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
Free the Economy podcast: Liberty movement jobs with Claire Kittle Dixon
In this week’s episode we cover the war on prices, the great un-wokening of corporate America, the attack on credit card…
Blog
UAW loses 13,000 members
The United Auto Workers (UAW) lost 13,000 members in the last year, according to filings the union made to the Labor Department. The UAW said…
Blog
NLRB seeks to revoke First Amendment for management.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week sent a warning that literally anything management says about a union organizing bid…
Search Posts
News Release
CEI on The White House Plan to Reform and Reorganize Regulatory Agencies
Today, the White House released its much-anticipated plan for reorganizing federal government agencies. Competitive Enterprise Institute policy experts praised some of the reforms but pointed…
Inside Sources
Trump Orders Make Regulatory Agencies More Accountable
At the start of summer, just as most Americans were headed out for Memorial Day observances and travel, President Trump suddenly put out three hugely…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Opposing Obama Employment-Based Visa Program (EB-5)
View Full Document as PDF The Honorable Mick Mulvaney Director, Office of Management and Budget 725 17th Street, NW Washington,…
Forbes
Universal Basic Income: What’s The Plural Of Apocalypse?
Is homo sapiens, in the final analysis, a being incapable of living unless supported by a universal basic income (UBI)? One of the mounting threats…
Blog
Minimum Wage Proposal Divides D.C. Workers, Voters
Washington, D.C. has a $12.50 per hour minimum wage. But for tip-earning workers, such as servers and bartenders, the minimum is $3.33 per hour—tips are…
Blog
Last Chance for the 115th: Legislative Action on Labor and Employment
Lawmakers have made little to no progress during the 115th Congress to improve labor and employment policy. U.S. labor law is outdated and in…
Blog
Surprising Results from the Labor Department’s Alternative Work Arrangements Report
A growing economy helps all workers, both those in the sharing economy and those in traditional employment, as new federal employment data bear out.
Blog
Democratic Senators Criticize Labor Rulemaking on Joint Employment
A group of Democratic senators recently took issue with the National Labor Relations Board’s announcement it may initiate a notice and comment rulemaking to clarify…
The Washington Post
Trump’s Orders Show Unwavering Attack on Federal Unions, Employees
The Washington Post cited Ian Murray on the sweeping reform occurring throughout the federal government since the Trump administration instituted new procedures through which federal…
Federal Times
Official time use: vital for feds or a waste of time?
Federal Times cited Trey Kovacs on the negative impact which official time imposes on dispute resolution in the bargaining process. Federal employee use of…
The New York Times
Trump Moves to Ease the Firing of Federal Workers
The New York Times cited Kent Lassman on the conditions which have ensued where workplace equity has increased following changes to federal regulation set in…
The Wall Street Journal
NLRB Acting Like It Has Something to Hide
Regarding your editorial “Funny Business at the Labor Board” (May 17): The National Labor Relations Board Inspector General Office has responded to the Competitive Enterprise…
Comment
Testimony of Trey Kovacs: Union Time on the People’s Dime, a Closer Look at Official Time
CEI labor policy analyst Trey Kovacs testifies before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform's Subcommittee on Government Operations on the issue of official time in the federal workforce.
News Release
Trump Executive Orders on Civil Service Reform Are a Huge Win for Taxpayers, Workplace Equity
On news today that President Trump signed three executive orders aimed at making federal workers more accountable and better-performing, Competitive Enterprise Institute experts praised the…
Blog
House Committee Examines Union Subsidy
Today the House Subcommittee on Government Operations held a hearing entitled “Union Time on the People’s Dime: A Closer Look at Official Time.” The purpose…
InsideSources
Government Report Breaks Down Taxpayer Funded Union Hours
InsideSources cited Trey Kovacs on the irony and need for getting rid of “official time” where union officials are paid with tax-payer dollars while conducting…
Blog
Wishful Thinking Is No Way to Address Public Pension Shortfalls
More state revenue but less money for public services? That’s the situation in which states with large unfunded pension obligations can find themselves if they…
Blog
Debating Employment Flexibility in the Gig Economy
Renowned labor expert and Harvard professor Benjamin Sachs argues over at OnLabor.org that he's had enough with what he calls the “flexibility trope” of worker classification…
Blog
Federal Employees Spend Over 3 Million Hours on Union Business
Federal employee unions enjoy a government subsidy known as “official time” that enables union members to perform union duties while being paid by the taxpayer.
HR Dive
NLRB Considers Rulemaking To Settle Joint-Employer Uncertainty
HR Dive cited Trey Kovacs on the benefits of NLRB’s announcement of a new joint employer rulemaking. In an email to HR Dive,…
Blog
Due Process Concerns Remain in National Labor Relations Board Ethics Inquiry
On March 28, 2018, the Competitive Enterprise Institute sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Board Office of Inspector General to investigate NLRB…
InsideSources
Fed Labor Board Looks to Undo Obama-Era Rule
InsideSources cited Trey Kovacs on the importance how the National Labor Relations Board new joint employer rulemaking will benefit businesses and workers by aiding to…
News Release
NLRB Announces New Joint Employer Rulemaking – a Good Move, Says CEI’s Trey Kovacs
Today the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced it is considering a new rulemaking to fix the controversial joint employer standard.
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter to Support H.R. 3825, the Harmonization of Coverage Act of 2017
On behalf of the Coalition to Promote Independent Entrepreneurs, a national coalition of trade associations, companies, and independent entrepreneurs that support an individual’s right to…
Washington Examiner
Education Department Employees Can’t Do Union Work on the Taxpayers’ Dime Anymore
A simmering feud between the Department of Education and the union representing the agency’s employees erupted into a bigger squabble over a wasteful taxpayer subsidy…
Blog
Department of Labor Safeguards Worker Retirement Investments
It is well known that Americans do not adequately save for retirement. As such, it is crucial that every dollar American workers put away…
Blog
House Committee Examines How to Modernize Labor Laws
Labor-management relation laws in the United States are in need of an update. Reform is long overdue, with the last major update to statutes governing…
Blog
If Trump Is Serious about Jobs, Embrace AI and Loosen Labor Laws
There is a lot of panic about the implications of artificial intelligence technologies for the future of work. Some scholars, such as Nobel laureate Joseph…
News Release
Senate Confirms Much-Needed Trump Labor Appointees
The Senate is set to confirm two long-awaited appointees for key labor positions. Competitive Enterprise Institute labor policy analyst Trey Kovacs says the labor experts…
Blog
National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Rebukes Board
It seems there is never a slow day over at the National Labor Relations Board. Today, the NLRB General Counsel Peter Robb issued a legal…
Blog
Option for States Dealing with Illegal Teacher Union Strikes
An uptick in teacher union strikes has occurred over past few months. Teachers have abandoned students in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma with rumblings of…
The Washington Post
Why do Maryland Labor Unions Want Workers’ Private Data?
Maryland public-sector unions are lobbying the state legislature to undermine a Supreme Court case that could end their power to make workers pay union fees…
News Release
Media Reports Labor Board Will Investigate Leak After CEI Request
The Competitive Enterprise Institute asked the Inspector General of the National Labor Relations Board to investigate board member Mark Pearce for leaking confidential information. Two…
Blog
Investigate Labor Relations Board Confidentiality Breach
Earlier this week, the Competitive Enterprise Institute sent a request to the National Labor Relations Board Office of Inspector General to investigate NLRB member…
Bloomberg BNA
Labor Board Watchdog Asked to Probe Democratic Member
Bloomberg BNA highlights our request to the NLRB to investigate leaks. The Competitive Enterprise Institute this morning asked NLRB Inspector General David Berry…
Washington Examiner
Conservative group calls for probe of NLRB member
The Washington Examiner profiles our letter to the NLRB asking for an investigation into leaked information: The Competitive Enterprise Institute said in…
News Release
NLRB Leaks Spur CEI Call for Investigation
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Board inspector general asking him to investigate allegations that board member…
Comment
Letter to the NLRB Office of Inspector General on Mark Gaston Pearce
View Full Document as PDF Dear Inspector General Berry: The Competitive Enterprise Institute respectfully requests the National Labor Relations Board Office of…
The Free Beacon
Coalition Urges Franchise Fix in Omnibus Bill
The Free Beacon talks to Trey Kovacs about CEI’s coalition letter urging for protections for franchises: A coalition of taxpayer and business…
Blog
Include ‘Joint Employer’ Fix in Omnibus Budget Bill
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is leading a free-market coalition urging Congress to attach the Save Local Business Act (H.R. 4331) as a policy rider to the…
Blog
Department of Education Limits Federal Employee Union Subsidy
Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos deserves a round of applause. Most federal agencies, even in Republican administrations, agree to collective bargaining agreements that heavily…
Blog
National Labor Relations Board Recusal Saga Continues
Democrats and union allies have been transparent in their goal to block or delay any decisions by the Trump National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), as…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Urging House Leadership to Include the Save Local Business Act (H.R. 3441) in the 2018 Spending Bill
View Full Document as PDF Dear Senators and Representatives, The undersigned organizations urge House leadership to include the House-passed Save Local Business…
Blog
Growing Scandal at National Labor Relations Board
This has the look of a coordinated attack to hinder the current National Labor Relations Board’s ability to reform Obama-era policies. The Inspector General stirred…
Watchdog
More Briefs Filed with SCOTUS in Forced Union Dues Case
Watchdog cited Trey Kovacs on the longstanding circumstance of union workers being forced to pay for controversial political activities for unions by the government. …
U.S. News and World Report
Don’t Fear Worker Freedom
PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS have some dire warnings about a U.S. Supreme Court case that could end forced union dues for government employees, like teachers, police officers…
Watchdog.org
Labor policy analyst: Unions using overblown rhetoric to defend forced union fees for government workers
Watchdog.org cites Trey Kovacs’ on the upcoming Supreme Court decision in the Janus v. AFSCME forced union dues case: Competitive Enterprise Institute’s…
Blog
Job-Killing Joint Employer Standard Returns
In an abrupt and unexpected move, on February 26th, the National Labor Relations Board vacated its December 2017 decision in Hy-Brand, which restored longstanding Board…
Blog
Could Janus Ruling Open the Door to Pension Reform?
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in case Janus v. AFSCME, which could significantly impact unions representing government employees. A ruling in…
The Hill
Labor board vacates key ruling over conflict of Trump appointee
The Hill quotes Trey Kovacs on the need for a congressional fix to the joint-employer standard. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a conservative…