Labor

  • March 11, 2025

    Trump's Special Counsel Firing Seems OK, DC Circ. Says

    The president appears to have the power to remove the feds' internal unfair firing watchdog because he's the sole head of an agency with executive power, a D.C. Circuit panel said, explaining its decision last week to stay a trial court's reinstatement order.

  • March 10, 2025

    Workers Challenging Firings Face Uncertainty At FLRA, MSPB

    Thousands of former federal workers are facing compromised paths to fighting the Trump administration's initiatives to cull their ranks, with courts turning away efforts to challenge the firings and rerouting the disputes to the Federal Labor Relations Authority and the Merit Systems Protection Board.

  • March 10, 2025

    Alsup Refuses To Vacate Hearing Into OPM Mass Firings

    U.S. District Judge William Alsup on Monday denied the Trump administration's request to vacate an upcoming evidentiary hearing into the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's mass firings of probationary federal employees, and required OPM director Charles Ezell to appear in person or else be deposed.

  • March 10, 2025

    Starbucks Fired Union Backer For Striking, NLRB Judge Says

    Starbucks illegally fired a Workers United supporter in North Carolina for striking and refused to hire another employee given their union activities, a National Labor Relations Board judge concluded Monday, saying the coffee chain can't ask workers to get a manager's blessing before exercising their organizing rights.

  • March 10, 2025

    Bad Bunny Sports Firm Settles Contract Dispute With MLBPA

    The sports firm of music superstar Bad Bunny has reached a settlement that will end its dispute with the Major League Baseball Players Association, which it had accused in a Puerto Rico federal court lawsuit of killing its business with unreasonable sanctions.

  • March 10, 2025

    Senate Confirms Trump's Labor Secretary Pick

    The U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee for labor secretary Monday evening, with support from more than a dozen Democrats and opposition from some members of the nominee's own party.

  • March 10, 2025

    AFL-CIO, Unions Defend Fight Against DOGE Access

    The AFL-CIO and a group of unions sought to keep alive their claims that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency can't legally access data from the U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies, telling a D.C. federal judge they have standing to file their suit.

  • March 10, 2025

    Trump Asks For Stay Of NLRB Member's Reinstatement

    The Trump administration asked the D.C. Circuit on Monday to stay a federal judge's order reinstating fired National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox, saying the order steps on the president's authority to control the workings of the executive branch.

  • March 10, 2025

    Macy's Calls On 9th Circ. To Rethink NLRB Thryv Order

    Macy's asked the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its split opinion upholding the National Labor Relations Board's expanded remedies against the department store chain for illegally locking out union workers, saying the ruling "creates a textbook circuit split" on the board's Thryv decision.

  • March 07, 2025

    As Key Hearing Looms, CFPB Emails Hint At Signs Of Life

    Recent batches of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau internal emails hint at early, fumbling efforts to bring parts of the agency back online, but whether these flickers of life will undercut an employee union's fight to keep the agency intact remains to be seen.

  • March 07, 2025

    3 Takeaways From Fired NLRB Member's Reinstatement Win

    National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox's reinstatement Thursday via district court order restores a quorum allowing the agency to operate, but an appeal looms as President Donald Trump tests his control over the executive branch. Here, Law360 looks at this and other takeaways from Wilcox's win.

  • March 07, 2025

    DHS Ends TSA Labor Contract As Union Vows To Fight Move

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that it will no longer recognize the union that represents Transportation Security Administration officers, a move the union called retaliation for its recent federal worker advocacy and the AFL-CIO called "ripped from the pages of Project 2025."

  • March 07, 2025

    Split DC Circuit Says Distillery, Union Didn't Reach Impasse

    A divided D.C. Circuit panel greenlighted on Friday enforcement of a National Labor Relations Board decision dinging an Oregon distillery for illegally imposing a final offer without reaching an impasse in contract talks with a Teamsters affiliate, with a dissenting judge saying the union used delay tactics.

  • March 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Probes Ax Of Trader Joe's IP Suit Against Union

    Ninth Circuit judges on Friday questioned a federal judge's decision to toss Trader Joe's trademark suit against a union selling merchandise with the grocers' name, with one saying it was "a little bit unusual" to have a determination about the likelihood of confusion decided at the motion to dismiss stage.

  • March 07, 2025

    Dem AGs Back NLRB In Appeal Over Board Functionality

    Nearly two dozen Democratic attorneys general have backed the National Labor Relations Board in a Sixth Circuit fight over the agency's ability to adjudicate unfair labor practice cases, saying workers' rights under labor law would be trampled if the agency is restrained from performing its duties.

  • March 07, 2025

    Fired MGM Worker Seeks Atty Fees After COVID Vax Trial Win

    A former MGM Grand Detroit casino worker who was fired for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccination has asked a judge to award attorney fees and pre- and post-judgment interest on top of a Detroit jury's $133,000 verdict in his favor.

  • March 07, 2025

    Calif. Forecast: SF Transit Agency Seeks Vax Judgment Stay

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for the potential stay of a judgment pending an appeal in a vaccine mandate case against San Francisco's rapid transit agency. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • March 07, 2025

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears Girl Scouts Whistleblower Suit

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider whether to revive a lawsuit from former officers for a New York Girl Scouts chapter who claim they were retaliated and discriminated against after they complained that the group misused pandemic government loans. Here, Law360 looks at this and another notable case on the docket in New York courts.

  • March 07, 2025

    Warner Bros. Demands State Court Wage Claims Be Arbitrated

    Workers covered under a labor contract with a Service Employees International Union affiliate on the West Coast must arbitrate the wage and hour claims they filed in state court against Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. and a related operations entity, the entertainment company alleged in California federal court.

  • March 07, 2025

    DC Judge Declines To Block DOGE From Treasury Systems

    A D.C. federal judge on Friday declined to wall off access to the federal government's payment systems from employees of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency during a lawsuit brought by retirees and union groups, determining the alleged privacy risks were not enough to warrant the court's intervention.

  • March 06, 2025

    Federal Workers File Mass Challenges To Firings In Admin Court

    Federal workers who lost their jobs in the Trump administration's mid-February purge of the civil service have begun challenging their terminations through class action appeals to an administrative court, seeking the reinstatement of tens of thousands of probationary employees to about 20 federal agencies.

  • March 06, 2025

    Special Counsel Abandons Trump Firing Challenge At DC Circ.

    The head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel ended his fight against his firing by President Donald Trump, informing the D.C. Circuit on Thursday that he wouldn't pursue his battle to lead the agency one day after the appeals court permitted his removal.

  • March 06, 2025

    Attys Seek $30M Fees In Walgreens Rx Overcharge Deal

    Attorneys for unions and consumers who struck a $100 million settlement of Walgreens prescription overcharge fee claims asked an Illinois federal judge for a $30 million cut of that pot, arguing the amount would pay for seven years of meaningful work they put into the case.  

  • March 06, 2025

    Judge Orders Reinstatement Of NLRB Member Wilcox

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge ordered Thursday that fired National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox be reinstated, restoring a quorum on the board pending a likely appeal by the Trump administration.

  • March 06, 2025

    USW Strikers Found Eligible For Unemployment Pay

    Workers represented by the United Steelworkers who sought unemployment compensation during a work stoppage could receive the benefit under state law, a Pennsylvania appellate court concluded Thursday, finding claimants were eligible because a steel company took actions that changed the strike to a lockout.

Expert Analysis

  • Employers Beware Of NLRB Changes On Bad Faith Bargaining

    Author Photo

    Recent National Labor Relations Board decisions show a trend of the agency imposing harsher remedies on employers for bad faith bargaining over union contracts, a position upheld in the Ninth Circuit's recent NLRB v. Grill Concepts Services decision, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

    Author Photo

    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • What A Post-Chevron Landscape Could Mean For Labor Law

    Author Photo

    With the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Chevron deference expected by the end of June, it’s not too soon to consider how National Labor Relations Act interpretations could be affected if federal courts no longer defer to administrative agencies’ statutory interpretation and regulatory actions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Eye On Compliance: Employee Social Media Privacy In NY

    Author Photo

    A New York law that recently took effect restricts employers' ability to access the personal social media accounts of employees and job applicants, signifying an increasing awareness of the need to balance employers' interests with worker privacy and free speech rights, says Madjeen Garcon-Bonneau at Wilson Elser.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

    Author Photo

    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • What The NIL Negotiation Rules Injunction Means For NCAA

    Author Photo

    A Tennessee federal court's recent preliminary injunction reverses several prominent and well-established NCAA rules on negotiations with student-athletes over name, image and likeness compensation and shows that collegiate athletics is a profoundly unsettled legal environment, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Takeaways From NLRB Advice On 'Outside' Employment

    Author Photo

    Rebecca Leaf at Miles & Stockbridge examines a recent memo from the National Labor Relations Board’s Division of Advice that said it’s unlawful for employers to restrict secondary or outside employment, and explains what companies should know about the use of certain restrictive covenants going forward.

  • Shaping Speech Policies After NLRB's BLM Protest Ruling

    Author Photo

    After the National Labor Relations Board decided last month that a Home Depot employee was protected by federal labor law when they wore a Black Lives Matter slogan on their apron, employers should consider four questions in order to mitigate legal risks associated with workplace political speech policies, say Louis Cannon and Cassandra Horton at Baker Donelson.

  • 2026 World Cup: Companies Face Labor Challenges And More

    Author Photo

    Companies sponsoring or otherwise involved with the 2026 FIFA World Cup — hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada and Mexico — should be proactive in preparing to navigate many legal considerations in immigration, labor management and multijurisdictional workforces surrounding the event, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Eye On Compliance: Workplace March Madness Pools

    Author Photo

    With March Madness set to begin in a few weeks, employers should recognize that workplace sports betting is technically illegal, keeping federal and state gambling laws in mind when determining whether they will permit ever-popular bracket pools, says Laura Stutz at Wilson Elser.

  • There Is No NCAA Supremacy Clause, Especially For NIL

    Author Photo

    A recent Tennessee federal court ruling illustrates the NCAA's problematic position that its member schools should violate state law rather than its rules — and the organization's legal history with the dormant commerce clause raises a fundamental constitutional issue that will have to be resolved before attorneys can navigate NIL with confidence, says Patrick O’Donnell at HWG.

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Workplace AI Risks

    Author Photo

    As generative artificial intelligence tools penetrate workplaces, employers should incorporate sound AI policies and procedures in their handbooks in order to mitigate liability risks, maintain control of the technology, and protect their brands, says Laura Corvo at White and Williams.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Investigation Lessons In 'Minority Report'

    Author Photo

    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper discuss how themes in Steven Spielberg's Science Fiction masterpiece "Minority Report" — including prediction, prevention and the fallibility of systems — can have real-life implications in workplace investigations.

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