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 Center Square
As the U.S. adds jobs, Illinois continues to lag in unemployment numbers
CEI’s Sean Higgins is cited in The Center Square on worker shortages: Researcher Sean Higgins with the Competitive Enterprise Institute said despite the robust job…
New York Post
Layoffs at Tesla reveal the need for fresh ‘green’ thinking
Tens of billions of dollars in subsidies for electric vehicles. Billions more coming to subsidize charging stations. Non-stop jibberjabber about “sustainable” this and “Green New Deal” that.
Blog
Biden says his steel tariffs totally different from Trump’s, speculates uncle was eaten by cannibals
President Joe Biden vowed Wednesday that he would get tough on China’s steel dumping by tripling tariffs on imports. He argued this was totally different…
Search Posts
The Hill
Curtailing Use of ‘Official Time’ in VA Will Benefit Veterans Care
A recent op-ed in The Hill by Jeff Shapiro, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees’ Veterans Affairs Council, (“A true labor-management partnership at…
News Release
CEI Praises Move by Trump Labor Secretary to Withdraw Rules on Independent Contractor, Joint Employer Liability
Today Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta reportedly rescinded Obama-era rules on joint employer and independent contractor liability, according to a Bloomberg BNA reporter. CEI labor policy…
Blog
Janus v. AFSCME Could End Forced Union Dues in Public-Sector
Today, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the Liberty Justice Center asked the United States Supreme Court to hear a case…
Blog
New York City Passes Automation-Inducing Labor Laws
In the ongoing battle between New York City and San Francisco to enact the nation’s costliest labor laws, the Big Apple may have just pulled…
The Hill
Congress Introduces Legislation to Reverse Obama’s Big Labor Agenda
Federal labor agencies issued numerous regulations during the Obama administration in hopes of boosting union membership rolls. It didn’t work. The latest data published by…
Blog
Paid Parental Leave Proposal Increases Cost of Employment and Burdens States
President Trump’s first budget proposal includes an unfunded mandate that likely will lead to tax hikes. This comes in the form of a paid family…
Inside Sources
House Republicans Target Taxpayer Funded Union Work
Inside Sources discusses the “Official Time” bill with Trey Kovacs. House Republicans passed a bill Wednesday aimed at providing further oversight into a…
News Release
Labor Union Official Time Bill Set For May 24 House Vote
On Wednesday, May 24, the House is expected to vote on a plan, H.R. 1293, requiring better reporting on labor union “official time” –…
Blog
Center for American Progress’ Make-Work Scheme Needs Details
A debate over income inequality and job growth is worth having.
Foundation for Economic Education
The Progressives Took Away Our Right to Contract. It’s Time to Reclaim It
According to surveys, 77 percent of millennials want flexible work hours, which many say makes them more productive at work. Yet some recent…
Blog
Greater Government Economic Intervention Isn’t the Only Way for Workers to Receive More Paid Leave
President Trump, along with his daughter Ivanka, have frequently advocated for mandated paid family leave. Most recently, on Mother’s Day, Trump touted his desire…
Inside Sources
Free-Market Coalition Urges Lawmakers to Support Overtime Choice Bill
Inside Sources covers a coalition letter led by CEI urging lawmakers to support The Working Families Flexibility Act. A coalition letter from free-market…
Inside Sources
Congress Considers Plan to Improve Workplace Flexibility
Sometimes people need extra time off work to take care of loved ones or tend to life’s other demands and goals. But for many, that…
Bloomberg BNA
Trump to Nominate Kaplan, Emanuel for Key Labor Board Spots
Bloomberg BNA covers President’s Trumps progress in nominating two members to the National Labor Relations Board and CEI’s take on the matter. The…
Fortune
This Overlooked Labor Rule Could Be a Huge Drag on U.S. Businesses
On May 10, 13 Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) expressing concerns over the…
News Release
April Jobs Report Still Falls Short, Regulatory Reform Needed
The jobs report for April, 2017 shows decent but not spectacular progress, says the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Iain Murray. Though the economy added 211,000 jobs in April…
Blog
Celebrate National Small Business Week
There is no better way to celebrate National Small Business Week than for the Trump administration to rollback red tape that discourages business formation and…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Supporting Working Families Flexibility Act
View Full Document as PDF Dear Members of Congress: On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write in support of the Working…
InsideSources
Senate Confirms Trump’s Labor Secretary Pick
InsideSources highlights CEI’s coalition letter’s estimation of regulatory costs from the Department of Labor. Those opposed to the last administration also hope the…
Washington Free Beacon
Acosta Is New Secretary of Labor
The Washington Free Beacon discusses the confirmation of Alexander Acosta as Labor Secretary with John Berlau. Conservative legal experts urged Acosta to act…
News Release
CEI Priorities for New Labor Secretary Acosta
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Alexander Acosta to head the U.S. Department of Labor. CEI experts on labor and financial policy, respectively, offered their thoughts…
Blog
Time to Repeal Special Interest ‘Prevailing Wage’ Laws
If Congress passes a massive infrastructure spending plan, it is imperative to ensure the best rate of return for tax dollars spent on these projects.
Blog
Reviewing Trump’s First 100 Days
This Saturday, April 29th, marks President Trump’s 100th day in office, which offers us the opportunity to reflect on what his administration has accomplished so…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Urging Missouri Governor to Champion Public Sector Union Reform
View Full Document as PDF Dear Governor Greitens, In your first month in office, Missouri joined a growing majority of states to…
Blog
Senate Moves to Confirm Acosta as Labor Secretary
There is much work to do at the Department of Labor. The Obama administration’s DOL spent eight years imposing huge costs on the economy and…
Blog
Labor and Employment in Trump’s First 100 Days
The White House should fill key personnel positions at labor agencies so that they can get to work on repealing numerous roadblocks erected by the…
Daily Caller
Report: Taxpayers Subsidize Thousands Of Federal Workers Conducting Union Business
The Daily Caller highlights Trey Kovacs’ report on the practice of official time. Thousands of federal employees are likely spending 100 percent…
Washington Free Beacon
Report: Taxpayers Potentially Paid Thousands of Union Officials
The Washington Free Beacon reports on Trey Kovacs’ study on the practice of official time. An analysis by a pro-free-market think tank estimates…
InsideSources
Report: Ending Taxpayer Funded Union Work
InsideSources reports on Trey Kovacs’ study on the practice of official time. Official time allows federal employees to do union tasks instead of…
Washington Examiner
Estimated 700 Federal Employees Do Only Union Work
Washington Examiner reports on Trey Kovacs’ study on the practice of official time. The estimate is from a study by the Competitive Enterprise…
Blog
Stop Paying Federal Employees to Perform Union Business
There are an estimated 1,000 federal employees who spend 100 percent of their work hours on labor union business instead of actual government work.
News Release
Report: Taxpayers Spend Millions to Subsidize Government Unions
Congress should end a multi-million dollar taxpayer subsidy to federal government unions, a new Competitive Enterprise Institute report urges. “The practice called ‘official time’…
Study
It Is Time to End Official Time
View Full Document as PDF For years, federal employee unions have enjoyed a government subsidy that enables their members to perform union…
The Hill
Overtime Pay Isn’t A Cure-All: Make Work Flexible Without The Red Tape
Proponents of the Obama-era overtime rule claim that arbitrarily raising the cost of labor at a new, higher salary threshold would help workers achieve a…
Blog
A Time for Choosing: Will Trump Side with Taxpayers or Unions?
If keeping construction unions as an ally comes at the expense of efficient use of tax dollars and competition, the White House must side with…
Blog
Increasing Worker Satisfaction Shouldn’t Be an Unfair Labor Practice
Companies should be permitted to establish a system so they can receive feedback from employees and remedy worker dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, national labor law generally prohibits…
News Release
Court Injunction on Unionization for Rideshare Companies Wins Praise From CEI Labor Expert
Today, a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary injunction against a Seattle law on unionization for rideshare companies. CEI labor policy expert Trey Kovacs praised…
Blog
Time to End Official Time
The Official Time Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 1364) would prohibit federal employees from conducting political activity on union official time. Union official time…
Blog
SEIU Spending Big on Fight for $15
Why has the Service Employee International Union (SEIU) spent at least $19 million last year and $90 million since 2012 financing the Fight for…
Blog
Seattle Forced Union Dues Scheme Faces Legal Challenge
In 2015, the City of Seattle enacted a misguided ordinance that allows Uber and Lyft drivers, who operate as independent contractors, the privilege to collectively…
InsideSources
Striking a Balance Between Small Businesses and Regulations
InsideSources highlights a CEI’s coalition letter to the Senate. President Donald Trump has promised to help businesses struggling with burdensome regulations. He has…
InsideSources
Letter Pushes Restrictions on Taxpayer-Funded Union Work
InsideSources reports on CEI’s coalition letter urging Congress to limit the practice of union official time. The practice of letting federal officials conduct…
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.
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