Labor

  • June 17, 2025

    8th Circ. Says NLRB Misapplied Standard In Starbucks Case

    The National Labor Relations Board improperly ignored a Starbucks employee's impression of her manager's comments during a union campaign when concluding the comments were unlawful, a split Eighth Circuit panel ruled Tuesday, resolving a case that challenged the board's standard for determining when an employer's anti-union rhetoric violates labor law.

  • June 17, 2025

    NLRB's SF Office Accuses Amazon Of Illegal Threats, Firings

    Amazon violated federal labor law at a San Francisco warehouse in response to organizing with the Teamsters, National Labor Relations Board prosecutors alleged, claiming the e-commerce giant upped management's presence, threatened employees and fired workers to quell unionization efforts.

  • June 17, 2025

    General Motors Says Precedent 'Eviscerates' EEOC Bias Suit

    General Motors urged an Indiana federal judge Tuesday to toss a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it discriminated against older workers by reducing disability benefits if they also received Social Security, arguing the policy says nothing about age, allowing it to stand under high court precedent.

  • June 17, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Class Cert. In Suit Over Diabetes Drug Risk

    The Ninth Circuit refused to disband a class of third-party payors who claim Takeda Pharmaceutical and Eli Lilly & Co. hid their anti-diabetes drug's bladder cancer risks, finding no issue with a lower court's analysis of expert evidence showing prescriptions fell after the risks were disclosed.

  • June 17, 2025

    Teamsters Local Defends Handling Of Bakery Driver's Firing

    A Teamsters local has urged an Ohio federal judge to toss a lawsuit filed by a former driver for a Midwest regional bakery, saying the worker can't back up his claim that the union failed to fight hard enough for his reinstatement.

  • June 17, 2025

    5th Circ. Must Nix NLRB's Rerun Vote Order, Starbucks Says

    Federal labor law is not a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for union activists who violate an employer's policies, Starbucks argued to the Fifth Circuit, saying the National Labor Relations Board lacked evidence of anti-union bias when concluding the coffee chain illegally fired a barista in California.

  • June 16, 2025

    Petroleum Co. Owes $21M In Withdrawal Liability, Fund Says

    Petroleum company Sieveking Inc. was hit Monday with a $21 million withdrawal liability suit in Illinois federal court by a pension fund that says the company should be paying off its balance while it asks an arbitrator to weigh in.

  • June 16, 2025

    WaPo Cleared Of Illegal Firing Claim Over Reporter's Tweets

    The Washington Post lawfully fired a reporter who spoke up about a co-worker's retweet that she found sexist, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled Monday, finding the journalist's remarks on social media disparaged the newspaper and did not link to a labor dispute.

  • June 16, 2025

    Unions Can't Sue Over Canceled Columbia Funds, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge on Monday dismissed two unions' challenge to the Trump administration's decision ending $400 million in funding to Columbia University, saying the unions cannot sue over funding that was never theirs.

  • June 16, 2025

    NLRB Official Tosses Union Vote Petition At Tenn. Honky-Tonk

    A group of security guards can't unionize at a bar and live music venue in Nashville, Tennessee, a National Labor Relations Board regional director concluded, finding some workers in the proposed bargaining unit are statutory supervisors.

  • June 16, 2025

    AFL-CIO, Unions Seek Early Win To Block Slash Of FMCS

    A group of unions and the AFL-CIO urged a New York federal judge to find the Trump administration's staffing cuts and shuttering of field offices at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service are unlawful, arguing the government did not have an explanation for slashing the agency's services.

  • June 13, 2025

    State Dept. Layoffs Still Violate Injunction, Judge Says

    A California federal judge said Friday that planned staff reductions at the State Department would violate her injunction blocking President Donald Trump's executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, saying she's not persuaded by the government's assertion that the department's reorganization was underway before the order.

  • June 13, 2025

    DC Circ. Knocks NLRB For 'Irrational' Impasse Analysis

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday rejected the National Labor Relations Board's conclusions that a quarry operator unlawfully threatened to stop contributions to a pension fund for unionized workers, finding the board's "legal analysis is irrational" about whether the parties were at an impasse.

  • June 13, 2025

    Trump Can't Pause Reinstating FLRA Chair Pending Appeal

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Friday rejected the Trump administration's request to pause an order requiring the Democratic chair of the Federal Labor Relations Authority's reinstatement, finding the government's request is belated and that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling doesn't necessarily support the stay.

  • June 13, 2025

    4th Circ. Affirms Toss Of Contractor's ULP Suit Against Union

    The Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Maryland mechanical contractor's lawsuit against a Sheet Metal Air Rail & Transportation Workers local on Friday, ruling that the union's alleged smear campaign against the company didn't rise to the level of an unfair labor practice under the National Labor Relations Act.

  • June 13, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Weighs FedEx Driver's Bias Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider a former FedEx employee's attempt to revive his lawsuit claiming he was fired in retaliation for complaining about rampant harassment that management at the company did nothing to address. Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • June 13, 2025

    Vox Media Workers Secure Tentative Deal After Strike Vote

    Vox Media and the Writers Guild of America East notched a tentative three-year labor contract covering around 250 workers, the union announced Friday, coming to an agreement after a majority of the bargaining unit voted to authorize a strike.

  • June 13, 2025

    Groups Tell 8th Circ. Minn. Misclassification Law Harms Them

    Trade groups urged the Eighth Circuit to overturn an order declining to block a Minnesota law from taking effect that slaps steep fines on companies that misclassify construction workers as independent contractors, saying they have standing to sue because their members will be harmed by the statute.

  • June 13, 2025

    Workers At Immigration Agency Contractor OK For Union Vote

    The employees of a Lee's Summit, Missouri, office that helps U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services process benefit applications can vote on union representation, a National Labor Relations Board official said, rejecting the employer's argument that the union should also include employees of its Overland Park, Kansas, office.

  • June 13, 2025

    White House Stands By Biden-Era Construction Labor Rule

    The Trump administration clarified that federal agencies should still use project labor agreements on large federal construction projects, weeks after a court vacated two agencies' directives that purported to eliminate this requirement.

  • June 13, 2025

    Oregon Takes Cannabis Labor Peace Row To 9th Circ.

    Oregon officials will appeal a federal judge's order barring enforcement of a voter-approved law that required licensed cannabis businesses to enter into labor peace pacts with their workers.

  • June 13, 2025

    Colo. Appeals Upholds State Board Rules On Teacher Reviews

    A state appeals court sided with the Colorado State Board of Education in a challenge brought by an educators union against the board's new teacher performance evaluation system and the appeal process for those evaluations, precedentially ruling that the board acted within its delegated authority.

  • June 13, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: Court Weighs Blocking Trump Bargaining EO

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for a potential ruling in an attempt by six unions to temporarily block President Donald Trump's executive order that would prohibit collective bargaining agreements at certain federal agencies. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • June 13, 2025

    Ex-Labor Secretary Perez, Now At Mayer Brown, Looks Back

    After joining Mayer Brown last month, former Labor Secretary Tom Perez talked with Law360 Pulse about his latest career move, his efforts to help expand and enforce hate crime laws, and his work for President Joe Biden to promote the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

  • June 12, 2025

    Ex-UPS Workers Urge 9th Circ. To Revive State Law Claims

    An attorney for some former United Parcel Service workers urged a Ninth Circuit panel Thursday to undo a decision barring them from proceeding with some state employment claims because the workers memorialized them on union grievance forms, telling the panel the claims aren't preempted by federal law.

Expert Analysis

  • Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument

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    Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.

  • Trends That Will Shape The Construction Industry In 2024

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    Though the outlook for the construction industry is mixed, it is clear that 2024 will bring evolving changes aimed at building projects more safely and efficiently under difficult circumstances, and stakeholders would be wise to prepare for the challenges and opportunities these trends will bring, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Focused Statement Can Ease Employment Mediation

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    Given the widespread use of mediation in employment cases, attorneys should take steps to craft mediation statements that efficiently assist the mediator by focusing on key issues, strengths and weaknesses of a claim, which can flag key disputes and barriers to a settlement, says Darren Rumack at Klein & Cardali.

  • 3 Areas Of Focus In Congressional Crosshairs This Year

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    Companies must prepare for Congress to build on its 2023 oversight priorities this year, continuing its vigorous inquiries into Chinese company-related investments, workplace safety and labor relations issues, and generative artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Insights On Noncompetes From 'The Office'

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    Troutman Pepper’s Tracey Diamond, Evan Gibbs, Constance Brewster and Jim Earle compare scenarios from “The Office” to the complex world of noncompetes and associated tax issues, as employers are becoming increasingly hesitant to look to noncompete provisions amid a potential federal ban.

  • 5 NLRA Changes To Make Nonunion Employers Wary In 2024

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    As the National Labor Relations Board continues pushing an aggressive pro-union agenda and a slate of strict workplace rules, nonunion employers should study significant labor law changes from 2023 to understand why National Labor Relations Act compliance will be so crucial to protecting themselves in the new year, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • NLRA Expansion May Come With Risks For Workers

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    The last few years have seen a rapid expansion of the National Labor Relations Act to increase labor law coverage in as many ways and to as many areas as possible, but this could potentially weaken rather than strengthen support for unions and worker rights in the U.S., says Daniel Johns at Cozen O’Connor.

  • What The NLRB Wants Employers To Know Post-Cemex

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    Recent guidance from the National Labor Relations Board illuminates prosecutorial goals following Cemex Construction Materials, a decision that upended decades of precedent, and includes several notable points to which employers should pay close attention, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2024

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    From technological leaps to sea changes in labor policy to literal sea changes, 2024 provides opportunities for employers to face big-picture questions that will shape their business for years to come, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.

  • Cos. Should Be On Guard After Boom In Unfair Labor Claims

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    The National Labor Relations Board's recent expansion of protected activity and imposition of case-by-case policies led to a historic boom in unfair labor practice charges in 2023, so companies should prepare for labor complaints to increase in 2024 by conducting risk assessments and implementing compliance plans, say Daniel Schudroff and Lorien Schoenstedt at Jackson Lewis.

  • 3 Developments That Will Affect Hospitality Companies In 2024

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    As the hospitality industry continues its post-pandemic recovery, it faces both challenges and opportunities to thrive in 2024, including navigating new labor rules, developing branded residential living spaces and cautiously embracing artificial intelligence, says Lauren Stewart at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal and state courts made 2023 another groundbreaking year for whistleblower litigation and retaliation developments, including the SEC’s massive whistleblower awards, which are likely to continue into 2024 and further incentivize individuals to submit tips, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Starbucks Raise Ruling Highlights Labor Law Catch-22

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    A National Labor Relations Board judge recently ruled that Starbucks violated federal labor law when it gave raises to nonunion employees only, demonstrating that conflicts present in workforces with both union and nonunion employees can put employers in no-win situations if they don't consider how their actions will be interpreted, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

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