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
Supreme Court likely to decide fate of federal unions
A matter likely to end up before the Supreme Court soon is the right of federal government employees to form unions. Whether they retain that…
Blog
‘With you or without you’ – The growing rift between unions and Democrats
A rift is growing between the Democratic Party and the labor movement. It was caused in large part by the party’s inability to move the…
News Release
Economy adds 139,000 jobs in May, labor market growth slows: CEI analysis
May added 139,000 jobs to the economy, with the unemployment rate staying unchanged at 4.2 percent. Trump’s policies, namely his mission to shrink the…
Search Posts
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…
Op-Eds
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,…
Steve Pearce
Letter to the Editor: Government Meddling Won’t Create Jobs
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 to…
Blog
Big Labor’s Ohio win doesn’t end states’ fiscal crises
The Washington Examiner Everyone knows state governments are swimming in red ink, but how deep exactly is the fiscal hole? The nonprofit watchdog group State…
Steve Pearce
Big Labor’s Ohio Win Doesn’t End States’ Fiscal Crises
Everyone knows state governments are swimming in red ink, but how deep exactly is the fiscal hole? The nonprofit watchdog group State Budget Solutions has…
Blog
Surface Transportation Board Rejects Misguided Push to Re-Regulate the Railroad Industry… For Now
Late last week, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) refused [PDF] to initiate a rulemaking (Ex Parte 711) proceeding that was petitioned by the shippers'…
Blog
Department of Labor Sells Out Union Members for Big Labor 1%
Openmarket.org The Department of Labor (DOL) doesn’t need to loosen financial disclosure for union bosses to take advantage of union members’ dues. Yet, this is…
Blog
Department of Labor Sells Out Union Members for Big Labor 1%
The Department of Labor (DOL) doesn’t need to loosen financial disclosure for union bosses to take advantage of union members’ dues. Yet, this is exactly…
Steve Pearce
Twenty-Five Years After Reagan’s ‘Amnesty’ Bill, Conservatives Should Support Increased Immigration
Twenty-five years ago, the Immigration Reform and Control Act became law. Most people know the act as the 1986 “amnesty” bill. Since then, conservative…
National Right to Work Committee
Department of Labor Sells Out Union Members for Big Labor 1%
National Right to Work Committee
Immigration Bill Splits House GOP
Huffington Post
40 Million Reasons to Celebrate
At least two population milestones have been reached in 2011. The most spectacular is that 7 billion people now live in the world. The…
Huffington Post
Official Time: Government Workers Perform Union Duties on the Taxpayers’ Dime
Title V of the U.S. Code allows federal government employees to do union work while on the job. This is known as “official time” and…
Manhattan Institute
Storm Clouds Ahead: Why Conflict with Public Unions Will Continue
News Release
E-Verify Hill Briefing: Video & Highlight Reel Now Available
Washington, D.C., November 1, 2011 — On Monday, October 24, the Competitive Enterprise Institute hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on E-Verify, the controversial electronic employment…
Blog
Yes, Regulation Does Keep Unemployment High
Over at RealClearMarkets, my colleague Wayne Crews and I argue that the law of demand holds. Hard to believe that's actually controversial, but that's Washington…
Manhattan Institute
LIRR Disability Pension Scam
CEI's Labor Policy Counsel Vincent Vernuccio discusses the public pension fraud investigations in the Long Island Rail Road.
Manhattan Institute
GOP Jobs Plan: Rein in ‘Rogue’ NLRB
In the wake of a Senate failure for the president’s jobs bill, Republicans are advancing their own plans in the House of Representatives. On Wednesday…
Blog
For the Children
The people of Illinois don’t expect their government to be corrupt; they insist on it. That’s why nary an eyebrow was raised when it recently…
ACLU
I Went to Washington and Democracy Broke Out
ACLU
“Verbal Brawl” Erupts at House E-Verify Briefing
The Hill
This Week in Tech
SCPR
E-Verify Briefing Turns Into Shouting Match
SCPR
Vincent Vernuccio on Verizon Worker Protests
CEI Labor Policy Counsel Vincent Vernuccio discusses the situation at Verizon with union workers protesting their company's leadership.
SCPR
Contentious Talks: UAW Ratifies Contract with Ford, Workers Say Better for Union than Members
The United Auto Workers Union (UAW) is the winner in the recently-concluded Ford contract negotiations. While its rank and file members will not see pay…
Blog
Liberal Indifference to the Jobless in the Private Sector
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid claims that joblessness is not a problem in the private sector, where huge numbers of people have lost their jobs,…
Blog
Truck Drivers Don’t Need a Revised Hours-of-Service Rule
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is poised to enact a revised hours-of-service (HOS) rule that would greatly impact commercial motor vehicle operators.
Blog
The Unemployment Discrimination Myth
The defunct American Jobs Act, which Hans skewered so well a while back, contains a provision to end “discrimination against the unemployed.” Apparently, there…
Blog
Cut the Capital Gains Tax and Government Spending to Create Jobs and Promote Technological Advances
In today’s Wall Street Journal, Amity Schlaes notes that cuts in the capital gains tax were one of the key factors that paved the…
Blog
Revolting Youth in Revolt
Conservatives who are enjoying a chuckle over the protesters occupying Wall Street (and an increasing number of public spaces across the country) would do well…
Study
A FAIR Criticism
A recent report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform argues for increased immigration restrictions as a way to address the federal budget deficit. However,…
Blog
Postal Service Disputes “Principals of Fairness”
Openmarket.org Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office released a report concerning the grim financial future of the Postal Service. It may not come as a shock, but…
One News Now
NLRB Delays Poster Rule
One News Now
Missing: Alabama’s Latinos, Obama Must Act!
Blog
Unions: The new barbarians
The Washington Times In a recent address to a union rally in Ohio, Vice President Joseph R. Biden underscored the threat to organized labor posed by…
One News Now
Mad About Immigration? Blame the Federal Government
Alabama’s anti-immigrant law, HB 56, was recently upheld by a federal judge, giving hope to immigration restrictionists in other states. Indeed, Alabama…
One News Now
Unions: The New Barbarians
In a recent address to a union rally in Ohio, Vice President Joseph R. Biden underscored the threat to organized labor posed by the wave…
One News Now
Looking for regulations that burden economy? Look no further than the ADA
Blog
At Long Last, Congress Will Vote on Three Trade Pacts that Unions have Held Up
At long last both the House and the Senate are scheduled to vote on the three free trade agreements (FTAs) that have languished for…
One News Now
Needed: Skilled Immigrants
Oct. 1 marked the beginning of the new term for recently issued H-1B visas for highly skilled workers. H-1B visas are three-year, once-renewable, employer-sponsored…
Blog
The EDA Elimination Act: To Terminate the Economic Development Administration
Yesterday Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo introduced the “EDA Elimination Act,” a bill that would remove funding for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development…
Blog
Barone is Right: Appeasing Protectionists Is a Bad Idea
President Obama is finally sending three pending trade agreements — with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama — to Congress for a vote. The three trade…
Blog
Jerrold Nadler’s Fiscal Fantasies: Herbert Hoover Increased Spending, He Did Not “Slash the Budget” During the Great Depression
Attacking the idea of a Balanced Budget Amendment, "Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution," issued…
One News Now
Child Welfare/Protection Roundup
Blog
The Future of Air Travel?
First-generational suborbital crafts would reach 2,200 miles per hour, with an eventual goal of hitting 13,750 miles per hour. A trip from London to Sydney…
Blog
The Economic (Un)Development Administration
Last Friday Iain Murray and I published an op-ed in The Washington Times, which described how government spending fails to create economic growth. We show how the…
One News Now
Craig Becker and Boeing
Blog
The Legal Battle Over Honolulu’s Train to Nowhere
Rail transit advocates in Honolulu, Hawaii, have seen better days. Significant opposition is threatening the future of the proposed 20-mile, $5.5 billion elevated rail transit…
Blog
Local Union Will Appeal to Obama’s NLRB
Openmarket.org Minnesota based American Crystal Sugar employee lockout exposes the untenable nature of union contract negotiations. Yesterday, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers…
Blog
Local Union Will Appeal to Obama’s NLRB
Minnesota based American Crystal Sugar employee lockout exposes the untenable nature of union contract negotiations. Yesterday, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union’s…
DC Velocity
Freedom to Move: Interview with Marc Scribner
DC Velocity
Here We Go, Again …
Study
New Jersey’s Long Road Ahead
For years, union officials in New Jersey have gotten politicians from both parties to give in to their incessant demands for lavish taxpayer-funded benefits. Today,…
Blog
Justice Department Promotes Bad English in the Schools
Arizona can't require teachers to speak proper English anymore. The federal government claims that monitoring whether teachers mispronounce words racially discriminates against Latinos, despite two…
DC Velocity
New Jersey’s Public Sector Unions Are Bankrupting the State
Blog
Quantifying Capital Bikeshare’s Supposed “Success”
Last week, D.C.'s Capital Bikeshare program celebrated its millionth trip and one-year anniversary. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood celebrated the milestone with a…
Blog
Congress is Killing the Postal Service
Openmarket.org The United States Postal Service has lost over $8 billion in the past two years and going for a third year in the red.
Blog
Congress is Killing the Postal Service
The United States Postal Service has lost over $8 billion in the past two years and going for a third year in the red. Labor…
DC Velocity
Beat the Clock: Government Union ‘Cadillac’ Health Plans Preserved Before Tighter Controls Take Effect
News Release
CEI Labor Policy Expert Vincent Vernuccio Wins Prestigious “Buckley Award”
Washington, D.C., September 27, 2011 – The Competitive Enterprise Institute is proud to announce that CEI Labor Policy Attorney F. Vincent Vernuccio is…
Blog
Obama Administration Attacks Religious Freedom and Separation of Church and State
The Obama administration is attacking religious freedom in court, even as Obama depicts his policies as ordained by God. At a Congressional Black Caucus…
The American Spectator
Jersey Public Sector Unions: Still a Problem
The American Spectator
Debate Surrounding E-Verify Reignited
News Release
CEI Labor Expert to Present New Special Report on Public Sector Unions at Trenton News Conference
Washington, D.C., September 26, 2011—- F. Vincent Vernuccio, Labor Policy Counsel for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, will present his new report on New Jersey’s…
Salisbury Post
Coble Gets Praise From Enterprise Institute
Salisbury Post
E-Verify E-Viscerates Labor Market
On Wednesday, September 21, the House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to send Rep. Lamar Smith’s (R-TX) Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 2885)…
The Dispatch
Coble Receives Perfect Grade on Free Market Issues
Blog
CEI Podcast for September 22, 2011: E-Verify
E-Verify is a program that checks the immigration status of new hires. The House is expected to vote on legislation that would make E-Verify mandatory…
Blog
Government Fines Businessman for Creating Jobs
A CEO recently told Congress about how he was fined for hiring too many people: “I incurred more than $500,000 in legal bills to…
Paul C. Broun
Broun Earns Perfect Pro-Worker Score
Paul C. Broun
CEI Names Congressman Denham a Pro-Worker Legislator
Gary Miller
Rep. Gary Miller Recognized by CEI for Supporting Worker Freedom
Steve King
King Honored for 100% Pro-Worker Voting Record
Howard Coble
Coble Receives Perfect Grade on Free Market Issues
Scott Tipton
Congressman Tipton Named Pro-Worker Legislator
Tim Scott
Standing Up for Pro-Worker Policies
CBS
Public Policy Group Honors Coble
News Release
CEI Thanks Pro-Worker Congressmen at Ceremony
Washington, D.C., September 22, 2011—Yesterday, the Competitive Enterprise Institute held an award ceremony for Members of Congress with the highest scores on the…
Blog
Looking at TAA Worker Eligibility Last Year — Some Observations and Questions
Now that reauthorization of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is all but a done deal -- a quid pro quo from Republican leadership to President…
Michelle Bachman
Bachmann Accepts CEI’s 100% Pro-Worker Honor
Tim Huelskamp
Congressman Huelskamp Earns Pro-Worker Award
News Release
E-Verify Bill Proposes Massive New Regulatory Mandate
Washington, D.C., September 21, 2011 — Today, the House Judiciary Committee passed the Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 2885) which mandates use of the electronic employment…
Townhall
Michigan on Brink of Massive Education Reform
On Friday September 9, Michigan State Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) announced he would introduce legislation giving teachers in his state right to work…
Blog
Sen. McConnell Introduces “Fast Track” Trade Authority; Hits Unions for Obstructing Trade Agreements
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made a gutsy statement on the Senate floor today, saying that he was introducing an amendment to give…
Legal News Line
CEI to Recognize Pro-Worker Members of Congress
Legal News Line
E-Verify Has Morphed Into a Monster
Legal News Line
Putting the Jobs Cart Before the Growth Horse
Among the colossal fallacies that keep our economy mired in unemployment, few loom as large as the notion that “creating” jobs leads to growth and…
News Max
Tennessee, Utah Least Favorable to Union Labor
News Max
Anti-Immigration Laws Hurt Economy
Arizona’s immigration laws — Senate Bill 1070 and the 2007 Legal Arizona Workers Act (LAWA) — were designed to drive undocumented immigrants out of the…
Blog
Congressional Vote to Halt NLRB Job-Killing Regulations
Openmarket.org President Obama and the Senate Democrats’ agenda will be put to the test. GOP senators have called for the vote on the Protecting Jobs…
Blog
Congressional Vote to Halt NLRB Job-Killing Regulations
President Obama and the Senate Democrats' agenda will be put to the test. GOP senators have called for the vote on the Protecting Jobs…
96.5 KPEL
Landry To Receive Honor
House.gov
CEI Awards Congressman Landry as Pro-Worker Legislator
News Release
CEI Awards Pro-Worker Legislators
Washington, D.C., September 15, 2011—The Competitive Enterprise Institute started a Labor Policy Scorecard for the 112th Congress on our labor website, WorkplaceChoice.org,…
House.gov
Congress to NLRB’s Becker: ‘Did You Write the SEIU Intimidation Manual?’
On September 12, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) wrote to National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member Craig Becker, asking him what role he had in…
Blog
Obama Wants More Spending on Failed Federal “Job Training” Programs that Teach Welfare Recipients and Young People Bad Habits
In The Wall Street Journal, James Bovard, a former CEI Warren T. Brookes Journalism Fellow, takes aim at some of the billions in waste contained…
