Labor

  • April 30, 2025

    Local Gov'ts, Union Seek Block Of COVID Grant Cancellations

    Three cities, a county and a public employees' union asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge Wednesday to block the government from rescinding $11 billion in public health grants doled out through pandemic-era laws, saying the grants weren't intended to stop when the pandemic stopped.

  • April 30, 2025

    AFL-CIO Backs NLRB In Diner's Challenge To In-House Court

    The AFL-CIO has thrown its weight behind the National Labor Relations Board in the agency's opposition to a constitutional challenge filed by a Texas diner, telling the Fifth Circuit that the diner's "radical theory" rests on an argument the U.S. Supreme Court rejected nearly a century ago.

  • April 30, 2025

    DOL, HHS Seek Nix Of Bid To Halt DOGE's Access To Systems

    The U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services challenged a bid to halt agencies from giving Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive systems, telling a D.C. federal judge that a group of unions didn't show personal information would be leaked.

  • April 30, 2025

    DraftKings Wants MLB Players' IP Case Sent To 3rd Circ.

    Sports betting company DraftKings Inc. told a Pennsylvania federal judge Wednesday that she was wrong to allow an MLB players organization's suit over unlicensed use of athletes' likenesses to proceed, arguing that the Third Circuit should weigh in on potentially novel legal issues that could quickly end the case.

  • April 30, 2025

    Starbucks Flouts Labor Law At Philly Cafe, NLRB Judge Says

    Starbucks flouted federal labor law at a Philadelphia store by encouraging workers to report union activity to their managers and by firing two workplace activists over violations of a previously unenforced attendance policy, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled.

  • April 30, 2025

    Michael Best Gains Higher Ed Leader In Austin From Littler

    Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has deepened its labor and employment practice group with a partner in Austin who also serves as co-chair of the firm's higher education industry team and came aboard from Littler Mendelson PC.

  • April 30, 2025

    Bipartisan House Members Pitch Expanded Paid Family Leave

    A bipartisan group of House lawmakers unveiled legislation Wednesday that they said would expand access to paid family leave by incentivizing states to establish their own programs and facilitating the exchange of information between state and federal officials.

  • April 29, 2025

    USPTO Flouted Labor Law At Examiner Meeting, Union Says

    The labor union representing the federal government's patent examiners has filed a formal complaint alleging a representative for the union was blocked from being able to talk at a meeting between the workers and the federal patent office.

  • April 29, 2025

    Joann Floats $1.3M Ohio Closure Deal With Union Workers

    Bankrupt crafting supply seller Joann Inc. proposed a deal on Monday with unionized workers at an Ohio distribution facility that will pay $1.3 million in severance and unused time-off payments for staying at work until the facility is closed.

  • April 29, 2025

    Kroger-Owned Chain Fights To Keep UFCW Suit Alive

    The Kroger-owned grocery chain King Soopers urged a Colorado federal judge Tuesday to preserve its lawsuit against a United Food and Commercial Workers local, saying the company can prove that the union is placing unlawful pressure on it to bargain with multiple locals at once.

  • April 29, 2025

    Exxon, USW Settle Texas Court Case About Grievance Spat

    Exxon Mobil and a United Steelworkers local ended the oil giant's Texas federal court dispute aiming to halt the union from relitigating an issue about the automatic granting of grievances, with a judge approving the parties' request to toss the case.

  • April 29, 2025

    Trump Can't Reorganize Gov't Without Congress, Groups Say

    President Donald Trump lacks the power to reorganize the executive branch and push for mass terminations of workers when Congress hasn't given its blessing, unions and other groups told a California federal court.

  • April 29, 2025

    Union Pension Fund Wins $132M Bailout Suit At 2nd Circ.

    A union pension fund won its multimillion-dollar dispute with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. on appeal Tuesday, with the Second Circuit reversing a New York federal judge's 2023 decision that the PBGC was within its rights to reject the fund's 2022 application for $132 million in financial assistance.

  • April 29, 2025

    Union Fights Vegas Casino Co.'s Bid To Block NLRB Cases

    A union is fighting Station Casinos LLC's argument that the National Labor Relations Board lacks the authority to prosecute the company for violating labor law, telling a Nevada federal judge that Station's constitutional challenge to the board's structure is an attempt to evade responsibility for its illegal anti-union tactics.

  • April 29, 2025

    Federal Defenders Of NY Staff Announce Union Drive

    Staff members at the Federal Defenders of New York have announced their plans to join their attorney colleagues as members of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys.

  • April 29, 2025

    3rd Circ. Denies Post-Gazette Bid To Tweak Benefits Order

    The publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette can't get the Third Circuit to clarify or tweak an order to put its newsroom employees back on their old health insurance plan, despite concerns from the newspaper company that it may not have been eligible to reenroll them in the plan and would rather go back to bargaining instead.

  • April 28, 2025

    Judge Says Trump Lacked Power To Erase Bargaining Rights

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Monday explained his rationale for blocking President Donald Trump's effort to end collective bargaining for certain federal workers last week, saying that it's likely the president doesn't have the authority to exclude a slew of federal agencies from the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute.

  • April 28, 2025

    Exxon Asks Full 5th Circ. To Rethink NLRB Flip In Labor Case

    An ExxonMobil unit Monday urged the full Fifth Circuit to undo a panel of judges' decision backing the National Labor Relations Board in holding the company liable for unfair labor practices despite the board freeing it from allegations years prior, warning of a "politicization" of federal labor laws.

  • April 28, 2025

    DC Circ. Restores Ban On CFPB Mass Layoffs Amid Appeal

    A D.C. Circuit panel said Monday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau must refrain for now from mass employee firings, backtracking from a prior decision that the Trump administration had used to attempt a now-suspended layoff of nearly all the agency's staff.

  • April 28, 2025

    3rd Circ. Won't Rethink Teamsters Fund's Win In $39M Row

    The Third Circuit won't give a group of dairy businesses a second chance to prevent a Teamsters union pension fund from suing them and their affiliates to enforce a $39 million settlement, the court announced Monday.

  • April 28, 2025

    Judge 'Commandeered' VOA, DC Circ. Told

    The Trump administration is urging the D.C. Circuit to narrow an injunction preserving the agency that oversees Voice of America while the administration appeals a ruling that halted the broadcasting service's dismantling, saying a trial court judge ruled too broadly by reinstating grant agreements and employees.

  • April 28, 2025

    HCA Florida Hospitals Ordered To Arbitrate SEIU's Grievances

    A group of 17 HCA Florida hospitals must go before an arbitrator to resolve a Service Employees International union affiliate's grievances about legal fees tied to a dues deduction dispute, a federal judge ruled Monday, finding the grievances fall under an arbitration provision in the parties' labor contracts.

  • April 28, 2025

    Amazon Defends Firings, Disciplines Amid Ky. Union Drive

    Amazon didn't violate federal labor law by firing and disciplining workers while a union organizing effort was taking off at a facility near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, the e-commerce giant argued, alleging National Labor Relations Board attorneys are seeking an unconstitutional nationwide notice-reading remedy.

  • April 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Vegas Hotel In Ex-Worker's Disability Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday refused to reopen a former bartender's lawsuit alleging a Las Vegas hotel forced her to take leave and eventually fired her for tremors caused by her cancer treatment, saying she hadn't provided enough evidence to back up her claims.

  • April 28, 2025

    Unions Tell Judge To Stop DOGE's Federal Personnel Probe

    A New York federal judge should block the U.S. Office of Personnel Management from disclosing information about federal employees to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, three unions argued in an updated injunction request, saying their position is stronger now that the judge denied the government's dismissal bid.

Expert Analysis

  • Joint Employment Mediation Sessions Are Worth The Work

    Author Photo

    Despite the recent trend away from joint mediation in employment disputes, and the prevailing belief that putting both parties in the same room is only a recipe for lost ground, face-to-face sessions can be valuable tools for moving toward win-win resolutions when planned with certain considerations in mind, says Jonathan Andrews at Signature Resolution.

  • A Look At NLRB GC's Memos On Misleading Employees

    Author Photo

    The National Labor Relations Board's general counsel recently confirmed her plan to limit what she considers coercive and misleading statements by employers during union organizing drives, and provided some guidance for employers that, if recognized and followed, may keep a company out of legal trouble with the NLRB, says Rebecca Leaf at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Termination Lessons From 'WeCrashed'

    Author Photo

    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with Fulton Bank’s Allison Snyder about how the show “WeCrashed” highlights pitfalls companies should avoid when terminating workers, even when the employment is at will.

  • Labor Law Reform Is Needed For Unions To Succeed

    Author Photo

    Though support for unions is at an unprecedented high, declining union membership levels expose the massive disconnect between what Americans want from unionizing and what they are actually able to achieve, primarily due to the disastrous state of U.S. labor law, say Sharon Block and Benjamin Sachs at Harvard Law School.

  • How Cos. Can Avoid Sinking In The Union Organizing Storm

    Author Photo

    Faced with a new NLRB administration and pandemic-fueled employee unrest, employers must deal with the perfect storm for union organizing by keeping policies up-to-date and making sure employees’ voices are heard, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Eye On Compliance: Employee Biometric Data Privacy

    Author Photo

    Following recent high-profile developments in Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act lawsuits and an increase in related legislation proposed by other states, employers should anticipate an uptick in litigation on this issue — and several best practices can help bolster compliance, say Lisa Ackerman and Laura Stutz at Wilson Elser.

  • Examining Employer Best Practices For Reserved Gates

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Joshua Fox at Proskauer discusses the legal implications of employers establishing a reserved gate system for union picketing — which creates a separate worksite entrance for employers not involved in the dispute — with a focus on rights and obligations under the National Labor Relations Act, and preventing disruptions toward secondary employers.

  • 6 Antitrust Compliance Tips For Employers From MLB Probe

    Author Photo

    Major League Baseball's recent investigation into possible collusion between the Mets and Yankees — involving then-free agent Aaron Judge — can teach employers of all types antitrust lessons in a time when competition for top talent is fierce, says Mohamed Barry at Fisher & Phillips.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Trade Secret Lessons From 'Severance'

    Author Photo

    In light of the recently enacted Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, attorneys at Troutman Pepper chat with Tangibly CEO Tim Londergan about trade secret protection as it relates to the show “Severance,” which involves employees whose minds are surgically divided between their home and work lives.

  • 4 Ways Nonunion Employers Can Make Workers Feel Heard

    Author Photo

    With employees less likely to join the recent surge of unionizations if management proactively responds to their concerns, companies should cultivate positive relationships with their workers now, lest employees feel they must organize to amplify their voices, say Stacey McClurkin Macklin and Grant Mulkey at Stinson.

  • Independent Contractor Laws Are Ignoring Economy's Evolution

    Author Photo

    Over the last year, federal and state approaches to independent contractor classification have demonstrated an inability to adjust to changes in the economy — save for a 12-factor test proposed in New York City, which would have balanced gig economy prosperity and worker protections, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Key Employer Questions On Ill. Workers' Rights Amendment

    Author Photo

    With the Illinois' Workers' Rights Amendment recently voted into the state constitution despite challenges in and out of court, employers struggling to understand if the ban on right-to-work statutes applies to the private sector should follow litigation on the amendment for help interpreting its scope and applicability, say attorneys at Neal Gerber.

  • What To Know About NLRB's Expanded Labor Remedies

    Author Photo

    The National Labor Relations Board’s recent Thryv decision, which added "foreseeable pecuniary harms" to employee remedies for unfair labor practices, should prompt employers to recalibrate risk assessments involved in making significant employment decisions, says Manolis Boulukos at Ice Miller.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Employment Authority Labor archive.