Labor

  • October 25, 2024

    Amazon Defends Harm Claim In Bid To Block NLRB Dispute

    Amazon pushed back on the National Labor Relations Board's claim at the Fifth Circuit that the company has not justified its suit seeking to block prosecutions against it on the grounds that the agency is unconstitutionally structured, arguing that facing unconstitutional proceedings is a harm courts can remedy.

  • October 25, 2024

    NLRB Judge Faults Restaurant's Atty For Questions To Worker

    A sushi restaurant in Louisiana violated federal labor law when its attorney illegally questioned a fired employee about their testimony and accused the worker of attempting to obtain money from a National Labor Relations Board case, an agency judge determined, finding such a claim is "flatly absurd."

  • October 25, 2024

    Nursing Home's Challenge To NLRB Case Falls Flat In NJ

    A New Jersey federal judge won't block the National Labor Relations Board from adjudicating a case against a nursing home on the grounds that the agency is unconstitutionally structured, saying the company has not shown it would be irreparably harmed without an injunction.

  • October 25, 2024

    Calif. Forecast: $5.5M Amazon COVID Screening Deal At Court

    In the coming week, attorneys should keep an eye out for potential final approval of a $5.5 million settlement in a COVID-19 screening class action against Amazon. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters coming up in California.

  • October 24, 2024

    'Jeopardy!' Workers Lodge Race, Gender Bias Claims

    A Black production executive and her Latina colleague with decades of experience working on "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" have accused Sony Pictures Entertainment of race, gender and age discrimination as well as retaliation, according to complaints filed with both the National Labor Relations Board and California's Civil Rights Department.

  • October 24, 2024

    CFPB Cautions Over 'Unchecked Surveillance' Of Workers

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday it is taking action to protect consumers from "unchecked surveillance" in the labor force, issuing guidance that warns companies to get consent from workers when using algorithmic hiring scores or other outside profiling data for employment purposes.

  • October 24, 2024

    Hospital Can't Stop Sharing Of CBA Cover With 'Respect Us'

    A Las Vegas hospital can't block an SEIU local from handing out copies of a collective bargaining agreement that included statements like "respect us" on the cover, a Nevada federal judge concluded, saying there isn't evidence showing the language is "derogatory" under a provision of the parties' contract.

  • October 24, 2024

    Alaska Voters May Chart New Path For Captive Audience Bans

    If voters decide next month to make Alaska the 11th state to limit employers' ability to hold so-called captive audience meetings, experts said the ballot measure could provide a blueprint for other states looking to blunt the common antiunion tool.

  • October 24, 2024

    6th Circ. Backs GE, Union Win Over Worker's Age Bias Suit

    The Sixth Circuit refused Thursday to revive a General Electric employee's claims that he was passed over for promotions because he's in his 60s and his union failed to adequately represent him, finding younger candidates got higher scores on qualification tests that he couldn't pass.

  • October 24, 2024

    IATSE Unit Disrupted Biz Around St. Louis, Staging Co. Says

    An International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees affiliate in St. Louis violated its collective bargaining agreement with an event management business when union members were involved in a physical fight with a metal band's road crew, the company alleged in federal court Thursday.

  • October 24, 2024

    Associate VPs Can Vote On Joining Union At Marketing Firm

    Fourteen associate vice presidents at a Washington, D.C., marketing agency founded by Democratic political consultants can vote on joining the Communications Workers of America bargaining unit that represents their co-workers, a National Labor Relations Board official held, rejecting the agency's argument that they are union-ineligible supervisors.

  • October 24, 2024

    NLRB GC Seeks Reopening Order For Trader Joe's Wine Shop

    Trader Joe's must be ordered to reopen its Manhattan wine shop after shuttering the store in an alleged attempt to dampen union organizing, the National Labor Relations Board general counsel argued, saying a nearly 60-year-old U.S. Supreme Court precedent about partial closures governs the dispute.

  • October 24, 2024

    DOL Says H-2A Farmworker Protections Must Remain

    The U.S. Department of Labor urged a Georgia federal court to uphold its new protections for foreign H-2A farmworkers, arguing that conservative-led states' bid to block its rule should fail because safeguarding foreign workers is key to ensuring better pay and conditions for American-born farmworkers.

  • October 23, 2024

    Boeing Machinists Reject Labor Deal, Prolonging Strike

    A majority of roughly 33,000 Boeing employees represented by the International Association of Machinists voted Wednesday to reject a new labor contract that included a 35% wage increase over four years, prolonging a nearly six-week strike that has hampered Boeing's production and cash flow.

  • October 23, 2024

    Trader Joe's Worker Seeks Review Of Union Ouster Bid Toss

    A Massachusetts Trader Joe's employee challenged a National Labor Relations Board regional director's decision to stop a decertification bid from going to an election while unfair labor practice claims are pending, saying Wednesday there wasn't a link between the allegations and a drop in union support.

  • October 23, 2024

    Union Election Bids Doubled From 2021 To 2024, NLRB Says

    American workers are petitioning for union representation elections at twice the rate they were in 2021, with particularly large increases taking place in the Midwest, South and West, according to National Labor Relations Board data announced Wednesday.

  • October 23, 2024

    Southwest Union Wants 2nd Look At Colo. Sick Leave Deal

    A Transport Workers Union affiliate urged a Colorado court to rethink its recent decision dismissing the union's claims against the state challenging a settlement with Southwest Airlines over a sick leave law, arguing the judge wrongly analyzed the statute's exemption for workers covered by a labor contract.

  • October 23, 2024

    Judge Says Ex-Steward Hospital Nurse Row Out Of His Hands

    A Texas bankruptcy judge Wednesday declined to order the new owner of former Steward Health Care hospitals in Massachusetts to take back changes to nurses' union contracts it assumed under his sale order, saying it wasn't up to him to make the call.

  • October 23, 2024

    Casino Operator Tries Constitutional Tack To Halt NLRB Case

    A casino operator is challenging the National Labor Relations Board's authority to accuse the gambling powerhouse of employing unlawful tactics while fighting a union drive in Las Vegas, arguing in a new lawsuit in Nevada federal court that the NLRB's structure is unconstitutional.

  • October 22, 2024

    AT&T Worker Backed By Anti-Union Firm Fights CWA In SoCal

    An AT&T salesperson backed by the anti-union National Right to Work Foundation accused the company and the Communications Workers of America of essentially creating a "company union," claiming in unfair labor practice charges announced Tuesday that expanding the CWA's presence among AT&T's so-called in-home experts violates labor law.

  • October 22, 2024

    Hawaii Hospitals Had Unlawful Dress Code, NLRB Judge Says

    A Hawaii healthcare network violated federal labor law by having a dress code policy that prevented workers from wearing union insignia, a National Labor Relations Board judge determined Tuesday, finding the company hadn't shown that union stickers affected operations.

  • October 22, 2024

    Fla. Union Says License Application Was Wrongfully Denied

    A public sector union told a Florida appeals court Tuesday that the state's Public Employees Relations Commission erred in holding the union to newly passed higher standards for re-registration before the law went into effect and upholding this decision would allow administrative agencies to simply ignore effective dates.

  • October 22, 2024

    WNBA Players Opt To Redo Labor Deal After Growth Season

    The Women's National Basketball Players Association has opted out of its collective bargaining agreement with the WNBA and will negotiate a new deal following a season that saw massive jumps in viewers and attendance.

  • October 22, 2024

    Paper's NLRB Constitutional Claims Can't Halt Injunction Case

    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette can't stop the National Labor Relations Board's injunction request to make the newspaper bargain with three unions based on constitutional claims about the agency, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying the court would not "ignore nearly a century's worth of settled jurisprudence."

  • October 22, 2024

    NLRB Official OKs Union Vote At Beekeeping Company

    Beekeepers can vote to be represented by a retail workers union, a National Labor Relations Board official ruled, saying they perform agricultural work that federal labor law covers and agreed that the unit should cover only New York City and Boston.

Expert Analysis

  • Proposed Law Would Harm NYC Hospitality Industry

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    A recently proposed New York City Law that would update hotel licensing and staff coverage requirements could give the city commissioner and unions undue control over the city's hospitality industry, and harm smaller hotels that cannot afford full-time employees, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.

  • US Labor And Employment Law Holds Some Harsh Trade-Offs

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    U.S. labor and employment laws have evolved into a product of exposure-capping compromise, which merits discussion in a presidential election year when the dialogue has focused on purported protections of middle-class workers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • 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.

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