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
Comment
Comments to the Department of Labor on the 2018 Draft Strategic Plan
View Full Document as PDF Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Draft Strategic Plan for…
Blog
Brief Filed to Supreme Court in Forced Union Dues Case
No worker should be forced to fund an organization they do not wish to support.
Blog
What to Expect from the Department of Labor
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta has made a much needed course correction at the Department of Labor (DOL). During the past administration, federal regulators consistently issued…
Townhall
Democrats’ ‘A Better Deal’ Revised to Help Unions Wield More Power
Democratic leadership made one huge gaffe when they released “A Better Deal,” a new economic plan aimed at building a strong economy. They forgot to…
InsideSources
Business Community Makes Final Push to End Obama-Era Franchise Rule
InsideSources covers the passage of the Save Local Business Act. The business community is ramping up its efforts to underscore the dangers of a…
The Washington Free Beacon
Congress Stands Up for Ronald (McDonald)
The Washington Free Beacon covers the passage of the Save Local Business Act. The House of Representatives passed a bill that could roll back…
News Release
House Passes Save Local Business Act
The House today passed the Save Local Business Act, which would protect small businesses and jobs nationwide. Passed by 242 to 181 margin, the bill would…
The Hill
Congress Must Stop Union Scheme Siphoning Funds from Medicaid
Congress created Medicaid to exclusively fund care to the elderly and disabled, not fund labor unions. But powerful labor unions like the Service Employee International Union…
News Release
Save Our Local Business Act Up for House Vote
The House is expected to vote Tuesday, November 7 on a bill to restore a longstanding federal rule that businesses relied on in their dealings…
Blog
A New Day in Labor-Management Relations
While it is important for the NLRB to restore longstanding precedent that was upended, Congress needs to pass legislation that ensures worker freedom and relieves…
Blog
Ghouls and Goblins and Guidances
You could consider CEI to be the Ghostbusters of Washington, fighting back ghouls and goblins on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Blog
How Government Unions Plan to Keep Members and Dues Flowing After Janus
Government unions are preparing for a world where they can no longer force non-members to pay dues in the public sector. That is because a…
U.S. News and World Report
The High Cost of a Bad Overtime Rule
Former Department of Labor Wage and Hour Administrator David Weil urges Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to defend an Obama era overtime regulation in a recent…
Blog
Illinois Outlaws Local Worker Freedom Laws
Employers in Illinois really didn’t need another reason to bypass or move out of the state, but the legislature gave them one. On October 24,…
Blog
Time to Eliminate Hidden Taxpayer Support of Union Activities
Tax dollars should exclusively support the public’s business. But a Mackinac Center for Public Policy open records request show this is not the case in…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging Repeal of Expanded Davis-Bacon Act
View Full Document as PDF Dear Secretary Acosta: As the Department of Labor implements Executive Order 13771, “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory…
Intercollegiate Review
Licensed to Death: How One Reform Could Empower Americans and Boost Our Economy
Economic freedom—the ability of individuals to exchange voluntarily without government interference—is the greatest driver of prosperity the world has ever seen. Over the past three…
Blog
Pension Liabilities Bite in the Present, Too
Politicians should close underfunded public employee pension funds to new enrollees and offer new hires other options, such as defined contribution or hybrid plans.
Blog
Joint Employer Deception from Democrats
Democrats in Congress need to be honest about their opposition to restoring a commonsense joint employer definition.
The Washington Post
Gorsuch Could Strike a Mortal Blow to Unions
The Washington Post covers Janus v. AFSCME and CEI’s brief in the case. Last week, the Supreme Court announced that it would…
Blog
Small Business Needs Relief from Federal ‘Joint Employer’ Scheme
Today, the Save Local Business Act was approved by the House Education and Workforce Committee, a great step forward from clearing up the confusion caused…
InsideSources
Free-Market Coalition Urges Action on Franchise Rule
InsideSources covers a coalition letter, led by CEI, in support of the Save Local Business Act. A coalition of free-market advocates sent a letter…
Politico
Joint Employer Bill Draws Support
Politico’s Morning Shift covers a coalition letter, led by CEI, in support of the Save Local Business Act. A coalition of 28 pro-business groups…
Blog
Executive Order Disbands National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations
President Trump has signed an executive order disbanding the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations.
The Washington Examiner
Conservative Groups Urge Congress to Rein in NLRB
The Washington Examiner covers a coalition letter, led by CEI, urging Congress to roll back the joint employer doctrine. A who’s who of…
News Release
CEI Leads Coalition Supporting NLRB Joint Employer Fix: the Save Local Businesses Act (H.R. 3441)
Today, CEI sent a coalition letter to the U.S. House of Representatives in favor of the Save Local Business Act (H.R. 3441), which would restore and harmonize standards on when two…
Letters
CEI Joins More than 50 Organizations Urging Congress to Support the Employee Rights Act
View Full Document as PDF Dear Members of Congress: On behalf of our organizations and the millions of Americans we represent across…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Letter Supporting Save Local Business Act (H.R. 3441)
View Full Document as PDF Dear Member of Congress: The undersigned organizations write in strong support of legislation, the Save Local Business…
National Review Online
The Supreme Court Will Probably Strike a Huge Blow to Public-Sector Unions
National Review Online covers Janus v. AFSCME and CEI’s brief in the case. The Supreme Court has announced that it will hear the case…
InsideSources
Supreme Court Accepts Case to End Forced Union Dues
InsideSources covers Janus v. AFSCME and a statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to hear it by Trey Kovacs. The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to…
News Release
CEI Praises Supreme Court Decision to Hear Forced Union Dues Case Janus v. AFSCME
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear a crucial lawsuit challenging forced union dues for public sector workers. CEI labor policy expert …
Lexology
Senate Confirms William Emanuel; Republicans Now Control the NLRB
Lexology covers the confirmation of William Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board with a statement by Trey Kovacs. On September 25, the…
Blog
Crafting a Sensible Overtime Rule
It is important that the Trump administration avoid the pitfalls the Obama Department of Labor fell into on overtime regulation.
The Hill
Senate Confirms Second Trump Nominee to Labor Board
The Hill discusses the confirmation of William Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. The Senate confirmed President Trump’s second pick…
InsideSources
Senate Confirms Trump’s Last Labor Board Nominee
InsideSources discusses the confirmation of William Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. President Donald Trump had his last federal labor…
The Washington Examiner
Senate OKs Trump pick for NLRB
The Washington Examiner discusses the confirmation of William Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. The Senate on Monday confirmed business…
The Washington Free Beacon
GOP Controls Labor Board
The Washington Free Beacon discusses the confirmation of William Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. Republicans hold majority on the…
News Release
CEI Praises Senate Confirmation of NLRB Nominee William Emanuel
The Senate voted September 25 to confirm Trump nominee William Emanuel to the powerful National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). CEI labor policy expert …
Comment
CEI Comments to the Department of Labor on Overtime Rule Regulations
View Full Document as PDF The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is pleased to submit these comments in response to the Department of…
Blog
Will Government Union Gravy Train Come to an End?
No worker should be forced to financially support an organization against his or her will. For too long, government employee unions have possessed the power…
Blog
Missouri’s $5 Billion State Pension Underfunding Shows Results of Faulty Accounting
Government pension managers should calculate the state contribution using a more realistic rate-of-return estimate.
Federal Times
Report Calls for Drastic Workforce Cuts at Regulatory Agencies
Federal Times covers CEI’s publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. The non-profit Competitive Enterprise Institute is all about shrinking government. In a newly released report…
Blog
Why Should Millennials Want to Shrink Government Bureaucracy?
Free markets and limited government are for every generation.
Washington Examiner
Labor Day: Give Workers, Not Labor Unions, More Rights
With Labor Day around the corner, it’s an appropriate time to examine federal labor policy in relation to worker rights. Upon examination, it becomes clear…
Blog
White House Suspends EEO-1 Form that Cost Businesses $400 Million to Gather Wage Data
On August 29, the White House suspended a burdensome reporting requirement for employers that would have cost them $400 million while yielding information…
Blog
Texas Court Strikes Down Costly Obama Overtime Rule
Today, the Eastern Texas District Court struck down the Obama administration’s misguided overtime rule. This is a crucial victory for the rule of law and…
Reason
Report: Florida Unions Milk Taxpayers for Millions Through ‘Release Time’
Reason covers a new report co-authored by Trey Kovacs on public uninon release time in Florida. Taxpayers in Miami have spent more than…
Blog
Subsidy Forces Florida Taxpayers to Pay for Union Work
Most hardworking Americans would be shocked to learn that public employees at all levels of government—federal, state, and local—conduct union business that is totally unrelated…
News Release
Union Subsidy Wastes Millions of Taxpayer Dollars in Florida
Florida has a problem with taxpayer giveaways to labor unions due to a practice known as “release time,” explains a new report from Florida’s James…
Study
Union Time on the Taxpayer Dime
View Full Document as PDF Published with the James Madison Institute Over the past 20 years, Floridians have consistently made conscious decisions…
Reason
Instead of Filling Vacancies, Congress Should Abolish the NLRB
Reason discusses the National Labor Relations Board vacancies with Trey Kovacs. The U.S. Senate voted earlier this month to confirm Marvin Kaplan’s appointment…
Blog
Congress Expands Investigation into Inappropriate Federal Employee Political Activity
U.S. Postal Service employees and union engaged in a “systematic violation” of the Hatch Act, a law placing limits on political activity performed by federal…
U.S. News & World Report
Why Google Could Lose
The fired and now-infamous Google engineer James Damore may have a federal case against his former employer. In the aftermath of Damore’s 10-page memo criticizing…
Blog
Workers Desire the Freedom to Choose
It is past time to give workers the freedom to choose that they desire.
Blog
Rethinking the National Labor Relations Board
The NLRB has become a highly partisan agency that does more harm than good.
InsideSources
Worker Choice — Pay Dues, or Not
Forcing workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment may soon become a policy of the past, at least for government employees. As…
Blog
Occupational Licensing Reform in the Beehive State
Occupational licensing reform is a winner in terms of giving the working poor greater opportunities to earn a living…
Washington Times
Federal Government Needs Major Overhaul to Cut Red Tape, Reduce Costs: Report
The Washington Times covers CEI’s latest publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. Shrinking the federal bureaucracy would spur economic growth and reduce costs to taxpayers,…
Washington Free Beacon
Report: Reducing Regulatory Agencies’ Authority Could Boost Economy, Increase Job Creation
The Washington Free Beacon covers CEI’s latest publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. Reducing some of government’s regulatory agencies’ authority could boost economic growth and…
InsideSources
REPORT: Why the Federal Labor Board Should Be Dismantled
InsideSources covers Trey Kovacs’ suggested reforms for the National Labor Relations Board as part of CEI’s most recent publication Shrinking Governmnet Bureaucracy. The…
OneNewsNow
Min. Wage Study Suggests a Robot Works for Free
OneNewsNow discusses a new report by the National Labor Relations Board with Trey Kovacs. A new study has concluded what many people have…
Study
Rethinking the National Labor Relations Board
View Full Document as PDF The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency that oversees private sector labor relations in the…
Blog
NLRB Fails to Explain Departure from Joint Employer Precedent
Today, for the second time this week, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a decision that…
News Release
Court Ruling in NLRB Joint Employer Case Against CNN Points to Urgent Need for Reform
Today the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals gave a partial win to news network CNN in a labor dispute with the National Labor Relations Board…
News Release
Improving Job Numbers Emerge but Damaging Regulations Remain a Problem
The U.S. economy added 209,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate declined to 4.3 percent, the lowest since March 2001, according to the U.S.
Blog
Can You Make a Living without a Government License?
There is an expanding strange-bedfellows coalition that would like to see fewer professions for which people need a government-issued license.
Blog
$15 Minimum Wage Could Cost 47,000 Jobs in a Single U.S. County
The Washington Post has “sobering news for $15 minimum-wage boosters.”…
Washington Examiner
Senate Confirms Marvin Kaplan for NLRB
Washington Examiner covers Marvin Kaplan’s confirmation to the National Labor Relations Board. The Senate on Wednesday approved President Trump’s pick of Marvin Kaplan…
The Washington Free Beacon
Senate Confirms Second GOP Board Member to NLRB
The Washington Free Beacon covers Marvin Kaplan’s confirmation to the National Labor Relations Board. Republicans are no longer the minority at the National…
News Release
Urgent Labor Reforms Depend on Senate Confirming Trump Labor Nominees
Update: The Senate voted on August 2, 2017 to confirm Marvin Kaplan to the National Labor Relations Board. The Senate is expected to vote today…
The Daily Signal
One Union’s Desperate Effort to Unionize Automakers in the South
A union organizing campaign at one workplace does not normally generate national headlines, but the 10-year-plus effort by the United Auto Workers to unionize the…
InsideSources
House Introduces Bill to End Joint-Employment Uncertainty
InsideSources discusses joint employer with Trey Kovacs. House lawmakers are looking to add clarity to a patchwork of legal interpretations Thursday by introducing…
Blog
Senate Committee Advances Union Subsidy Transparency Bill
The Senate took a great step forward today to bringing transparency to the wasteful practice of official time. Now it is time to finish the…
Blog
Congress Introduces Cure to Job-Killing ‘Joint Employer’ Standard
It is of the utmost importance to repeal regulations, like the joint employer rule, that stifle small businesses.
The Daily Caller
Dems Push For $15 Minimum Wage While Paying Their Own Staff WAY Less
The Daily Caller discusses the Democrats’ proposed $15 minimum wage hike with Hans Bader. The Democratic Party is pushing for a federal $15…
News Release
CEI Praises House Plan to Roll Back NLRB Joint Employer Rule
Today, Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL) will introduce a bipartisan bill to roll back the National Labor Relations Board’s controversial joint employer ruling from 2015. The ruling…
Blog
Democrats Peddle Job-Killing Proposal in ‘Better Deal’ Blueprint
A $15 national minimum wage would eliminate more than 7 million jobs, according to a 2016 study.
Blog
Restore Economic Opportunity by Repealing Occupational Licensing Rules
To increase growth, we need to get rid of some of the unnecessary barriers to economic opportunity that have arisen in recent years – such…
Blog
Bills Allow States to Protect Workers from Identity Theft and Stalking
Protecting workers from identity theft and stalking should be a bipartisan issue. While Republicans and Democrats can hardly agree on whether the sky is blue,…
Citation
CEI Responds to Secretary of Labor Acosta’s Comments on Job Creation
Ahead of President Trump’s “Made in America” roundtable event, Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta offered comments on job creation. Competitive Enterprise Institute Policy Analyst…
Blog
Union Seeks to Protect Jobs of the Past Rather than Train Members for Jobs of the Future
The better way to defray the negative impact on workers from automation is through better education, skills development, and removing restrictions on work and entrepreneurs.
InsideSources
Amazon Faces Union Pressure in Whole Foods Merger
InsideSources discusses union pressure in the Whole Foods-Amazon deal with Trey Kovacs. A major union with members in the retail food industry released a…
Blog
Don’t ‘Liberate’ Interns from Valuable Career Experience
In a diverse labor market in which college students can choose between many different combinations of work, recreation, study over the course of a summer,…
Blog
Gosar Amendment on Labor Costs a Test for Republicans as Party of Fiscal Responsibility
For far too long, the federal government has squandered countless tax dollars by inflating the cost of public works projects.
Blog
Time to End Democrat Majority at the National Labor Relations Board
Filling the vacant seats on the NLRB is imperative to returning the agency to a body of impartial members that represents the public interest in…
News Release
CEI Leads Coalition Urging Swift Senate Vote on Trump NLRB Nominees
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today sent a coalition letter to the Senate urging swift confirmation of President Trump’s two nominees to fill vacancies on…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Urging Senate to Confirm Marvin Kaplan and William J. Emanuel to the National Labor Relations Board
View Full Document as PDF Dear Senator: The undersigned organizations urge the Senate to confirm Marvin Kaplan and William J. Emanuel to…
Blog
Joint Employer Standard an Obstacle to Job Creation and Entrepreneurship
Congress is working on legislation to address and clarify joint employment in a way that enables entrepreneurs to start businesses without regulatory roadblocks. …
Reuters
Conservative Group Backs Supreme Court Challenge to Forced Union Dues
Reuters covers CEI’s amicus brief filing in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 regarding forced union dues. A business-backed think tank has urged the U.S.
Bloomberg BNA
FedEx Freight Drivers in NC Decertify Teamsters
Bloomberg BNA discusses the decertification of Teamsters by FedEx Freight in North Carolina with Trey Kovacs. FedEx Freight drivers in Charlotte, N.C., voted…
Inside Sources
A Whirlwind Week for the Fight for $15
Inside Sources discusses Seattle’s $15 minimum wage study with Hans Bader. The Fight for $15 movement went into the July Fourth weekend facing…
Washington Examiner
NLRB Policy Could Stifle Expansion of Apprenticeships and Worker Training Opportunities
As extremely partisan as Congress has become nowadays, there are glimmers of hope for agreement on reforms to help boost jobs and economic opportunity. Republicans,…
Blog
Conservatives Oppose Forced Unionism, not Unions
The July/August edition of The Atlantic features an article by Jonathan Rauch, “The Conservative Case for Unions,” in which he cites Barry Goldwater and…
The Columbus Dispatch
Act Makes Union Bosses Listen to Workers
President of the AFL-CIO Richard Trumka recently delivered a heap of advice on “compromise” in a commencement speech to Penn State Fayette Graduates. His college…
Washington Free Beacon
Sudden Death for Obama OT Rules
The Washington Free Beacon covers the Trump administration’s decision not to defend President Obama’s proposed overtime regulations. The Trump administration will not defend…
News Release
CEI Praises Trump Decision on Labor Overtime Rule
The decision not to defend the controversial Obama-era mandate is a much-needed step toward repealing the misguided regulation.
Roll Call
Trump Nominees for Labor Board Could Nix Obama-era Rules
Roll Call discusses President Trump’s NLRB nominations with Trey Kovacs. President Donald Trump’s nomination of two attorneys to serve on the National Labor…
Blog
New Bill Requires VA Employees to Serve Veterans Instead of Union
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has introduced legislation to ensure federal employees working at the Department of Veterans Affairs serve veterans instead of performing union business.
Blog
Seattle Minimum Wage Hike Shrinks Workers’ Incomes
A credible new study on Seattle’s $15 minimum wage has bad news for liberals, notes Max Ehrenfreud at The Washington Post’s Wonkblog. The City…
Blog
Can Federal-Employee Unions Continue Automatic Dues Deductions from Retirees?
Siphoning off dues, at the taxpayers’ expense, from federal employee retirees’ benefits is absurd.