As the former chief operating officer and chief counsel at the…
Blog
Illinois Pension Reform that Can Pass State Supreme Court Muster
When you’re in a hole, stop digging. That seems like such a simple concept that it shouldn’t need stating, but in the area of public…
The Guardian
Conservatives vow to ask supreme court to rehear deadlocked union case
The Guardian discusses the Supreme Court's deadlock on the Friedrich's case with Trey Kovacs. Trey Kovacs, a policy analyst with the Competitive Enterprise…
Reuters
U.S. top court hands win to unions, splits 4-4 without Scalia
Reuters speaks with Iain Murray about impact of Justice Scalia's passing on a labor union case. "The death of Justice Scalia has proved…
Fortune
How Scalia’s Death Handed Public Unions a Huge Supreme Court Victory
Fortune discusses with Iain Murray the impact of Justice Scalia's death on the outcome of a labor case. “The death of Justice Scalia…
Blog
State Legislatures Can Dampen Friedrichs Ruling’s Blow to Worker Freedom
Today, the Supreme Court announced a 4 to 4 spilt decision in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, a decision that keeps alive the Abood…
New York Times
Victory for Unions as Supreme Court, Scalia Gone, Ties 4-4
New York Times discusses the Supreme Court deadlock over the Friedrichs case with Trey Kovacs. “With a divided court, thousands of public servants…
Washington Examiner
Supreme Court ruling signals end to conservative hopes for labor reform
The Washington Examiner discusses the Supreme Court's deadlock over the Friedrichs case with Iain Murray. "The death of Justice Scalia has proved a…
Christian Science Monitor
Court without Scalia: Labor unions survive bid to remove dues requirement
The Christian Science Monitor discusses with Iain Murray the impact of Justice Scalia's passing on the Supreme Court decision on a labor union case. …
Daily Caller
China Stops Building Wind Turbines Because Most Of The Energy Is Wasted
The Daily Caller reports on why China is no longer building wind turbines, and speaks with Myron Ebell on their decision. “China is…
Los Angeles Times
Supreme Court’s deadlock on union fees could be the first of many tie votes
The Los Angeles Times quotes Trey Kovacs on the Supreme Court deadlock over the Friedrichs case. “With a divided court, thousands of public…
News Release
Supreme Court Deadlocks on Friedrichs Labor Union Case
The U.S. Supreme Court announced a deadlock, 4 to 4 decision, in a major case involving forced labor union dues, Friedrichs v. California Teachers…
Blog
Freedom of Contract at Risk in Carcano v. McCrory
Virginia’s Dillon rule prevents cities and counties from regulating the employment practices of private businesses. That bars them from setting minimum wages higher than…
Blog
Illinois’ Narrow Road to Pension Reform
On March 24, the Illinois Supreme Court struck down a Chicago pension reform bill that sought to address the city’s considerable pension shortfall. In…
Blog
NLRB Case against McDonald’s Shows Need for Labor Law Reform
At the beginning of the month, the National Labor Relations Board and McDonald’s trial began. The case will determine whether McDonald’s is a joint…
