Labor

  • May 23, 2025

    2 Takeaways As Justices Freeze Labor Officials' Returns

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to endorse a freeze on the reinstatements of two fired labor officials bodes poorly for precedent permitting Congress to insulate certain agencies from presidential control, but the justices signaled that the Federal Reserve will remain above politics. Here, Law360 looks at takeaways from Thursday's ruling.

  • May 23, 2025

    Judge Extends Block On Trump's Government Layoffs

    A California federal judge has extended her block of President Donald Trump's executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, saying a coalition of unions, nonprofits and cities has shown it is likely to succeed in showing the order exceeded the president's authority.

  • May 23, 2025

    Cannabis Co.'s Layoffs Were Illegal, NLRB Judge Says

    Cannabis company Curaleaf violated federal labor law by laying off store associates at its Illinois facilities without bargaining with their union and must reinstate them, a National Labor Relations Board judge has held.

  • May 23, 2025

    Teamsters Unit Asks Judge To Clarify Rail Arbitration Order

    A Boston commuter rail operator is refusing to resume arbitrating a raise dispute with a Teamsters unit after a Massachusetts federal judge said only an arbitration board could resolve a key issue, the union said, asking the judge to clarify that his decision compelled the parties to reenter arbitration.

  • May 23, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears Speech Therapist Race Bias Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider a New York speech therapist's attempt to revive her lawsuit claiming she was discriminated against on the basis of her race when her school district fired her in 2022. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • May 23, 2025

    Mo. Says Starbucks Lacks Grounds To Escape DEI Bias Suit

    The state of Missouri urged a federal judge to reject Starbucks' bid to dismiss its suit claiming its diversity policies discriminate based on race and gender, arguing it has put forward enough evidence showing how the company's practices have harmed its citizens to keep the case in court.

  • May 23, 2025

    Southwest Flight Attendant Fights To Revive Nixed Sanctions

    A flight attendant urged the Fifth Circuit to reconsider its move to axe a contempt order against Southwest Airlines in her wrongful termination suit, arguing it shouldn't be scrapped just because the panel took issue with court-ordered religious liberty training for Southwest attorneys.

  • May 22, 2025

    MLB Plan Says Widow's 7-Week Marriage Bars Pension

    Major League Baseball's pension plan asked a Florida federal judge to toss a request for surviving spouse benefits filed by a woman who married retired Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tom Browning seven weeks before he died, saying the length of the marriage disqualifies her from collecting the benefits.

  • May 22, 2025

    Calif. Judge Likely To Extend Block On Gov't Reorg, Job Cuts

    A California federal judge indicated Thursday she'll likely convert her temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction against President Donald Trump's executive order to reduce the federal workforce, saying the law "seems clear" that presidents cannot issue large-scale agency reductions without congressional approval and "to hold otherwise" would contradict nine previous presidents and 21 congresses.

  • May 22, 2025

    Justices Allow Trump To Fire NLRB, MSPB Members, For Now

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled two fired members of the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board cannot return to work while they challenge President Donald Trump's authority to fire them without cause, handing the president a win in his crusade against a 90-year-old precedent limiting his power to fire employees at independent agencies.

  • May 22, 2025

    Katz Banks Hires Former Gov't Atty For Worker Advocacy

    A former attorney at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is now senior counsel at Katz Banks Kumin LLP in Washington, D.C., the firm announced, saying she will use her experience to advocate for federal workers navigating changes brought on by the Trump administration.

  • May 22, 2025

    Seyfarth Hires Labor And Employment Partner In Seattle

    Seyfarth Shaw LLP added a partner to its labor and employment department from Perkins Coie LLP who says the firm's resources will help him tackle the growing number of wage and hour class actions Washington state has been witnessing.

  • May 22, 2025

    Mass. Justices Say Worker's Raise Doesn't Doom Bias Claim

    Massachusetts' top court on Thursday found that an employer may still face a discrimination claim for an alleged retaliatory action for union activity, even if the move left the worker with a pay bump.

  • May 22, 2025

    Mass. Judge Halts Trump's Bid To Slash Education Dept. Jobs

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to lay off hundreds of U.S. Department of Education employees, finding that the administration's claims of wanting more efficiency are a mask for their actual goal of dismantling the department.

  • May 21, 2025

    Judge Mulls National Scope Of Bid To Restore COVID Grants

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge Wednesday mulled whether it would be appropriate to issue a nationwide injunction blocking the termination of $11 billion public health grants set aside under COVID-era laws in a lawsuit brought by four local governments and a public sector union.

  • May 21, 2025

    NLRB Judge Axes Firing Case Against Illinois Bottling Facility

    A Chicago-area beverage bottling facility did not violate federal labor law when it fired a maintenance worker, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled Wednesday, saying the evidence did not support board prosecutors' contention that the worker was fired for expressing interest in joining a union.

  • May 21, 2025

    Sprinkler Co. Illegally Halted Contributions, NLRB Judge Says

    A sprinkler installation company in Pennsylvania violated federal labor law by not contributing to benefit funds for union-represented workers and remitting their dues, a National Labor Relations Board judge concluded, ordering the business to hand over payments that weren't made dating back nearly three years.

  • May 21, 2025

    Ky. Judge Nixes Treasury's Bid To End Labor Contracts

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury lacks standing to seek an order allowing it to lawfully terminate its labor contracts with a federal employee union, a Kentucky federal judge ruled, finding the agency's alleged harm is based on speculation about the potential consequences of enforcing an executive order.

  • May 21, 2025

    Cannabis Sellers Win Fight Against Oregon Labor Peace Law

    An Oregon federal judge shot down a state law that required cannabis growers to sign agreements with labor unions before they could get licensed to sell, saying the United for Cannabis Workers Act is preempted by the National Labor Relations Act.

  • May 21, 2025

    Democracy Forward Adds Another Ex-DOJ Hand

    Legal advocacy group Democracy Forward has added a former deputy associate U.S. attorney general and co-chair of the Supreme Court and appellate practice at WilmerHale to its ranks of former U.S. Department of Justice litigators.

  • May 20, 2025

    Nexstar Seeks Redo Of 2nd Circ.'s NLRB Ruling Enforcement

    The National Labor Relations Board should stop kicking the can down the road and rule on whether employers must compensate workers for the lost opportunity to bargain, Nexstar Media Inc. told the Second Circuit, asking the court to reconsider a decision that let the board postpone answering the question.

  • May 20, 2025

    Nonprofits Seek To Block 'Sweeping' AmeriCorps Cuts

    A number of education, environmental and housing nonprofits have asked a Maryland federal judge to block the firing of thousands of AmeriCorps employees and the cancellation of $400 million to its programs, saying the move violates core constitutional principles regarding separation of powers that have already had severe consequences.

  • May 20, 2025

    Unions Walk Tightrope When Members Split On Mideast War

    A recent National Labor Relations Board charge accusing a legal aid union of discriminating against Jewish members by opposing an employer's rule that restricts speech about the Israel-Hamas war tests the bounds of unions' obligations to represent all workers when they're split on a divisive identity issue.

  • May 20, 2025

    Gov't Says Unions Too Slow In Calling For Halt Of Restructure

    President Donald Trump called for a California federal judge to tank an injunction bid from unions and advocacy groups about his executive order instructing agencies to plan for reductions in force, arguing the request was delayed and the district court lacks jurisdiction.

  • May 20, 2025

    GOP Lawmakers Defend Stricter Independent Contractor Bill

    Republicans on a U.S. House subcommittee Tuesday pushed for passing a recently introduced bill that would tighten standards for classifying workers as independent contractors, while Democrats feared moving in that direction would significantly hurt workers.

Expert Analysis

  • Proposed Law Would Harm NYC Hospitality Industry

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    A recently proposed New York City Law that would update hotel licensing and staff coverage requirements could give the city commissioner and unions undue control over the city's hospitality industry, and harm smaller hotels that cannot afford full-time employees, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.

  • US Labor And Employment Law Holds Some Harsh Trade-Offs

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    U.S. labor and employment laws have evolved into a product of exposure-capping compromise, which merits discussion in a presidential election year when the dialogue has focused on purported protections of middle-class workers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Immigration Insights From 'The Proposal'

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with their colleague Robert Lee about how immigration challenges highlighted in the romantic comedy "The Proposal" — beyond a few farcical plot contrivances — relate to real-world visa processes and employer compliance.

  • Insuring Lender's Baseball Bet Leads To Major League Dispute

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    In RockFence v. Lloyd's, a California federal court seeks to define who qualifies as a professional baseball player for purposes of an insurance coverage payout, providing an illuminating case study of potential legal issues arising from baseball service loans, say Marshall Gilinsky and Seán McCabe at Anderson Kill.

  • Preparing For The NLRB's New Union Recognition Final Rule

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    The National Labor Relations Board's impending new final rule on union recognition puts the employer at a particular disadvantage in a decertification election, and best practices include conducting workplace assessments to identify and proactively address employee issues, say Louis Cannon and Gerald Bradner at Baker Donelson.

  • The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Key Steps To Employer Petitions For Union Elections

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Since the National Labor Relations Board shifted the burden of requesting formal union elections onto employers in its Cemex decision last year — and raised the stakes for employer missteps during the process — companies should be prepared to correctly file representation management election petitions and respond to union demands for recognition, says Adam Keating at Duane Morris.

  • Focus On Political Stances May Weaken Labor Unions

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    Recent lawsujits and a bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives call attention to the practice of labor unions taking political stances with which their members disagree — an issue that may weaken unions, and that employers should stay abreast of, given its implications for labor organizing campaigns, workplace morale and collective bargaining, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • NLRB Ruling Highlights Rare Union Deauthorization Process

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    A recent National Labor Relations Board decision about a guard company's union authorization revocation presents a ripe opportunity for employees to review the particulars of this uncommon process, and employer compliance is critical as well, say Megann McManus and Trecia Moore at Husch Blackwell.

  • Latest 'Nuclear Verdict' Underscores Jury-Trial Employer Risk

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    A Los Angeles Superior Court jury's recent $900 million verdict in a high-profile sexual assault and harassment case illustrates the increase in so-called nuclear verdicts in employment cases, and the need for employers to explore alternative methods of resolving disputes, say Anthony Oncidi and Morgan Peterson at Proskauer.

  • After Chevron: What Loper Bright Portends For The NLRB

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court has a long history of deferring to the National Labor Relations Board's readings of federal labor law, the court's Loper Bright v. Raimondo decision forces courts to take a harder look at the judgment of an agency — and the NLRB will not be immune from such greater scrutiny, says Irving Geslewitz at Much Shelist.

  • What's Next After NLRB Ruling On Overbroad Noncompetes

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    If the National Labor Relations Board's recent ruling on noncompete provisions and its extension of Section 7 rights to limit noncompetes is adopted, this interpretation of the National Labor Relations Act will have to survive scrutiny by the courts without the deference previously afforded under the U.S. Supreme Court's recent overturning of Chevron, say attorneys at Littler.

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