Labor

  • June 11, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Says VA Worker Must Submit To Random Drug Tests

    The Federal Circuit has upheld an arbitration decision requiring a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs employee, allegedly caught using marijuana on the job, to release her medical records and submit to random drug testing as part of a slate of conditions for her to return to work, finding the arbitrator's award acceptable.

  • June 11, 2025

    Think Tank Says Ill. 'Captive Audience' Fight Should Proceed

    A libertarian think tank and business group urged an Illinois federal judge Wednesday to let its legal challenge to a recent state law banning mandatory workplace meetings on politics and religion continue, arguing its already-chilled speech is enough to establish pre-enforcement standing.

  • June 11, 2025

    Calif. Judge Shuts Down Amazon's Bid To Block NLRB Case

    Amazon can't win another attempt to block a National Labor Relations Board proceeding about its alleged unfair labor practices involving delivery drivers in California, a federal judge ruled, saying the company hasn't shown it is experiencing irreparable harm.

  • June 11, 2025

    8th Circ. Probes NLRB's Process In Home Depot 'BLM' Ruling

    An Eighth Circuit panel questioned Wednesday the process behind the National Labor Relations Board's ruling that Home Depot illegally forced out a worker for displaying the letters "BLM" on their apron but didn't tip its hand on whether this move was within the company's rights.

  • June 11, 2025

    Ex-NLRB GC Warns Of More Strikes With Inactive NLRB

    Uncertainty about the long-term stability and independence of the National Labor Relations Board could increase labor unrest and spur workers and unions to take to the picket lines more often, former NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo told a House panel Wednesday, urging Congress to step in to strengthen the board.

  • June 11, 2025

    Worker Asks NLRB To Rethink Standard Barring Ouster Votes

    Unfair labor practice settlements without admissions clauses must only prevent decertification elections for no longer than six months, a worker represented by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation contended to the NLRB, seeking to overturn agency precedent on what is considered a reasonable time to negotiate a contract.

  • June 11, 2025

    Amazon Union Reps Defend Suit Challenging NYPD Arrests

    Amazon should face claims that it started illegally calling the police on labor demonstrations after its workers' union affiliated with the Teamsters, Amazon Labor Union officials argued, asking a New York federal judge to preserve a lawsuit that also names the New York Police Department as a defendant.

  • June 10, 2025

    Ill. Judge Questions Standing In Biogen Antitrust Suit

    An Illinois federal judge seemed skeptical Tuesday that health benefit plans accusing Biogen of impairing competition for its multiple sclerosis drug, Tecfidera, have standing to bring their lawsuit under decades-old precedent allowing only direct purchasers to recoup damages.

  • June 10, 2025

    Janitor's Wage Claims Must Head To Arbitration, Judge Says

    A janitor in California must arbitrate her claims that a cleaning services company owed minimum wages and didn't give rest breaks, a federal magistrate judge ruled Tuesday, finding a grievance process in an unsigned collective bargaining agreement still covers the worker's claims.

  • June 10, 2025

    Calif. Driverless Car Bill Shows Path For Unions' Anti-AI Fight

    The Teamsters are backing a California bill that would require self-driving delivery vehicles to run with a human operator, an effort that has drawn opposition from businesses but that the union sees as part of a fight to push back against job-threatening technology.

  • June 10, 2025

    4th Circ. Urged To Back NLRB's Order Against Trucking Co.

    A Virginia trucking company hasn't presented enough evidence to counter the National Labor Relations Board's conclusion that it unlawfully interfered with a union representation election, the board told the Fourth Circuit, asking the court to enforce the board's bargaining order.

  • June 10, 2025

    GM To Drop 'Cockamamie' Fiat Foreign Account Claims

    A Michigan judge indicated Tuesday that he would let General Motors withdraw allegations that Fiat Chrysler held foreign bank accounts in a union bribery scheme suit, and said he'd leave the determination of whether the automaker should be sanctioned for not sharing its evidence supporting those claims for another day. 

  • June 10, 2025

    Union Reaches Tentative Deal To End Video Game Strike

    The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has reached a tentative agreement for a union contract that would end a nearly yearlong strike by performers who provide voice-over and acting work for video games, the union announced.

  • June 10, 2025

    Union, Philharmonic Fight Suits From Suspended Musicians

    A musicians union has asked a New York federal judge to toss two suspended New York Philharmonic players' allegations that the union illegally dropped its fight for their reinstatement, saying it had good reason to abandon the mission after the full extent of their alleged sexual violence was revealed.

  • June 10, 2025

    Ex-Fidelity Associate GC Returns To Mayer Brown In Chicago

    Mayer Brown LLP has rehired the former co-chair of its practice focused on retirement benefit matters, who returns to the firm after helping to lead a team of attorneys at Fidelity Investments responsible for health and retirement plan litigation.

  • June 10, 2025

    Union Tells 5th Circ. To Keep Nexstar Denver Bargaining Order

    A Communications Workers of America affiliate pushed the Fifth Circuit to uphold the National Labor Relations Board's bargaining order against Nexstar at two television stations in Denver, challenging the company's claims that the union unfairly swayed a representation election.

  • June 10, 2025

    Kaplan Says NLRB Could Regain Quorum As Noms 'Imminent'

    The chairman of the National Labor Relations Board signaled Tuesday that the board may soon return to full function after months operating mostly without a quorum, saying "nominations are imminent" to fill at least some of the panel's vacancies.

  • June 09, 2025

    Unions Win Injunction In OPM, DOGE Privacy Suit

    A New York federal judge on Monday granted a preliminary injunction bid against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in a lawsuit accusing it of unlawfully disclosing employees' personal information to the Department of Government Efficiency, saying OPM granted broad access to the information despite there being no "credible need."

  • June 09, 2025

    Pilot Says American Airlines Skimped On Long-Term Disability

    A disabled pilot accused American Airlines and its third-party administrator of systematically miscalculating workers' long-term disability benefits by excluding certain forms of compensation from their monthly benefit calculations, according to a suit filed in Texas federal court.

  • June 09, 2025

    NLRB May Be Spared Trump Cuts, Acting Prosecutor Says

    The acting general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board signaled optimism Monday that the board will be spared the ax in President Donald Trump's culling of federal agencies, saying that the administration has "treated us well."

  • June 09, 2025

    Senators Seek Probe Into SEIU Leader's Arrest At ICE Raid

    Three Democratic senators called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice on Monday to provide legal justification for the arrest of the president of a Service Employees International Union affiliate in California during an immigration enforcement raid last week.

  • June 09, 2025

    Justices Urged To Keep Pause On 'Breakneck' Gov't Overhaul

    The U.S. Supreme Court should leave in place a California federal judge's order barring implementation of layoffs and reorganizations at various federal departments and agencies, several unions and nonprofits argued Monday, claiming a decision allowing the changes would irreversibly harm the federal government and render Congress and the judiciary powerless.

  • June 09, 2025

    2nd Circ. Nixes Doc's Power Of Atty Deal In Patient ERISA Suit

    The Second Circuit ruled Monday that a doctor couldn't use a power-of-attorney arrangement to sue on behalf of a patient who said their union's health plan illegally stuck them with a $150,000 medical bill, but directed a trial court to determine if the patient can pursue the case.

  • June 09, 2025

    WaPo Unlawfully Fired Reporter For Tweets, NLRB GC Says

    National Labor Relations Board prosecutors are seeking reinstatement for a Washington Post reporter who spoke up about a coworker's retweet that she found offensive, arguing the journalist's complaints on Slack and social media were protected under federal labor law.

  • June 09, 2025

    Janitorial Contractor Fights Portland Labor Peace Policy

    A nonprofit that supplies janitors to the city of Portland, Oregon, is challenging the city's requirement for certain city contractors to enter into labor peace agreements with unions, claiming in a new lawsuit in federal court that the rule is preempted by the National Labor Relations Act.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Justices' Starbucks Ruling May Limit NLRB Injunction Wins

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Starbucks v. McKinney, adopting a more stringent test for National Labor Relations Board Section 10(j) injunctions, may lessen the frequency with which employers must defend against injunctions alongside parallel unfair labor practice charges, say David Pryzbylski and Colleen Schade at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • A Way Forward For The US Steel-Nippon Deal And Union Jobs

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    Parties involved in Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel should trust the Pennsylvania federal court overseeing a key environmental settlement to supervise a way of including future union jobs and cleaner air for the city of Pittsburgh as part of a transparent business marriage, says retired judge Susan Braden.

  • Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State

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    Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.

  • After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law

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    Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.

  • Eye On Compliance: A Brief History Of Joint Employer Rules

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    It's important to examine the journey of the joint employer rule, because if the National Labor Relations Board's Fifth Circuit appeal is successful and the 2023 version is made law, virtually every employer who contracts for labor likely could be deemed a joint employer, say Bruno Katz and Robert Curtis at Wilson Elser.

  • Top 5 Issues For Employers To Audit Midyear

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    Six months into 2024, developments from federal courts and regulatory agencies should prompt employers to reflect on their progress regarding artificial intelligence, noncompetes, diversity initiatives, religious accommodation and more, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.

  • Crafting An Effective Workplace AI Policy After DOL Guidance

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    Employers should take proactive steps to minimize their liability risk after the U.S. Department of Labor released artificial intelligence guidance principles on May 16, reflecting the reality that companies must begin putting into place policies that will dictate their expectations for how employees will use AI, say David Disler and Courtnie Bolden at ​​​​​​​Porzio Bromberg.

  • Politics In The Workplace: What Employers Need To Know

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    As the 2024 election approaches and protests continue across the country, employers should be aware of employees' rights — and limits on those rights — related to political speech and activities in the workplace, and be prepared to act proactively to prevent issues before they arise, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Cos. Must Stay On Alert With Joint Employer Rule In Flux

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    While employers may breathe a sigh of relief at recent events blocking the National Labor Relations Board's proposed rule that would make it easier for two entities to be deemed joint employers, the rule is not yet dead, say attorneys at ​​​​​​​Day Pitney.

  • One Contract Fix Can Reduce Employer Lawsuit Exposure

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    A recent Fifth Circuit ruling that saved FedEx over $365 million highlights how a one-sentence limitation provision on an employment application or in an at-will employment agreement may be the easiest cost-savings measure for employers against legal claims, say Sara O'Keefe and William Wortel at BCLP.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Sick Leave Insights From 'Parks And Rec'

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper spoke with Lisa Whittaker at the J.M. Smucker Co. about how to effectively manage sick leave policies to ensure legal compliance and fairness to all employees, in a discussion inspired by a "Parks and Recreation" episode.

  • 3 Employer Lessons From NLRB's Complaint Against SpaceX

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    Severance agreements traditionally have included nondisparagement and nondisclosure provisions as a matter of course — but a recent National Labor Relations Board complaint against SpaceX underscores the ongoing efforts to narrow severance agreements at the state and federal levels, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

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