Labor

  • September 11, 2024

    Uber, Postmates Ask Justices To Address AB 5 Classifications

    Postmates and Uber urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the Ninth Circuit's decision dismissing their constitutional challenge to California's worker classification law, arguing that A.B. 5 singles them out and strips them of equal protection under the law, according to their petition to the high court.

  • September 11, 2024

    NLRB Slaps Amazon For Settlement Violations in NY, Ill.

    Amazon violated an unfair labor practice settlement it reached with the National Labor Relations Board when it issued a policy restricting employees' off-duty access to facilities in Illinois and New York, the board ruled, ordering the company to rescind the policy and properly inform workers of their organizing rights.

  • September 11, 2024

    Constangy Brings On More Jackson Lewis Attys In San Diego

    Three former Jackson Lewis PC attorneys have come aboard at the San Diego office of labor and employment firm Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP, joining four onetime Jackson Lewis colleagues who arrived at Constangy this summer. 

  • September 10, 2024

    NLRB Says Pa. Hospital Must Give Union Wage Info

    A Pittsburgh-based psychiatric hospital must provide nonunion wage information to a union representing nursing employees, the National Labor Relations Board has ruled, upholding an administrative law judge's decision that the data is relevant for the union to execute its duties.

  • September 10, 2024

    Calif. NLRB Judge OKs Union Vote At Social Services Org.

    Workers at a San Francisco-based social services nonprofit can proceed with their union representation election, a National Labor Relations Board official has ruled, rejecting the employer's bid to exclude some employees from the vote on the grounds that they exercise supervisory power.

  • September 10, 2024

    Professor Wins £72K After University Botches Redundancy

    An employment tribunal has ordered a university to pay £72,487 ($94,800) to an English professor after it failed to restart a redundancy process despite changing its proposal to staff in a major way.

  • September 10, 2024

    Ballot Selfie Can't Tank Cannabis Firm Election, Union Argues

    A United Food and Commercial Workers union local blasted a Massachusetts cannabis dispensary for trying to throw out a union election based on one worker's voluntary photograph of his ballot, telling the National Labor Relations Board that its precedent supports tossing only that vote and not the whole election.

  • September 10, 2024

    Retention Bonus Not Wages Under Mass. Law, Court Finds

    A retention bonus does not count as wages under Massachusetts' wage laws because it is a form of "contingent compensation," a state appellate division court ruled.

  • September 09, 2024

    Mich. Judge Denies Injunction Bid In NLRB Constitutional Row

    An auto parts maker didn't prove the company would be harmed when facing an unfair labor practice proceeding before National Labor Relations Board officials with allegedly unconstitutional removal protections, a Michigan federal judge ruled Monday, while greenlighting a delay to the agency case pending an appeal. 

  • September 09, 2024

    Aramark Unit Must Arbitrate CBA Fight With Calif. Teamsters

    Aramark's uniform supplier unit must arbitrate a dispute with a pair of Teamsters locals over whether workers at two California facilities became covered by a regional collective bargaining agreement when the company acquired them, a California federal judge has ruled, siding with the unions.

  • September 09, 2024

    NLRB Nominations Face Tight Timeline As Senate Returns

    Nominations that could secure a Democratic majority on the National Labor Relations Board into 2026 are pending as the U.S. Senate returns from recess this week, but observers said the looming election and opposition from the board's critics make their futures uncertain.

  • September 09, 2024

    Starbucks Broke Labor Law With Subpoenas, NLRB Says

    Starbucks unlawfully issued subpoenas seeking details about workers' union activities at a California cafe, the National Labor Relations Board found, upholding an agency judge's determinations that there must be a balance between the rights of the coffee chain and those of the employees when seeking this information.

  • September 09, 2024

    Mich. Hospital Unlawfully Ousted Union, NLRB Judge Says

    A Michigan hospital illegally withdrew recognition from a Service Employees International Union local based on a questionable disaffection petition after launching several attacks on the union, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled, saying the hospital must resume working with the union.

  • September 09, 2024

    NJ Court Won't Rush UAW's Smoking Law Case Appeal

    The New Jersey Appellate Division rejected the United Auto Workers' emergency bid to overturn the dismissal of its suit alleging a law excluding casino workers from secondhand smoking protections violates the state constitution, according to a Friday order.

  • September 09, 2024

    Federal Law Preempts Standby Shift Claims, Oil Co. Says

    Oil refinery workers' claims that they didn't receive compensation for their 12-hour standby shifts require an interpretation of the collective bargaining agreements and the Labor Management Relations Act preempts the claims, a company told a California federal court.

  • September 06, 2024

    Amazon Takes NLRB Constitutional Clash About ALU To Texas

    Amazon called for a halt to a National Labor Relations Board case that accuses the e-commerce giant of illegally refusing to negotiate with the Amazon Labor Union at a New York City warehouse, with the company raising its constitutional claims against the agency in Texas federal court.

  • September 06, 2024

    Starbucks Finds Interest For Appeal In Shareholder Suit

    A Washington Court of Appeals commissioner suggested to two Starbucks shareholders on Friday that their lawsuit must "do more than what it does" as of now if they want to accuse corporate leadership of responding illegally to barista unionization, hinting the court will likely take up the coffee giant's appeal.

  • September 06, 2024

    Ex-Union Head's Nephew Eyes Plea Change In Extortion Case

    The nephew of convicted felon and the former business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on extortion charges stemming from allegedly intimidating a contractor on the Live! Casino construction project.

  • September 06, 2024

    Union Says USPS Won't Comply With Work Assignment Order

    A D.C. federal judge should make the U.S. Postal Service follow an arbitrator's order to assign mail-truck unloading work to union members in Denver, a postal workers' union argued, saying court intervention is needed because the USPS still allows private truck drivers to perform that work.

  • September 06, 2024

    4 ERISA Arguments To Watch In September

    The Ninth Circuit will weigh two cases involving whether class claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act can be forced into solo arbitration, and the Second Circuit will hear Yale University workers' bid to revive their retirement plan mismanagement suit. Here are four upcoming oral argument sessions that benefits attorneys should have on their radar.

  • September 06, 2024

    US Steel Cos., Workers Seek New Tariffs On Foreign Steel

    Domestic steel companies and a labor union are seeking additional antidumping and countervailing duties on corrosion-resistant steel imports, telling U.S. trade officials that overseas producers used unfair trade practices to gain an edge in the U.S. market.

  • September 06, 2024

    NLRB Defends Google Joint Employer Holding At DC Circ.

    The National Labor Relations Board told the D.C. Circuit that Google and its contractor, Cognizant, exercised the level of control typical of joint employers, urging the court to keep the board's conclusion that the two entities must bargain together with a union.

  • September 06, 2024

    NLRB Denied Indicative Ruling Bid In SpaceX Dispute

    The National Labor Relations Board can't have an indicative ruling to pause an unfair labor practice case against SpaceX amid a challenge to the constitutionality of the board's structure, a Texas federal judge ruled, saying the agency didn't file a separate motion requesting such relief.

  • September 06, 2024

    NY Forecast: 2nd Circ. Hears Amazon Security Search Row

    This week, the Second Circuit will consider a group of workers' attempt to revive their claim that Amazon owed them pay for time they spent undergoing anti-theft screenings after their shifts and during breaks.

  • September 06, 2024

    NLRB Official OKs Grassroots Union Vote At NYC Nonprofit

    A National Labor Relations Board official has granted a grassroots union's petition for a representation election at a New York City nonprofit, rejecting the nonprofit's argument that the newly established union isn't built out enough to qualify as a labor organization under federal law.

Expert Analysis

  • Handbook Hot Topics: Attendance Policies

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    Employee attendance problems are among the most common reasons for disciplinary action and discharge, which is why a clear policy neatly laid out in an employee handbook is necessary to articulate expectations for workers and support an employer's position should any attendance-related disputes arise, says Kara Shea at Butler Snow.

  • Religious Institution Unionization Risks Post-NLRB Decision

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    A recent National Labor Relations Board decision granted Saint Leo University religious exemption from the National Labor Relations Act, potentially setting a new standard for other religious educational institutions, which must identify unionization risks and create plans to address them, say Terry Potter and Quinn Stigers at Husch Blackwell.

  • Prepare Now To Comply With NJ Temp Worker Law

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    New Jersey temporary staffing firms and their clients must prepare now for the time-consuming compliance requirements created by the controversial new Temporary Laborers' Bill of Rights, or face steep penalties when the law's strict wage, benefit and record-keeping rules go live in May and August, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • Protecting Workplace Privacy In The New Age Of Social Media

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    The rise of platforms like TikTok and BeReal, that incentivize users to share workplace content, merits reminding employers that their social media policies should protect both company and employee private information, while accounting for enforceability issues, say Christina Wabiszewski and Kimberly Henrickson at Foley & Lardner.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Quiet Quitting Insights From 'Seinfeld'

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    Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs at Troutman Pepper chat with Paradies Lagardere's Rebecca Silk about George Costanza's "quiet quitting" tendencies in "Seinfeld" and how such employees raise thorny productivity-monitoring issues for employers.

  • Garmon Defense Finds New Relevance As NLRB Stays Active

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    With a more muscular National Labor Relations Board at work, employers should recall that they have access to a powerful yet underutilized defense to state law employment and tort claims established under the U.S. Supreme Court decision in San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon, say Alex Meier and Cary Reid Burke at Seyfarth.

  • Eye On Compliance: Cross-State Noncompete Agreements

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent proposal to limit the application of worker noncompete agreements is a timely reminder for prudent employers to reexamine their current policies and practices around such covenants — especially businesses with operational footprints spanning more than one state, says Jeremy Stephenson at Wilson Elser.

  • Conducting Employee Investigations That Hold Up In Court

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    A recent Maryland federal court decision, which held that Elite Protective Services failed to provide a worker under internal investigation with protections required by his collective bargaining agreement, highlights important steps employers should take to ensure the conclusions of internal reviews will withstand judicial scrutiny, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Memo Shows NLRB Intends To Protect Race Talk At Work

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    A newly released memo from the National Labor Relations Board advising that discussions of racism at work count as protected concerted activity should alert employers that worker retaliation claims may now face serious scrutiny not only from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but also the NLRB, says Mark Fijman at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Cannabis Co. Considerations For Handling A Union Campaign

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    As employees in Connecticut and across the country increasingly unionize, cannabis employers must understand the meaning of neutrality and the provisions of labor peace agreements to steer clear of possible unfair labor charges, say attorneys at Shipman & Goodwin.

  • Handling Severance Pact Language After NLRB Decision

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    Following the National Labor Relations Board’s recent ruling that severance agreements with broad confidentiality or nondisparagement provisions violate federal labor law, employers may want to consider whether such terms must be stripped from agreements altogether, or if there may be a middle-ground approach, says Daniel Pasternak at Squire Patton.

  • Eye On Compliance: Service Animal Accommodations

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    A Michigan federal court's recent ruling in Bennett v. Hurley Medical Center provides guidance on when employee service animals must be permitted in the workplace — a question otherwise lacking clarity under the Americans with Disabilities Act that has emerged as people return to the office post-pandemic, says Lauren Stadler at Wilson Elser.

  • Joint Employment Mediation Sessions Are Worth The Work

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    Despite the recent trend away from joint mediation in employment disputes, and the prevailing belief that putting both parties in the same room is only a recipe for lost ground, face-to-face sessions can be valuable tools for moving toward win-win resolutions when planned with certain considerations in mind, says Jonathan Andrews at Signature Resolution.

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