Labor

  • April 16, 2025

    Unions Want 'Unlawful' Mediation Service Layoffs Blocked

    A coalition of unions on Wednesday asked a New York federal judge to order the Trump administration to immediately stop dismantling the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service while the unions challenge the layoffs at the agency in court, calling them "unlawful and unconstitutional."

  • April 16, 2025

    Southwest Moves Union's Sick Leave Fight To Federal Court

    Southwest Airlines has moved a union lawsuit challenging its sick leave settlement with the state of Colorado to federal court, after the union amended its complaint to add a proposed class of flight attendants also challenging the deal.

  • April 16, 2025

    Union Denied More Time In Feds' Bid To Bless CBA Rebuke

    A Kentucky federal judge has refused to delay an approaching hearing on the U.S. Department of the Treasury's bid to nullify its workers' union contracts, despite a union's assertion that it's been given little time to prepare for a consequential case and that it has yet to be served.

  • April 16, 2025

    Orgs. Sue DOL Over Termination Of Int'l Labor Rights Projects

    Three nonprofits have filed suit in D.C. federal court to have the U.S. Department of Labor reinstate cooperative agreements aimed at supporting workers' rights programs abroad, claiming that the department, at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency, terminated the agreements based on "policy disagreement."

  • April 16, 2025

    Coalition Offers Free Legal Aid To Fired Federal Workers

    A coalition of organizations, including unions like the AFL-CIO and nonprofits like the nonpartisan legal volunteering network We the Action, has teamed up to connect the thousands of federal employees fired under the Trump Administration with free legal support, calling on lawyers across the U.S. to join their efforts.

  • April 16, 2025

    Starbucks Seeks Ax Of Board Ruling On Union Decert. Votes

    The National Labor Relations Board should rethink legal precedent that allows board officials to refuse to schedule union decertification elections at workplaces that stand accused of certain labor law violations, Starbucks told the board, asking it to overrule a 2022 decision.

  • April 16, 2025

    Pa. Judge Cuts Atty Fees To $950K In ERISA Deal Final OK

    A federal judge in Pennsylvania has ruled that counsel representing two union elevator industry workers should be awarded $950,000 in legal fees, down from the attorneys' initial request of $1.7 million for settling a nearly 30,000-member class action over the management of a union 401(k) plan.

  • April 16, 2025

    Starbucks Wants 2nd Circ. To Reverse NLRB On 1-Pin Rule

    The Second Circuit must reverse a National Labor Relations Board decision finding that barring employees at a Manhattan Starbucks from wearing more than one union pin is illegal, the coffee giant argued, saying the board ignored a 2012 ruling from the same appeals court upholding the policy.

  • April 15, 2025

    Whistleblower Says DOGE's NLRB Probe Exposed Data

    An employee with the National Labor Relations Board sent a whistleblower disclosure to members of Congress on Monday alleging that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency harvested Americans' sensitive information and likely exposed the data to foreign adversaries.

  • April 15, 2025

    7th Circ. Judge Skeptical Amazon Violated Labor Law

    A Seventh Circuit judge on Tuesday pushed a National Labor Relations Board attorney to address why it was a violation of federal labor law for Amazon to tell employees that it can make exceptions to a policy limiting their off-duty access to a Kentucky facility at any time, "when the legal right exists whether the workers are told or not."

  • April 15, 2025

    Fired NLRB, MSPB Members Tell Justices Not To Rush Ruling

    A pair of fired independent regulators implored the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject President Donald Trump's bid to keep them unemployed while they challenge his authority to fire them without cause, arguing his new attack on a century-old precedent doesn't qualify as an emergency that the high court must address.

  • April 15, 2025

    Fla. Rail Operator Can't Dodge Bargaining Suit, Union Argues

    A Florida high-speed rail operator is "going through the motions" at the bargaining table while waiting for a court to oust its workers' newly installed union, the union argued Tuesday, saying the employer should have to face a federal lawsuit claiming it is bargaining in bad faith.

  • April 15, 2025

    Tape Maker Illegally Fired Worker For Posts, NLRB Judge Says

    An adhesive tape manufacturer violated federal labor law by firing a worker for putting up postings on union bulletin boards at a Michigan facility, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled, while also considering the lawfulness of work rules on remand from the board.

  • April 15, 2025

    Journalists, Unions Fight VOA Shutdown In DC Federal Court

    A coalition of journalists, unions and a reporter advocacy group asked a D.C. federal judge not to disturb a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from dismantling the agency that oversees Voice of America, arguing the district court has jurisdiction to weigh in on the case.

  • April 15, 2025

    Pot Shop Challenges NY Cannabis Labor Peace Law

    A New York cannabis company on Monday launched a federal lawsuit challenging a provision of the state's marijuana legalization law that requires licensed businesses to maintain labor peace agreements with their workers, saying it is preempted by federal law.

  • April 15, 2025

    Strike Nurses Sue Staffing Co. Over Wage, Break Pay

    A group of workers hired by a provider of temporary staff nurses to work at Kaiser Permanente facilities in California during a 2023 strike have filed a lawsuit against the staffing company, alleging it refused to pay for training time and meal breaks.

  • April 14, 2025

    Union Asks DC Circ. To Affirm NLRB's Info Request Ruling

    An electrical workers union told a Montana internet provider why it needed information about a potential diversion of bargaining unit work, the union told the D.C. Circuit, asking the court to uphold the National Labor Relations Board's finding that the company violated labor law by denying the request.

  • April 14, 2025

    Teamsters, United Want To Appeal Airline Worker Arb. Order

    The Teamsters and United Airlines asked a California federal court to allow an appeal of its order finding the Railway Labor Act gives individual airline employees the right to send their grievances to arbitration despite the union's objection, looking to take the dispute to the Ninth Circuit.

  • April 14, 2025

    Ark. PBM Regulation Violates ERISA, Teamsters Fund Says

    An Arkansas insurance regulation forcing health plans to turn over information about reimbursement rates negotiated by pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, conflicts with federal benefits law, a Teamsters healthcare fund claimed, urging an Illinois federal court to block the state from enforcing the rule.

  • April 14, 2025

    NY AG Seeks Toss Of Seventh-Day Adventist's Bias Suit

    New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked a federal judge in Manhattan to toss a potential class action brought by a former state disability office employee against the state and her labor union claiming she was fired for demanding specific days off for religious observances.

  • April 14, 2025

    CWA, Verizon Dispute Fired White Worker's Race Bias Claims

    The Communications Workers of America and Verizon challenged a worker's suit alleging he was fired for using the N-word because he is white, with the union and company arguing that the CWA hadn't breached its duty of fair representation by not advancing a grievance over the firing to arbitration.

  • April 14, 2025

    NLRB Official Won't Let Legal Assistant Join Teachers Union

    An attorney's assistant at the North Carolina Association of Educators can't join the union that represents the teachers union's staff, a National Labor Relations Board official held, saying her access to meetings during which bargaining strategy is discussed renders her a union-ineligible confidential employee.

  • April 11, 2025

    Pa. Bus Driver's Reinstatement Upheld In Harassment Case

    A Pennsylvania transit workers union can keep its win against a regional public transit operator over the firing of a bus driver accused of harassment, a state appellate court concluded Friday, finding that an arbitration award that changed the firing to a suspension drew its essence from the collective bargaining agreement.

  • April 11, 2025

    NYC Nexstar Station Must Provide Info, NLRB Judge Says

    A New York City television station operated by Nexstar violated federal labor law by refusing to give requested financial information to the NewsGuild of New York, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled Friday, concluding the union had a right to seek these details amid contract talks.

  • April 11, 2025

    Trump Admin. Says NLRB, MSPB Firings Fit Precedent

    Fired Merit Systems Protection Board and National Labor Relations Board members are overstating the reach of U.S. Supreme Court precedent allowing limits on the president's power to remove independent agency leaders, the Trump administration told the D.C. Circuit on Friday as it seeks to reverse decisions reinstating the members.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Things Employers Should Expect From Trump's OSHA Pick

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    If President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is confirmed, workplace safety veteran David Keeling may focus on compliance and assistance, rather than enforcement, when it comes to improving worker safety, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Takeaways From 'It Ends With Us' Suits

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    Troutman’s Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter discuss how the lawsuits filed by “It Ends With Us” stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni hold major lessons about workplace harassment, retaliation and employee digital media use.

  • Issues To Watch At ABA's Antitrust Spring Meeting

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    Attorneys at Freshfields consider the future of antitrust law and competition enforcement amid agency leadership changes and other emerging developments likely to dominate discussion at the American Bar Association's Antitrust Spring Meeting this week.

  • NLRB Firing May Need Justices' Input On Removal Power

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    President Donald Trump's unprecedented removal of National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox spurred a lawsuit that is sure to be closely watched, as it may cause the U.S. Supreme Court to reexamine a 1935 precedent that has limited the president's removal powers, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • Weathering Policy Zig-Zags In Gov't Contracting Under Trump

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    To succeed amid the massive shift in federal contracting policies heralded by President Donald Trump's return to office, contractors should be prepared for increased costs and enhanced False Claims Act enforcement, and to act swiftly to avail themselves of contractual remedies, says Jacob Scott at Smith Currie.

  • Making The Case For Rest In The Legal Profession

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    For too long, a culture of overwork has plagued the legal profession, but research shows that attorneys need rest to perform optimally and sustainably, so legal organizations and individuals must implement strategies that allow for restoration, says Marissa Alert at MDA Wellness, Carol Ross-Burnett at CRB Global, and Denise Robinson at The Still Center.

  • 2 Areas Of Labor Law That May Change Under Trump

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    Based on President Donald Trump's recent moves, employers should expect to see significant changes in the direction of law coming out of the National Labor Relations Board, particularly in two areas where the Trump administration will seek to roll back the Biden NLRB's changes, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Late Night' Shows DEI Is More Than Optics

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    Amid the shifting legal landscape for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Troutman's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with their firm's DEI committee chair, Nicole Edmonds, about how the 2019 film "Late Night" reflects the challenges and rewards of fostering meaningful inclusion.

  • Considerations As Trump Admin Continues To Curtail CFPB

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    Recent sweeping moves from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new leadership have signaled a major shift in the agency's trajectory, and regulated entities should prepare for broader implications in both the near and long term, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

  • NCAA Rulings Signal Game Change For Athlete Classification

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    A Tennessee federal court's recent decision in Pavia v. NCAA adds to a growing call to consider classifying college athletes as employees under federal law, a change that would have unexpected, potentially prohibitive costs for schools, says J.R. Webster Cucovatz at Gilson Daub.

  • How DOGE's Severance Plan May Affect Federal Employees

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    President Donald Trump's administration, working through the Department of Government Efficiency, recently offered a severance package to nearly all of the roughly 2 million federal employees, but unanswered questions about the offer, coupled with several added protections for government workers, led to fewer accepted offers than expected, says Aaron Peskin at Kang Haggerty.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Axed ALJ Removal Protections Mark Big Shift For NLRB

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    A D.C. federal court's recent decision in VHS Acquisition Subsidiary No. 7 v. National Labor Relations Board removed long-standing tenure protections for administrative law judges by finding they must be removable at will by the NLRB, marking a significant shift in the agency's ability to prosecute and adjudicate cases, say attorneys at Proskauer.