Labor

  • August 19, 2025

    Nurses Say They Were Underpaid, Overworked At Hospital

    A Chicagoland hospital network pressured its nurses to work late and through their breaks without pay because it was so understaffed, a group of current and former nurses claimed in Illinois federal court, looking to recoup the pay they say they lost through a wage and hour lawsuit.

  • August 19, 2025

    Agencies' Union Rebukes Add Urgency To Challenges

    Federal agencies are stripping their workers of labor rights after courts provisionally blessed an executive order excusing the agencies from bargaining in the name of national security, though much remains to resolve in a growing pile of union challenges to the president's order.

  • August 19, 2025

    Nonprofits, Union Fight Withholding Of AmeriCorps Funds

    A group of nonprofits and a union added claims to their suit in Maryland federal court aiming to stop the Trump administration from dismantling AmeriCorps, accusing the Office of Management and Budget of unlawfully withholding millions of dollars appropriated by Congress for grant programs.

  • August 19, 2025

    Mill Owner Must Face USW Arbitration Bid, But Not Parent Co.

    The parent company of a Wisconsin paper mill's owner has escaped the United Steelworkers' claim that it must arbitrate a subcontracting grievance filed against the mill's former owner, with a Wisconsin federal judge ruling that only the current owner needs to deal with the grievance.

  • August 19, 2025

    Alcoa Retirees Ask 7th Circ. To Back Lifetime Benefits Order

    A group of retirees and the United Steelworkers urged the Seventh Circuit not to pause a lower court's order requiring Alcoa USA Corp. to reinstate lifetime access to a healthcare plan, raising concerns about elderly retirees dying and not receiving benefits.

  • August 19, 2025

    Cannabis Store Defends NY Labor Peace Law Challenge

    A cannabis store challenging New York's requirement that marijuana businesses have labor peace agreements with employees asserted on Monday that the state's arguments in favor of the case's dismissal were unavailing.

  • August 19, 2025

    5th Circ. Says NLRB Structure Likely Unconstitutional

    The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday upheld injunctions barring the National Labor Relations Board from prosecuting unfair labor practice cases against SpaceX and two other companies, saying the removal protections that federal labor law gives board members and agency judges likely violate the U.S. Constitution.

  • August 18, 2025

    Unions Attack Gov't's Bid To Nix Federal Firings Dispute

    Four unions representing federal workers challenged the Trump administration's request to end an amended lawsuit fighting the efforts to downsize the federal workforce, telling a D.C. federal judge that the government is trying to send claims to administrative agencies that are nonfunctional.

  • August 18, 2025

    Respecting Picket Wasn't A Strike, Teamsters Local Tells Court

    Airgas' collective bargaining agreement with a Teamsters local in Allentown, Pennsylvania, protects its workers' right to respect picket lines, the local told a Pennsylvania federal judge Monday, asking him to toss the gas supplier's claim that the workers' refusal to cross a picket line was a strike that violated the contract.

  • August 18, 2025

    Amazon Surveilled Workers At Ky. Air Hub, NLRB Judge Says

    Amazon violated federal labor law by threatening workers and cracking down on union displays in response to an organizing campaign at its Kentucky air hub, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled Monday, saying the company did not have legitimate business reasons for taking the action.

  • August 18, 2025

    AmeriCorps Restores $400M In Slashed Grants, Judge Told

    AmeriCorps told a Maryland federal judge Monday that the agency restored around $400 million in funding to nonprofits canceled under the Trump administration in April, saying the government doesn't plan to ax grants before they end.

  • August 18, 2025

    NorCal Kaiser Health Tech Workers Can Vote On Union

    Six employees who oversee healthcare technology at Kaiser Permanente's Northern California facilities can vote on union representation, a National Labor Relations Board official has said, rejecting the healthcare giant's argument that the cybersecurity aspect of the workers' jobs makes them union-ineligible security guards.

  • August 18, 2025

    Illinois Court Reverses Labor Board In Tuition Waiver Dispute

    An Illinois appellate panel on Friday reversed a labor board's finding that Governors State University failed to bargain over a change to a policy that allowed its union-backed academic employees to complete some classes at participating universities with tuition and fees waived, saying the decision to discontinue those waivers was made by the other schools.

  • August 15, 2025

    NLRB Attys Add To Wells Fargo Case Seeking Cemex Order

    National Labor Relations Board prosecutors amended an unfair labor practice case seeking a Cemex bargaining order against Wells Fargo, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by Law360 on Friday, adding a claim that the bank illegally disciplined a union supporter.

  • August 15, 2025

    8th Circ. Used Wrong Analysis In Starbucks Spat, NLRB Says

    An Eighth Circuit panel must reconsider its decision to vacate a National Labor Relations Board ruling about a Starbucks manager's remarks during a union organizing drive, the board argued, claiming the panel did not apply the proper test for reviewing threats about wages and benefits.

  • August 15, 2025

    Split DC Circ. Says Federal Union Not Immune From Bias Suit

    A divided D.C. Circuit panel on Friday reinstated a retired federal worker's discrimination lawsuit against a government workers union, with the majority pushing back on arguments that the allegations must be funneled through a special administrative process outside the courtroom. 

  • August 15, 2025

    AFA-CWA Fights SkyWest Group's Counterclaims

    The Association of Flight Attendants, a union organizer and a group of current and former SkyWest flight attendants have asked a Utah federal judge to toss most of the counterclaims in their suit accusing the airline of undermining a union drive, saying the SkyWest Inflight Association can't substantiate its allegations against them.

  • August 15, 2025

    NLRB Top Cop Says States Can't Act As Agency Stand-In

    The National Labor Relations Board's acting general counsel opined Friday that federal law blocks pending state proposals to take on the agency's labor relations oversight even when the board can't perform certain functions because it lacks a quorum.

  • August 15, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: 9th Circ. Hears Federal Worker Firings Fight

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in a case challenging federal layoffs that paid a visit to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • August 15, 2025

    NY Forecast: Class Cert. Args. In Bloomberg Pay Bias Case

    This week, a New York federal magistrate judge will hear arguments over a bid to certify a class of female former employees at Bloomberg LP who claim they were systematically paid less than their male counterparts.

  • August 15, 2025

    Co. Must Follow Award Barring Double Duty, Ohio Judge Says

    An insulation company must abide by an arbitration award requiring it to stop having workers do two jobs at once, an Ohio federal judge ruled, finding the arbitrator's decision is valid based on an analysis from the Sixth Circuit.

  • August 15, 2025

    DC Circ. Paves Way For Trump Admin To Resume CFPB Cuts

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday tentatively cleared President Donald Trump's administration to carry out mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, rejecting a lower-court hold on those efforts but giving time for groups representing consumers and agency workers to request an appeal.

  • August 14, 2025

    Ed. Dept. Effort To Bar School Diversity Programs Blocked

    A Maryland federal judge on Thursday held that the U.S. Department of Education violated the constitution and Administrative Procedure Act when it issued guidance that took aim at school diversity programs, ruling that the "law does not countenance the government's hasty and summary treatment of these significant issues."

  • August 14, 2025

    9th Circ. OKs Returning Calif. Farm Wage Suit To State Court

    A California farmworker's wage and hour suit against Sunsweet Growers Inc. can proceed in state court, a Ninth Circuit panel ruled Thursday, rejecting the company's argument that the suit belongs in federal court and should be dismissed.

  • August 14, 2025

    Las Vegas Cos. Owe $1.2M In Union Pension Row, Judge Says

    Two window-washing companies in Las Vegas are on the hook for more than $1.2 million in withdrawal liability to a union pension plan, a Nevada federal judge determined, concluding the businesses are successors of older companies.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 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.

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