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
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)…
News Release
Escalating trade war with China won’t fix the need for reform: CEI analysis
On Monday, China vowed to retaliate against nations that corporate with President Trump’s tariffs against Beijing, putting potential trade deals between the US and other…
Search Posts
Blog
Obama’s False Claims about Outsourcing and Corporate Taxes in the State of the Union Address
President Obama has spent billions of dollars in taxpayer money on subsidizing foreign firms through his failed "green energy" programs, so it was…
Citation
Employers Skeptical of Obama’s SOTU Promises
Blog
Obama’s State of the Union Address: More Failed Jobs Proposals?
My take on President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address is at this link. It discusses one of the jobs…
Blog
Stimulus was Designed to Provide Pork and Payoffs, Not to Revive the Economy
Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron argued that the $800 billion stimulus package wasn't even designed to stimulate the economy, but rather to benefit…
Blog
Law Schools Teach Junk, Exaggerate Their Students’ Job Prospects
Propped up by government subsidies and regulations requiring students to attend law school before taking the bar exam, law schools waste their students' time teaching…
Blog
Celebrate National School Choice Week
Openmarket.org This week, a collaboration of over 200 organizations will hold the second annual National School Choice Week. National School Choice Week highlights the need…
Blog
Dodd-Frank Claims 4,300 More Jobs, Reduces Consumer Choice in Mortgage Market
The Dodd-Frank law passed in 2010 in the name of “financial reform” has wiped out another 4,300 jobs: MetLife is closing down its growing…
Blog
Court Ruling Broadening Americans with Disabilities Act Will Harm Taxicab Safety and Cost Hundreds of Millions
A federal judge last month barred New York City's “Taxi and Limousine Commission from issuing permits for taxicabs unless they're accessible to people who…
Op-Eds
Immigrants Help Fuel Tech Growth
People are the most valuable resource. We see this most clearly among entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, and innovators. Creating wealth and new ways of doing things…
Blog
Media: If You Wear Headphones while Walking, You’re as Good as Dead
Various media outlets are trying to scare the bejesus out of us by reporting on a new study published in this month's issue of Injury Prevention,…
Blog
Judge Criticizes American Law Schools
A prominent federal judge has added to the growing chorus of criticism for American law schools and their failure to provide practical training for…
Blog
Wisconsin union holding federal funds hostage
The Washington Examiner Federal health care funds are being held hostage by the Wisconsin Education Association Trust, a not-for-profit health insurance company created by…
Op-Eds
Wisconsin Union Holding Federal Funds Hostage
Federal health care funds are being held hostage by the Wisconsin Education Association Trust, a not-for-profit health insurance company created by the state’s largest…
Blog
Eleven More Solyndras in Obama Clean-Energy Program
There are 11 more Solyndras in the Obama administration’s clean-energy program, reports CBS News. These companies are in financial trouble — five have already…
Blog
CEI Podcast for January 12, 2012: Mistaken Deportations
Immigration Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh tells Jakadrien Turner's story and what it means for the immigration reform debate.
Blog
EEOC Says High-School Diploma is Discriminatory Requirement, Stretches Employment Laws to Harm Small Employers
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently posted a letter on its website claiming that it is illegal for employers to have a high-school diploma requirement…
Blog
Big Labor Political Influence Does Not Make Union Bosses Labor Experts
Openmarket.org A well-known fact is Big Labor’s powerful political influence. According to Opensecrets.org, five of the top 10 all-time federal campaign political donors are unions.
Blog
Supreme Court Rejects Obama Administration Power Grab Over Churches in Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC
The Supreme Court has rejected the Obama administration's argument that it can dictate who churches hire as ministers or clergy in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical…
Op-Eds
The Non-Union for Restaurant Workers
When is a union not a union? When it decides that organizing a majority of workers is too much trouble and that it can win…
Blog
New York MTA Contract Negotiations Show Dangers of Binding Arbitration
In most jurisdictions, government employees responsible for public safety and other essential government services are not allowed to strike. In exchange for unions giving up…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 204: How to Buy Liquor
Self-checkout lanes have been popping up in grocery stores across the country over the last several years. Some people worry that without the adult supervision…
Op-Eds
Mistaken Deportation of Texas Teen Highlights the Rigid, Incompetent Immigration Bureaucracy
The unintended consequences of government regulations on the U.S. economy are disastrous. Among the most harmful are regulations that restrict immigration—the movement of laborers and…
Citation
Obama’s Abuse of Power Threatens to Shut Down Senate
Op-Eds
No Time for Advice and Consent
On Wednesday, President Obama infuriated Republicans and threatened to spark a constitutional crisis when he announced he would make four recess appointments during a…
Blog
Judge Upholds Michigan Union Power Grab
A federal judge in Michigan has denied class action status to a lawsuit brought by a group of independent child care workers who objected to…
Blog
Rhode Island’s Bold Pension Reforms Point the Way Forward
To describe pension reform, Utah State Senator Dan Liljenquist put it best: "This is not a conservative-versus-liberal issue, this is a reality issue." Liljenquist…
Blog
Congressional Democrats Join Republicans’ Call for GAO Investigation into California High-Speed Rail Boondoggle
In a letter sent Tuesday to the Government Accountability Office, 11 House Democrats called on the watchdog agency to investigate California's high-speed rail program. The…
Politico
Left Bloggers Hail “New Obama”
Politico
F. Vincent Vernuccio: NLRB and Union Bosses
Vincent Vernuccio: NLRB and Union Bosses…
Blog
Public Pensions Fuel Government Growth
The straitened finances afflicting state and local governments across the nation have brought unprecedented scrutiny to government employees’ compensation, particularly pensions. As pro-market critics have…
Hot Air
Obama Follows Cordray Recess Appointment With Three More to NLRB
News Release
Obama Surprise Recess Appointments Are End-Run Around Democracy, Senate
Washington, DC, January 4, 2011 – President Obama’s decision to make a slew of surprise recess appointments today drew criticism from CEI experts.
Blog
Obamacare Causes Layoffs in Medical Device Industry, Harms Medical Innovation
Ramesh Ponnuru writes about the layoffs and lost jobs resulting from Obamacare's new tax on medical devices at Bloomberg News: A year from…
Blog
Driving Continues to Decline in 2011
October 2011 marked the eighth straight month [PDF] of declining year-over-year vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) in the U.S. Compared to October 2010, driving was down…
Blog
Pension Tsunami, Record Federal Spending Increase U.S. Debts by $4.2 Trillion; State Debts Explode
Massive budget deficits and mushrooming pension, Social Security, and Medicare obligations increased the federal government's long-term obligations by $4.2 trillion in 2011 -- more than three…
Hot Air
Georgia’s Anti-Capitalist Immigration Law
Portions of Georgia’s new anti-immigration law will go into effect on January 1. The law is part of a recent state-level…
Business Insider
Minnesota Battle Over Proposed Childcare Union Heats Up
Blog
America’s Businesses Get It: Immigration Is Good
Anti-immigration advocates believe that harsh new laws will drive illegal immigrants out of the United States. They ignore the fact that the primary victim…
Blog
Obamacare Stifles Job Creation, Causes Layoffs
At Bloomberg News, Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, Inc., explains how the 2010 healthcare law is preventing jobs from being created and resulting…
Blog
Washington Post: “Obama’s Green Technology Program was Infused with Politics at Every Level”
The Obama administration’s green-energy programs were driven by politics, not the public interest or sound policies. As The Washington Post recently noted in discussing…
Blog
Gov. Mark Dayton (D-Big Labor)
National Right to Work Committee Trey Kovacs looks at Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton’s quest to empower union bosses by any means necessary: Minnesota State Senator…
Business Insider
UAW Speaks More Softly, Still Carries Big Stick
United Auto Workers President Bob King announced a change in strategy earlier in December, saying that his union would not target specific automakers in right-to-work…
Blog
Businessmen: Obamacare Stops Them from Hiring
Journalist John Stossel describes how "three successful businessmen came on" his TV show last week "to explain how Obamacare is a reason that unemployment stays…
National Right to Work Committee
Gov. Mark Dayton: D-Big Labor
Blog
Governor Dayton’s Baleful Influence on Labor Relations
Openmarket.org Minnesota State Senator Mike Parry (R-Waseca) recently caused a stir with strong accusations against Governor Mark Dayton. “It’s no secret that the labor…
Blog
Governor Dayton’s Baleful Influence on Labor Relations
Minnesota State Senator Mike Parry (R-Waseca) recently caused a stir with strong accusations against Governor Mark Dayton. “It's no secret that the labor unions helped…
National Right to Work Committee
Behind the UAW’s Aw Shucks Smile
Bob King’s pants are on fire. Or they would be if the old saying (“liar liar…” ) were true. The United Auto Workers (UAW) President…
News Release
Labor Rules Revamped by NLRB, Workers and Businesses Have Less Time to Make Big Decisions
Washington, DC, December 21, 2011 – The National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday announced a new rule aimed at rushing elections for union-organizing, whittling down…
Blog
Obama Administration Betrays America’s Friends Overseas
America is now “turning its back” on Iraqis who helped the U.S., contradicting Obama’s rhetoric on the campaign trail. Moqtada al-Sadr, a radical Anti-American…
The American Spectator
Obama’s Big Labor Wins a Big One
Unions have been disappointed by the Obama administration's inability to move their agenda forward. But they finally won a victory last week. This is bad…
Blog
Useless Law School “Educations” Shielded Against Improvement and Competition by Special-Interest-Driven Regulations
The New York Times featured an excellent news story Sunday by David Segal on the costly white elephant that is legal education in America.
Blog
Media Neglect NLRB Overreach
The notorious Boeing vs. NLRB lawsuit is settled. Unfortunately, only Big Labor and the Obama administration gain from the Boeing and IAM agreement. Boeing chose…
The American Spectator
Iowa Compact: A Way Forward on Immigration?
With the national spotlight on the Republican Iowa caucuses, a group of prominent Iowans are also entering the immigration fray. On Tuesday they produced…
Blog
Crushing Student Loan Debt to Pay for Useless “Educations” that Provide Only Paper Credentials, Not Knowledge
Student loan debt is rising at an exponential rate, as an illustration at the Daily Dish shows (at this link). A college tuition…
Blog
CEI Podcast for December 15, 2011: Drilling for Roads
Land-use and Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner looks at House Republicans' "drilling for roads" proposal and finds it wanting.
The American Spectator
Employment Law Roundup
Blog
NTSB Recommends Useless National Ban on All Mobile Phone Use while Driving
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday called on all states to ban "the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed…
Blog
Immigration is Good for Natives
Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia are joining the list of states with tough anti-immigration laws. On January 1, most of those laws…
Blog
Medicaid Payments Go to Dead People, As Do Food Stamps and Stimulus Package Money
The State of Maryland spends millions of Medicaid dollars on dead people, “about half of it from the federal government,” notes The Washington Examiner.
Blog
In a Nation of Immigrants, Being Anti-Immigration is a Loser
As most of the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination try to outdo each other in blasting undocumented immigrants, they should take a break to…
Blog
Phoenix Government Unions Look for More Money for Nothing
Openmarket.org Recently, the Goldwater Institute filed suit against the city of Phoenix for inappropriately subsidizing government unions. The complaint alleges that collective bargaining agreements between the…
The American Spectator
Boeing Double-Teamed by Union, NLRB
Blog
Phoenix Government Unions Look for More Money for Nothing
Recently, the Goldwater Institute filed suit against the city of Phoenix for inappropriately subsidizing government unions. The complaint alleges that collective bargaining agreements between…
Blog
The GOP Response to TSA Strip-Searches
The TSA has allegedly strip-searched an elderly woman for wearing a back brace. They wrongly suspected it was a money belt. This search was security-unrelated;…
Blog
Dept. of Labor to Send Ag-Youths A’packin’
Regulatory war has been waged against another job-creating sector of the American economy. The U.S. Department of Labor has set forth new proposals restricting children…
Blog
Second Major Labor Group Condemns Occupy Movement’s Planned West Coast “Solidarity” Port Shutdown
The Occupy movement is planning to force a shutdown of West Coast ports, claiming they are standing in solidarity with the International Longshore and Warehouse…
Blog
Federal Spending on Student Financial Aid Drives Up College Tuition, Shrinks Economy
At Bloomberg News, Virginia Postrel writes about how federal subsidies intended to make college more affordable have instead encouraged rapidly rising tuitions, in a column…
Blog
NLRB Drops Case against Boeing – Finally
Today, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that it has decided to drop its case against Boeing, over the airplane manufacturer’s opening of…
Blog
Don’t “Drill for Roads”
Over at National Review Online, I have an op-ed up explaining why fiscal conservatives should oppose House Republicans’ plan to direct oil and gas…
News Release
Big Labor, Obama Administration Drop Attack on Boeing, But Threat Lingers Over U.S. Businesses
Washington, DC, December 9, 2011 – The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced today that it is dropping its much-publicized case against Boeing,…
Blog
PATTERSON: Labor unions and communism
The Washington Times Trade unions are a school of communism. –Vladimir Lenin L labor leader Andy Stern has seen the future. There’s no freedom there,…
The American Spectator
Is the Joke on the SEIU or Us?
The joke was on the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) this week. On Tuesday, a fake press release claimed SEIU had voted to revoke…
The American Spectator
Why the GOP Should Pay Attention to What California Republicans Are Up To
Fiscal conservatism, free trade, individual liberty, a strong national defense, and traditional family values are at the heart of the Republican and conservative platforms.
The American Spectator
Spending More Has Never Worked!
The American Spectator
As Strike Deadline Looms for Unionized Rail Workers, Congress Prepares to Intervene
Railroad traffic could grind to a halt as early as next week, as union rail workers on the nation’s freight railroads decide whether to walk…
Blog
NLRB Tempers Quickie Elections, Not Overreach
Openmarket.org Yesterday, National Labor Relations Board Chairman Mark Pearce issued a statementdescribing the proposed rule changes to the union election process. The changes were expedited…
Blog
NLRB Tempers Quickie Elections, Not Overreach
Yesterday, National Labor Relations Board Chairman Mark Pearce issued a statement describing the proposed rule changes to the union election process. The changes were…
The American Spectator
Ambush Election Prevention
Imagine voting in a presidential election where one candidate can campaign for a year and the other is only told he is running a week…
Blog
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis Continues to Advance Dangerous Big Labor Agenda
Openmarket.org Yesterday, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis wrote an indignant blog post titled, “Long Overdue: Winning Back Pay and Benefits for Workers,” in which…
Blog
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis Continues to Advance Dangerous Big Labor Agenda
Yesterday, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis wrote an indignant blog post titled, “Long Overdue: Winning Back Pay and Benefits for Workers,” in which she…
News Release
Congress, NLRB to Vote on “Ambush Elections”
Washington, D.C., November 29, 2011 — Tomorrow may be a game-changing day for labor policy in America. The Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act (H.R.
Blog
Hidden Regulations Stifle Job Creation; EEOC Kills Jobs By Promoting Lawsuits
When reporters write stories about the cost of regulations, they only focus on regulations found in formal codes of regulations. But most regulations aren't formal…
Blog
Update on FMCSA’s Proposed Hours-of-Service Rule
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the agency tasked with writing and enforcing safety regulations for large trucks and buses, is due today to…
Blog
Government Meddling Won’t Create Jobs
The Hill recently ran my letter to the editor responding to Sen. Tom Harkin’s column, “Republican attacks on workers’ rights won’t create jobs.” I make…
Hot Air
Minnesota Governor Orders Unionization of Child Care Providers
Hot Air
Fairness in Union Elections
CEI Labor Policy Counsel Vincent Vernuccio explains the proposed NLRB change to union elections that would favor Big labor…
Blog
Government meddling won’t create jobs
The Hill A recent op-ed in The Hill by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) (“Attacks on workers’ rights won’t create jobs,” Nov. 15) highlights the need…
Blog
Amtrak Bans 12-Year-Old Unaccompanied Child Riders
In Japan, 6-year-old children are not only allowed to ride the train by themselves, but are eligible for a special fare. Not so in America,…
Blog
Longshoremen’s Union Rejects Occupy Oakland’s Call for “Solidarity” West Coast Port Shutdown
After briefly shutting down their [adopted] city's port earlier this month, Occupy Oakland is calling for a December 12 shutdown of all West Coast…
Blog
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton Orders Unionization of Child Care Providers
Openmarket.org The NLRB’s pro-union bias and penchant for overstepping legal precedent has spread to Minnesota. Governor Mark Dayton (DFL) issued an executive order calling…
Blog
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton Orders Unionization of Child Care Providers
The NLRB’s pro-union bias and penchant for overstepping legal precedent has spread to Minnesota. Governor Mark Dayton (DFL) issued an executive order calling for…
Blog
California Supreme Court Rejects Union Suit to Bar Private Contractors from Golden Gate Project
Last week, the California Supreme Court rejected a suit by a government employee union, the Professional Engineers in California Government, that sought to…
Blog
Obama Peddles Myths About the Great Depression: No, Hoover Didn’t Cut Taxes or Spending
Herbert Hoover increased marginal tax rates on the wealthy to 63 percent, and more than doubled government spending as a percentage of the economy. But…
FoxNews.com
VIDEO: Alex Nowrasteh on Highly-Skilled Immigrants
Educated, highly-skilled workers who immigrate to the United States are beneficial to our economy and society. CEI Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh explains the benefits of liberalisation…
Blog
High-Speed Fail: Even Left-Leaning Washington Post Criticizes Obama Administration Rail Boondoggles in California and Elsewhere
Even the left-leaning Washington Post, which has not endorsed a Republican for President since 1952, is getting fed up with the Obama administration's desire to…
Blog
House Republicans’ Shortsighted Proposal to Fund Roads through More Drilling
Recently, Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have proposed opening up more federal land and offshore areas to natural resource extraction. Such…
Blog
My Job Creation Proposal
Over at The American Spectator, I break down the debate over regulation's impact on the job market and propose one regulation that could create countless…
FoxNews.com
America Must Learn From Britain’s Failed Immigration Policy
This article was co-authored with Rohan Poojara of the American Enterprise Institute. In this time of deep economic malaise, Western leaders talk gravely about shared…
Steve Pearce
Congressman Pearce Awarded A+ Rating on Labor Scorecard
Steve Pearce
Obama’s Education Disaster
“We’re laying off teachers in droves,” President Obama told a crowd recently. “It makes no sense. It has to stop.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,…
