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
DC Journal
This Labor Day, Respect the Right to Join (or Not) a Union
Labor Day was created to celebrate all the Americans who work to support their families. The least the government can do in return is…
News Release
US economy adds 162,000 jobs in August, higher than expected: CEI analysis
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report for August shows the economy added 162,000 jobs, higher than economists predicted. While the news is a…
Blog
The ‘no hire, no fire’ era is starting to crack
Families gathering around the barbeque next Monday to celebrate the national day off from work will probably be grilling more hot dogs and cheap…
Search Posts
Blog
VW on radar: UAW chief sets sights on Southern automakers
The UAW is coming! The UAW is coming! It’s not quite Paul Revere’s famous warning, but it’s true nonetheless. Yes, the United Auto Workers union,…
Blog
Amtrak And The Progressive Sleight Of Hand
Progressives have always assumed that if something is good, it must be provided through coercive force by a central government. This is illustrated in progressive…
Blog
Four Of The Worst Arguments Against The Immigration Bill
Since the Gang of 8 released their proposal, the desperation from those who want to see this bill die — and any hope of…
Blog
Unions do their business on taxpayers’ dime
It's the old "fair share" argument, but this time it holds even less water than usual. The Maryland State Education Association, the union that bargains…
Baltimore Sun
Unions do their business on taxpayers’ dime
It's the old "fair share" argument, but this time it holds even less water than usual. The Maryland State Education Association, the union that bargains…
News Release
CEI Immigration Analyst: Gang of 8 Proposal ‘A Good Starting Point’
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 17, 2013 – A bipartisan proposal to reform America’s immigration system provides “a good starting point” for discussion but could be improved…
Blog
The UAW, Having Stripped Detroit Bare, Looks To The South
By Matt Patterson & Julia Tavlas, Forbes The United Auto Workers union, having looted and stripped Detroit bare, have set their sights south, to…
Blog
The UAW, Having Stripped Detroit Bare, Looks To The South
The United Auto Workers union, having looted and stripped Detroit bare, have set their sights south, to the right-to-work states and the foreign-owned auto plants…
Baltimore Sun
The UAW, Having Stripped Detroit Bare, Looks To The South
Co-written with Julia Tavlas. The United Auto Workers union, having looted and stripped Detroit bare, have set their sights south, to the right-to-work states and…
Blog
Seven Principles Of Free Market Immigration Reform
1. Immigration laws should value human beings. America should welcome newcomers so long as they pose no threat to the health or safety of Americans.
Blog
House Of Representatives Rebukes Rogue NLRB
Openmarket.org On Friday, April 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act, a laudable attempt to rein in President Obama’s unconstitutionally staffed — and…
Blog
House Of Representatives Rebukes Rogue NLRB
On Friday, April 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act, a laudable attempt to rein in President Obama’s unconstitutionally staffed — and therefore illegitimate…
Blog
CEI Lauds, Will Keyvote Members on NLRB Reform Measure
Competitive Enterprise Institute Today the House of Representatives is expected to vote on legislation that would require the National Labor Relations Board to cease…
Blog
Railroading The Railroads
In recent years, members of Congress have worked with various interest groups for the purpose of imposing new economic regulations on the…
News Release
CEI Lauds, Will Keyvote Members on NLRB Reform Measure
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 12, 2013 – Today the House of Representatives is expected to vote on legislation that would require the National Labor Relations Board…
Blog
Americans Reject Actual E-Verify System
Imagine there was a free program that could guarantee for employers a legal workforce and eliminate illegal immigration. Would you favor such a system? Yes…
Blog
JOBS Act — What’s Been Implemented — Is Working; Now Implement The Rest!
CEI Research Associate Evan Woodham contributed to this post. Another round of disappointing jobs numbers released last Friday shows more than ever that massive…
Blog
Dismal Jobs Figures Don’t Increase Official Unemployment Rate, As Job-Seekers Give Up, Or Go On Disability
The stock market has fallen this morning in response to the dismal March jobs report released this morning, which showed that a meager…
Blog
The Myth Of Welfare Reform
Welfare reform is largely a myth. Many people who used to be on welfare have since gone onto Social Security Disability. That benefits states…
Blog
Unions attempt to silence elderly in power grab
VTdigger.org Imagine if your elderly relative was seeking in-home care and was denied the right to negotiate the terms of care with the caregiver.
VT Digger
Unions attempt to silence elderly in power grab
Imagine if your elderly relative was seeking in-home care and was denied the right to negotiate the terms of care with the caregiver. Well, the…
Blog
Incentives Matter, Even For Transportation
CEI’s Marc Scribner previously commented on how advocates for greater investment in transportation infrastructure frequently disregard the infrastructure measure that really matters -- the…
Blog
The problem with Perez
The Washington Times If you saw a man standing outside the grocery store swinging a baton and glowering at passers-by, would you go inside?…
VT Digger
The problem with Perez
If you saw a man standing outside the grocery store swinging a baton and glowering at passers-by, would you go inside? Perhaps, but more likely…
Blog
How the Government Could Save Move-And Protect Workers
By Trey Kovacs, Townhall.com In this era of sequestration, why is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) awarding millions in grants to an…
Townhall
How the Government Could Save Move-And Protect Workers
In this era of sequestration, why is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) awarding millions in grants to an organization under Congressional investigation? The…
Blog
CEI Podcast For March 28, 2013: The TSA’s Illegal Body Scanners
Despite a court order, the TSA is still dragging its feet on complying with the law. Fellow in Land-use and Transportation Studies Marc Scribner has…
Blog
White House Immigration Bill Will Be A Disaster Without Accessible Work Visas
President Obama’s recently leaked immigration bill left off the most important component of an immigration bill: the immigration part. Given the fact that the Chamber…
Townhall
Controversial E-Verify System Integral Part of Immigration Reform Proposal
Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, National Immigration Law Center and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, among many others, have expressed concerns about the…
Blog
Beyond Tom Perez: Why do we need a Labor Department?
The Baltimore Sun Well, America survived. Yes, it’s true, the United States was able to withstand two months without a labor secretary. The previous…
Blog
Labor’s Loss: Secret Ballot Protection Advances In Virginia
Openmarket.org This week Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell struck a little heralded — but much needed — blow for privacy rights in the Old Dominion by…
Blog
Labor’s Loss: Secret Ballot Protection Advances In Virginia
This week Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell struck a little heralded — but much needed — blow for privacy rights in the Old Dominion by signing two…
Townhall
Beyond Tom Perez: Why do we need a Labor Department?
Well, America survived. Yes, it’s true, the United States was able to withstand two months without a labor secretary. The previous secretary, Hilda Solis, stepped…
Blog
Sorry, Progressives, But The ASCE Infrastructure Grade Boost Wasn’t The Result Of Obama’s “Stimulus”
I am generally very skeptical of the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) "Report Card for America's Infrastructure," as this self-interested group 1) gives…
Blog
Rand Paul: No National ID System, Including E-Verify
E-Verify is the Internet-based national identification, which the Senate wants to impose on all workers and their employers. The system, as proposed by the White…
Blog
Unions euthanize nursing homes
The Washington Examiner Once upon a time, a group of health care workers walked off the job, abandoning the aged and infirm under their…
Townhall
Unions euthanize nursing homes
Once upon a time, a group of health care workers walked off the job, abandoning the aged and infirm under their care. Others —…
Blog
SEC Charges Illinois With Securities Fraud And Lets It Off With A Warning
This week, Illinois became only the second state in U.S. history to by charged with securities fraud by federal regulators (New Jersey was the first,…
Blog
Federal Pay Freeze Was Really A Pay Slowdown
The Huffington Post’s Dave Jamieson argues that Rep. Paul Ryan’s proposed budget “ignores” a two-year pay freeze for federal employees. But Jamieson also ignores…
Blog
Will Regulators Fail To Learn From The Past Mistakes Of U.S. Railroad Regulation?
The history of U.S. railroads provides an interesting case study on federal regulation. They were the first sector of the economy to come under heavy…
Blog
CEI Podcast For March 7, 2013: The Three-Sided Immigration Debate
Immigration Policy Analyst David Bier recently wrote for USA Today about a third side in the ongoing immigration debate: population control advocates who oppose immigration…
Blog
Obama’s Immigration Bill Forces Employers To Pay Illegal Immigrants
Nothing in this headline is a typo or an exaggeration. President Obama’s recently-leaked Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2013 would require employers to employ…
Blog
Costco CEO Favors Minimum Wage Hike
An overlooked argument in the minimum wage debate is that a high minimum wage gives big businesses an artificial competitive advantage over their smaller competitors.
Blog
Immigration Restrictions Should Treat People As Individuals, Not Groups
Private discrimination based on national origin has been prohibited in the United States since 1965, yet the United States government continues to discriminate based on…
Townhall
The Third Side of the Immigration Debate
Viewed from afar, America’s immigration debate appears to center on two groups: liberals whose primary concern is the welfare of immigrants and conservatives whose primary…
Blog
E-Verify: Opening The Door For More Regulations
President Obama and the Gang of Eight senators want E-Verify -- the electronic employment verification system -- included in any comprehensive immigration reform proposal this…
Blog
Cut spending: Permanently furlough ‘official time’ workers
By Matt Patterson and Trey Kovacs, The Washington Times As politicians of both parties ride through the country Paul Revere-like in their warning…
Blog
Chicken Little Lives Vicariously Through Federal Union Bosses
Openmarket.org We know the story of Chicken Little. The little chick thought the sky was falling because he was hit in the head by an…
Blog
Chicken Little Lives Vicariously Through Federal Union Bosses
We know the story of Chicken Little. The little chick thought the sky was falling because he was hit in the head by an acorn.
Blog
Progressives Should Be Wary Of A Minimum Wage Increase
Over at the American Spectator, I argue that progressives should look elsewhere for ways to help the poor:…
Staff & Scholars
Sean Higgins
Research Fellow
- Deregulation
- Labor and Employment
Ryan Young
Senior Economist and Director of Publications
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform
Ivan Osorio
Editorial Director
- Labor and Employment
Iain Murray
Vice President for Strategy and Senior Fellow
- Banking and Finance
- Trade and International