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Labor

  • May 19, 2025

    Trump Admin Fights Bid To Block OPM From Helping DOGE

    A trio of unions can't substantiate their claims that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is inappropriately disclosing sensitive data to the Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has told a New York federal judge, asking her to toss the unions' injunction request.

  • May 19, 2025

    Symphony Tells 11th Circ. NLRB's Impasse Order Can't Stand

    The Eleventh Circuit must not defer to the National Labor Relations Board's credibility conclusions in finding that a Florida symphony wasn't at an impasse when it implemented a final bargaining offer, the symphony contended, saying the board wrongly disregarded an agency judge's determinations about the facts.

  • May 19, 2025

    NLRB Attys Drop Push For Change In Disclosure Standard

    National Labor Relations Board prosecutors no longer have a Trump-era ruling on employers' disclosure responsibilities in their crosshairs, telling the board Monday that they're no longer seeking reconsideration of its 2019 decision in Arlington Metals Corp.

  • May 19, 2025

    Feds Say Unions' Downsizing Suit Should Be Tossed

    The Trump administration urged a federal judge in D.C. to toss a lawsuit challenging three federal downsizing initiatives, arguing that the claims brought by labor unions representing federal employees belong before the agency charged with adjudicating such disputes.

  • May 19, 2025

    Taxpayer Data Increasingly At Risk From DOGE, Court Told

    A group of unions and advocacy organizations trying to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing confidential taxpayer data told a D.C. federal court they fear the data is already being shared with federal agencies beyond the IRS.

  • May 19, 2025

    Electric, Nuclear Valve Co. Escape Pension Dispute

    A federally owned electric company and a contractor were not required to make pension fund contributions to a plumbers and steamfitters union because the contracted valve work was an exempt specialty contract, a Tennessee federal judge ruled in a lawsuit Monday.

  • May 19, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Family's Win In Suit Over Denied Benefits

    The Ninth Circuit declined to upend a guild member's win in his lawsuit challenging his healthcare plan's decision to deny coverage for his son's mental health treatments, but said a lower court was wrong to award the family additional damages on their breach of fiduciary duty claim.

  • May 19, 2025

    Split DC Circ. Pauses Halt On Trump's Union Rights Order

    A divided D.C. Circuit panel greenlighted President Donald Trump's request to pause a lower court decision that blocked the implementation of an executive order aimed at ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees, concluding the injunction ruling "ties the government's hands."

  • May 16, 2025

    DC Circ. Judges Skeptical Of Blockade On Ƶ Mass Layoffs

    A D.C. Circuit panel majority Friday sounded inclined to lift lower court restrictions on what the Trump administration contends is its lawful push to "radically downsize" the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, potentially clearing the way for mass layoffs of its staff.

  • May 16, 2025

    NJ Transit Calls Unions' Refusal To Cross Picket Line Unlawful

    NJ Transit has hit two unions with lawsuits in New Jersey federal court over a rail strike that began Friday, accusing a Teamsters unit and the American Train Dispatchers Association of violating the Railway Labor Act by refusing to cross another Teamsters unit's picket line.

  • May 16, 2025

    Trump Calls On Justices To Stay Block Of Gov't Restructuring

    President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to pause a California federal judge's order temporarily halting agencies from implementing an executive order to plan reorganizations and reductions in force, claiming the lower court's decision has caused confusion and wasted taxpayer dollars.

  • May 16, 2025

    Network Owed Union More After IRS Alert, NLRB Judge Says

    A Chicagoland medical center network that serves the Hispanic community failed to sufficiently loop in its workers' union after the IRS identified potential issues with four workers' Social Security numbers, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled, holding the employer responsible for a labor law violation.

  • May 16, 2025

    NLRB Acting GC Narrows Remedy Asks In Settlement Talks

    National Labor Relations Board acting general counsel William Cowen instructed regional officials on Friday to exercise more discretion over the remedies they pursue when seeking to settle cases, walking back instructions from his predecessor to seek maximum remedies in settlements.

  • May 16, 2025

    DC Circ. Probes Agency Power In Labor Firings Appeal

    A D.C. Circuit panel grappled Friday with the extent of the president's power to fire federal officials with the U.S. Supreme Court's views in flux, with two judges straining to pin the government's attorney down on what divides agencies Congress can insulate and those it can't.

  • May 16, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears Court Interpreters Bias Case

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider an appeal of a federal judge's decision dismissing a discrimination lawsuit brought by New York court interpreters who claim they are systematically paid less than a federal benchmark because they are foreign born.  Here, Law360 looks at this and other cases on the docket in New York.

  • May 16, 2025

    Co. Can't Threaten To Ax Raises Over IBEW, NLRB Judge Says

    A dishwasher equipment company violated federal labor law by threatening the elimination of a promised wage hike if workers unionized with an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled while dismissing allegations about flyer language and a threat end to profit sharing.

  • May 16, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: State Justices To Hear Arbitration Fee Dispute

    In the coming two weeks, attorneys should keep an eye out for oral arguments at the California Supreme Court regarding whether federal law preempts state statutes involving arbitration fees. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in the Golden State.

  • May 15, 2025

    Colo. Chief Sacked Firefighters Behind Union Drive, Suit Says

    Two former captains and a statewide union sued a Southwest Colorado fire district and its chief Thursday for allegedly stopping a union campaign in its tracks by retaliating against organizers, claiming the chief fired the captains after they organized a vote showing nearly three-quarters of workers backed unionization.

  • May 15, 2025

    Unions, Groups Seek Injunction To Block Gov't Restructuring

    A California federal judge must greenlight a nationwide injunction to stop multiple federal agencies from moving ahead with implementing reorganization and mass termination plans linked to an executive order, a coalition of unions and groups argued, making their request on the heels of a temporary restraining order.

  • May 15, 2025

    Kroger Worker Fights NLRA Preemption Of State Claim

    A grocery worker suing Kroger and Albertsons over an alleged no-poach agreement is pushing back on the companies' claim the litigation is preempted by federal labor law, telling the Colorado federal judge hearing the case that antitrust laws have not been displaced by labor law, especially in labor market collusion.

  • May 15, 2025

    NLRB Judge Upholds Miami Beach Hotel's Guest Contact Rule

    A Miami Beach hotel didn't violate federal labor law by banning workers from contacting hotel guests about workplace grievances, a National Labor Relations Board judge has ruled, holding that the ban is justified and does not explicitly restrict union activity.

  • May 15, 2025

    Farmworkers' Union Challenges H-2A Prevailing Wage Regs

    A farmworkers' union said that the U.S. Department of Labor's 2022 H-2A prevailing wage regulations cannot stand and could leave farmworkers without prevailing wage protections, urging a Washington federal court to grant the union a partial win.

  • May 15, 2025

    Teamsters Ask DC Circ. To Back NLRB's Bargaining Order

    A Teamsters local asked the D.C. Circuit to enforce a National Labor Relations Board decision concluding a waste transportation company illegally refused to bargain about its decision to place monitoring cameras in trucks, arguing the unilateral installation is unlawful under differing standards from the NLRB and court. 

  • May 15, 2025

    DC Circ. Doubts Jurisdiction In Baristas' NLRB Challenge

    A D.C. Circuit panel expressed skepticism Thursday that it had any role in deciding two Starbucks workers' challenge to job protections for National Labor Relations Board members now that the agency agrees with the baristas' argument.

  • May 15, 2025

    Trump Admin Fights Cities' Bid To Restore COVID Grants

    Four local governments and a public sector union must go to the Court of Federal Claims if they want to accuse the Trump administration of improperly canceling public health grants issued during the pandemic, the administration told a Washington, D.C., federal judge, in fighting their injunction bid.

Expert Analysis

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Relying On FLSA Regs Amid Repeals

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    Because handbook policies often rely on federal regulations, President Donald Trump's recent actions directing agency heads to repeal "facially unlawful regulations" may leave employers wondering what may change, but they should be mindful that even a repealed regulation may have accurately stated the law, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.

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    A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Understanding Compliance Concerns With NY Severance Bill

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    New York's No Severance Ultimatums Act, if enacted, could overhaul how employers manage employee separations, but employers should be mindful that the bill's language introduces ambiguities and raises compliance concerns, say attorneys at Norris McLaughlin.

  • Trump's 1st 100 Days Show That Employers Must Stay Nimble

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    Despite the aggressive pace of the Trump administration, employers must stay abreast of developments, including changes in equal employment opportunity law, while balancing state law considerations where employment regulations are at odds with the evolving federal laws, says Susan Sholinsky at Epstein Becker.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Classification Lessons From 'Love Is Blind'

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    The National Labor Relations Board's recent complaint alleging that cast members of the Netflix reality series "Love Is Blind" were misclassified as nonemployee participants and deprived of protections under the National Labor Relations Act offers insight for employers about how to structure independent contractor relationships, say Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter at Troutman Pepper.

  • Independent Contractor Rule Up In The Air Under New DOL

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    In several recent court challenges, the U.S. Department of Labor has indicated its intent to revoke the 2024 independent contractor rule, sending a clear signal that it will not defend the Biden-era rule on the merits in anticipation of further rulemaking, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Tracking FTC Labor Task Force's Focus On Worker Protection

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently directed its bureaus to form a joint labor task force, shifting the agency's focus toward protecting consumers in their role as workers, but case selection and resource allocation will ultimately reveal how significant labor markets will be in the FTC's agenda, say attorneys at Venable.

  • GC Nominee Likely Has Employer-Friendly NLRB Priorities

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    President Donald Trump’s nomination of Crystal Carey as general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board indicates the administration's intent to revive precedents favorable to employers, including expansion of permissible employer speech and reinstatement of procedural steps needed for employees to achieve unionization, say attorneys at Vorys.

  • A Close Look At The Rescinded Biden-Era NLRB Memos

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    National Labor Relations Board acting general counsel William Cowen's recent decision to rescind several guidance memoranda from his predecessor signals that he aims to move the board away from expanding organizing rights and to provide more room for employers to protect their operations and workforce, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 6 Criteria Can Help Assess Executive Branch Actions

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    With new executive policy changes announced seemingly every day, several questions can help courts, policymakers and businesses determine whether such actions are proper, effective and in keeping with our democratic norms, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • 5 Key Issues For Multinational Cos. Mulling Return To Office

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    As companies increasingly revisit return-to-office mandates, multinational employers may face challenges in enforcing uniform RTO practices globally, but several key considerations and practical solutions can help avoid roadblocks, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • 7 Things Employers Should Expect From Trump's OSHA Pick

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    If President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is confirmed, workplace safety veteran David Keeling may focus on compliance and assistance, rather than enforcement, when it comes to improving worker safety, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Takeaways From 'It Ends With Us' Suits

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    Troutman’s Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter discuss how the lawsuits filed by “It Ends With Us” stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni hold major lessons about workplace harassment, retaliation and employee digital media use.