Labor

  • July 08, 2025

    Chicago Nabs Early Win In City Workers' Genetic Bias Suit

    The city of Chicago defeated allegations that the genetic information of two employees was taken when their spouses took part in a wellness program, with an Illinois federal judge finding that evidence does not back the claims that detailed information was disclosed in violation of federal law.

  • July 08, 2025

    Judge Halts Plan To Slash AmeriCorps Workforce, Funding

    A Maryland federal judge determined that the Trump administration must reinstate hundreds of AmeriCorps employees and restore $400 million in funding and grants to nonprofits, saying public interest and a balance of equities favor a preliminary injunction.

  • July 08, 2025

    Fired FLRA Member Asks DC Circ. To Ax Stay Of Rehire Order

    A District of Columbia Circuit panel erred last week by blocking a court order that had reinstated a fired Federal Labor Relations Authority member in March, the member told the full D.C. Circuit, asking the court to reverse the block and let her keep her job.

  • July 08, 2025

    DC Circ. Says Teacher's Settlement Didn't Guarantee Rehiring

    The D.C. Circuit refused to reopen a teacher's lawsuit claiming D.C. Public Schools violated an agreement settling sexual harassment allegations when it declined to rehire him, ruling Tuesday the pact only guaranteed that he would be allowed to reapply for teaching jobs.

  • July 08, 2025

    High Court Allows Trump's Gov't Cuts And Restructuring

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the Trump administration can move forward with its plans for large-scale layoffs and reorganizations at various federal departments and agencies, lifting a California federal judge's order that had paused the efforts while a legal challenge continues.

  • July 08, 2025

    NLRB Defends Multiemployer Talks Ruling At 6th Circ.

    The Sixth Circuit must uphold a National Labor Relations Board decision dinging a construction company for unlawfully locking out workers to make their union negotiate, the board argued, saying it correctly interpreted nearly 70-year-old agency precedent about withdrawing from multiemployer bargaining.

  • July 07, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Apple Didn't Suppress Union In NYC

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday reversed the National Labor Relations Board's ruling that Apple illegally interrogated a leader of a Manhattan store organizing campaign and confiscated union flyers, saying the manager's questions were benign and the confiscations were routine tidying.

  • July 07, 2025

    Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Says NLRB Can't Dictate Business

    The publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette told the Third Circuit Monday that the National Labor Relations Board was impermissibly dictating business decisions for the struggling newspaper when it ruled the paper's contract proposals were unacceptable and made in bad faith.

  • July 07, 2025

    MLB Pension Plan Says Spouse Of 7 Weeks Doesn't Qualify

    Major League Baseball's pension plan doubled down Monday on its argument that a woman who married a retired Cincinnati Reds pitcher seven weeks before he died cannot collect surviving spouse benefits, saying marriages must last a year for spouses to qualify.

  • July 07, 2025

    Plumbers Union Pushes NLRB To Allow 2nd Vote

    A plumbers union called for the National Labor Relations Board to uphold a regional director's order for a second representation vote, arguing a family-owned company in Kentucky committed federal labor law violations warranting another vote.

  • July 07, 2025

    Ex-Driver Says Firing Suit Against Co., Union Must Proceed

    A former bread deliveryman was following his employer's rules when he refused to make a delivery that would have been unsafe because of road conditions, the deliveryman told an Ohio federal judge, asking her to preserve his lawsuit against his former employer and union.

  • July 07, 2025

    ​​​​​​​Gov't Says OPM Didn't Order Probationary Worker Firings

    The Trump administration maintained that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's guidance on probationary federal employees was lawful, telling a California federal judge the OPM did not order agencies to carry out a mass termination of these workers despite the claims of unions representing them.

  • July 07, 2025

    Settlement Unlikely In Airline Group's Colo. Sick Leave Suit

    An airline lobby and the state of Colorado told a federal court last week that a settlement "appears unlikely" in the airline group's case claiming the state's sick leave law is preempted by federal law.

  • July 07, 2025

    No NLRB Quorum Means No Union Certification, Co. Argues

    A cargo handling contractor at the Cleveland airport is fighting its employees' unionization, asking a National Labor Relations Board official to reconsider her decision to certify an International Association of Machinists local as the workers' bargaining representative.

  • July 07, 2025

    More NY Public Interest Attys And Advocates Authorize Strikes

    Eight chapters of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys — a union that represents thousands of public interest attorneys and advocates in the New York City metro area — have voted to authorize strikes as workers hope their sectoral bargaining strategy will lead to more favorable deals with managers.

  • July 03, 2025

    Elevator Workers Fight Dismissal Of Union Retaliation Suit

    A New York federal judge should preserve claims that a New York City elevator workers' union unlawfully ousted one business agent and demoted another after they supported a business agent candidate that the union's president opposed, the men argued, saying the record shows the union's actions were politically motivated.

  • July 03, 2025

    Longshoreman Seeks TRO To Halt Union's Alleged Retaliation

    An International Longshoremen's Association member in Miami sought an order blocking the union from retaliating against him, telling a Florida federal judge that the union is "weaponizing" the grievance process because he backed an opposing slate in internal officer elections.

  • July 03, 2025

    CFPB Funding Cut Could Alter Injunction Calculus At DC Circ.

    The steep funding cut that Republicans have passed for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could strengthen the Trump administration's position in its court fight to resume downsizing the agency, even if it doesn't directly resolve the legal questions at play.

  • July 03, 2025

    Labor Official's Firing Stands After DC Circ. Steps In

    A D.C. Circuit panel stayed an order Thursday reinstating a fired member of a panel that decides federal agencies' union disputes in line with a U.S. Supreme Court order freezing out two fired leaders of other labor agencies.

  • July 03, 2025

    Circuit-By-Circuit Recap: Justices Send Message To Outliers

    It was a tough term at the U.S. Supreme Court for two very different circuits — one solidly liberal, one solidly conservative — that had their rulings overturned in eye-popping numbers. But it was another impressive year for a relatively moderate circuit that appears increasingly simpatico with the high court.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Moments That Shaped The Universal Injunction Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court voted along ideological lines when it hindered the ability of federal district court judges to issue nationwide pauses on presidential policies, but that outcome didn't seem like a foregone conclusion during oral arguments earlier this year. What do the colloquies suggest about the justices' thinking? Here are some moments that may have swayed them.

  • July 03, 2025

    Teamsters Unit Beats Suit Over Honoring Picket Lines

    Allegations that a Teamsters local in Washington state breached labor agreements by encouraging drivers it represented not to cross picket lines during a strike don't hold water, a federal judge ruled, rejecting a construction company's broad interpretation of these pacts.

  • July 03, 2025

    Casino Must Rehire Cook, But Bartender Dismissals OK

    A Las Vegas Strip casino was within its rights to fire two bartenders but violated labor law by firing a cook, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled, finding the casino discharged the bartenders for a legitimate reason but fired the cook because he spoke out about working conditions.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

    The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.

  • July 03, 2025

    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.

Expert Analysis

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Shifting Worker Accommodation Rules

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    Since President Donald Trump took office, many changes have directly affected how employers must address accommodation requests, particularly those concerning pregnancy-related medical conditions and religious beliefs, underscoring the importance of regularly reviewing and updating accommodation policies and procedures, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Performance Review Tips From 'Severance'

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    In the hit series "Severance," the eerie depiction of performance reviews, which drone on for hours and focus on frivolous issues, can instruct employers about best practices to follow and mistakes to avoid when conducting employee evaluations, say Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter at Troutman.

  • High Court Order On Board Firings Is Cold Comfort For Fed

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Trump v. Wilcox order, upholding the firings of two independent agency board members during appeal, raises concerns about the future of removal protections for Federal Reserve System members, and thus the broader politicization of U.S. monetary policy, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • SpaceX Labor Suit May Bring Cosmic Jurisdictional Shifts

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    The National Mediation Board's upcoming decision about whether SpaceX falls under the purview of the National Labor Relations Act or the Railway Labor Act could establish how jurisdictional boundaries are determined for employers that toe the line, with tangible consequences for decades to come, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • What Employers Should Know About New Wash. WARN Act

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    Washington state's Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act will soon require 60 days' notice for certain mass layoffs and business closures, so employers should understand how their obligations differ from those under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act before implementing layoffs or closings, say attorneys at Littler.

  • 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.