Sean Higgins

Arlington

Research Fellow and Writer at The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)

Labor policy guy for the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Retweets do not equal endorsement. 'Don't allow yourself the lie.' -- Christopher Hitchens

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Articles

Initiative 82 will hopefully get 86’d

1 week ago | cei.org | Sean Higgins

The city of Washington, DC has belatedly realized that passing a law whose purpose is to make a product or service more expensive will cause people to purchase less of that product or service. In this case, the law involved making restaurant service costlier. After a three year-long experiment that cost the lives of several DC eateries, the city may soon get rid of its minimum wage rule for waiters and waitresses.
April adds 177,000 jobs to economy, tariff policies yet to majorly shakeup labor market: CEI analysis

2 weeks ago | cei.org | Ryan Young |Sean Higgins

The job numbers for April show 177,000 jobs were added to the economy, with the unemployment rate staying steady at 4.2 percent. While job growth is in a good spot currently, the effects of President Trump’s tariff policies have yet to majorly touch the U.S. labor market. CEI Senior Economist Ryan Young:“It was a rough week with both GDP shrinking and inflation still too high. While it’s good that April’s job growth was a stronger-than-expected 177,000, keep in mind that it works on a lag.
CEI suggests DOT put the brakes on train two-person crew rule

2 weeks ago | cei.org | Sean Higgins

The Transportation Department recently asked the public for comments on how to reduce the regulatory burden. One thought that the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) had was that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), a DOT agency, should get rid of a requirement instituted last year under the Biden administration that all trains have at least two operators at all times.
Trump’s tariffs: Look for the union label

4 weeks ago | cei.org | Sean Higgins

One of the biggest boosters of President Trump’s tariffs has been the United Auto Workers (UAW). The venerable union wants to see domestic factories expanded because that will empower them. It likely won’t be good for the industry or even the UAW’s own members, not to mention other manufacturing workers, car buyers, or the broader public. Trump has enacted 25 percent tariffs on all vehicle imports. While the president has paused other tariffs, the auto ones are still in place.
Why government reform may hinge on ending federal unions

1 month ago | cei.org | Sean Higgins

President Trump’s executive order ending collective bargaining for a wide swath of federal cabinet agencies and other government entities is a laudable attempt to end the failed experiment with federal government unions. It still faces some tests regarding whether the president’s reach goes that far. Federal workers were first granted collective bargaining rights under Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978, thanks to then-President Jimmy Carter.
March adds 228,000 jobs ahead of a rocky economic road: CEI analysis

1 month ago | cei.org | Ryan Young |Sean Higgins

The job numbers report for March show 228,000 jobs were added to the economy, with the unemployment rate staying steady at 4.2 percent. While the report is good news, the numbers are yet reflective of total federal job losses and President Trump’s tariffs. CEI Senior Economist Ryan Young:“It is a relief to see some good economic news. The caveat is that none of President Trump’s major tariffs took effect in March.
Trump’s push to remake the NLRB - Competitive Enterprise Institute

1 month ago | cei.org | Sean Higgins

Things are a bit topsy-turvy currently at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency that oversees labor-management disputes in the private sector. The five-member Board currently has three vacant seats, a Republican appointee as chairman and a Democratic appointee as the lone remaining member. The NLRB requires a quorum of at least three people for it to act. However, one former member is challenging her firing and that case may end up before the Supreme Court.
Five ideas for Secretary Chavez-DeRemer

1 month ago | cei.org | Sean Higgins |Ryan Smith

President Trump’s newly-confirmed labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has been viewed with suspicion by many on the free-market right. She can rectify that by adopting the same free-market approach as Trump’s previous picks for the cabinet position, Eugene Scalia and Alexander Acosta. We at Competitive Enterprise Institute have some ideas on how she can do that.
Trump EO reflects big drawbacks of government unions: CEI analysis

1 month ago | cei.org | Kent Lassman |Sean Higgins

President Trump signed an executive order on March 27 to end collective bargaining with public sector unions in certain agencies with national security missions. CEI President Kent Lassman and labor policy expert Sean Higgins commented on drawbacks associated with government unions that led to this decision. Kent Lassman, CEI president;Collective bargaining by public sector unions is a bad idea that is due for the dustbin. James Madison observed that no man can be a judge in his own case.
Hawley’s bill speeds up union elections by removing guardrails

1 month ago | cei.org | Sean Higgins

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) thinks workers are having too hard of a time forming unions. His solution to that is to fast-track the process by removing the guardrails that prevent workers from being railroaded into a union. Hawley has introduced legislation called the “Faster Labor Contracts Act.” It is intended to ensure that workers who have decided to collectively bargain can get a contract with management in place quickly.