Labor

  • 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.

  • September 06, 2024

    Calif. Forecast: 9th Circ. To Hear Charter Overtime Suit Args

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for Ninth Circuit oral arguments in a wage suit against Charter Communications alleging overtime pay violations. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • September 05, 2024

    Bad Bunny Sports Firm In Contempt Over MLBPA Arbitration

    A federal judge in Puerto Rico has found the sports agency tied to music megastar Bad Bunny in contempt, saying the firm defied the court's order to arbitrate claims accusing the Major League Baseball Players Association of hobbling its business.

  • September 05, 2024

    Teamsters Steward Candidate Claims Leaders Defamed Him

    A candidate in a steward election accused a Teamsters affiliate's top leaders of spreading falsehoods about him in the run-up to the vote, telling a Michigan federal judge that the defamatory statements led him to lose.

  • September 05, 2024

    2nd Circ. Chilly To Mortgage-Backed Securities ERISA Suit

    The Second Circuit appeared unlikely Thursday to revive a union pension fund's suit looking to hold Wells Fargo and Ocwen Financial Corp. liable for losses on mortgage-backed securities, with two judges signaling the risky loans the fund sued over might not be covered by federal benefits law.

  • September 05, 2024

    Minn. Health System Wants Union's Arbitration Award Axed

    A Minnesota healthcare system urged a federal court to throw out an arbitrator's award in favor of a union, saying the arbitrator ran afoul of a collective bargaining agreement by penalizing the system under state law for recouping wages it overpaid to several employees.

  • September 05, 2024

    2nd NLRB Official Says Amazon Jointly Employs Drivers

    A second National Labor Relations Board official has determined that Amazon jointly employs delivery drivers who work for a contractor, setting up a potential complaint accusing the company of threatening workers over unionization efforts.

Expert Analysis

  • Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument

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    Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.

  • Trends That Will Shape The Construction Industry In 2024

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    Though the outlook for the construction industry is mixed, it is clear that 2024 will bring evolving changes aimed at building projects more safely and efficiently under difficult circumstances, and stakeholders would be wise to prepare for the challenges and opportunities these trends will bring, say Josephine Bahn and Jeffery Mullen at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Focused Statement Can Ease Employment Mediation

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    Given the widespread use of mediation in employment cases, attorneys should take steps to craft mediation statements that efficiently assist the mediator by focusing on key issues, strengths and weaknesses of a claim, which can flag key disputes and barriers to a settlement, says Darren Rumack at Klein & Cardali.

  • 3 Areas Of Focus In Congressional Crosshairs This Year

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    Companies must prepare for Congress to build on its 2023 oversight priorities this year, continuing its vigorous inquiries into Chinese company-related investments, workplace safety and labor relations issues, and generative artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Water Cooler Talk: Insights On Noncompetes From 'The Office'

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    Troutman Pepper’s Tracey Diamond, Evan Gibbs, Constance Brewster and Jim Earle compare scenarios from “The Office” to the complex world of noncompetes and associated tax issues, as employers are becoming increasingly hesitant to look to noncompete provisions amid a potential federal ban.

  • 5 NLRA Changes To Make Nonunion Employers Wary In 2024

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    As the National Labor Relations Board continues pushing an aggressive pro-union agenda and a slate of strict workplace rules, nonunion employers should study significant labor law changes from 2023 to understand why National Labor Relations Act compliance will be so crucial to protecting themselves in the new year, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • NLRA Expansion May Come With Risks For Workers

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    The last few years have seen a rapid expansion of the National Labor Relations Act to increase labor law coverage in as many ways and to as many areas as possible, but this could potentially weaken rather than strengthen support for unions and worker rights in the U.S., says Daniel Johns at Cozen O’Connor.

  • What The NLRB Wants Employers To Know Post-Cemex

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    Recent guidance from the National Labor Relations Board illuminates prosecutorial goals following Cemex Construction Materials, a decision that upended decades of precedent, and includes several notable points to which employers should pay close attention, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2024

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    From technological leaps to sea changes in labor policy to literal sea changes, 2024 provides opportunities for employers to face big-picture questions that will shape their business for years to come, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.

  • Cos. Should Be On Guard After Boom In Unfair Labor Claims

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    The National Labor Relations Board's recent expansion of protected activity and imposition of case-by-case policies led to a historic boom in unfair labor practice charges in 2023, so companies should prepare for labor complaints to increase in 2024 by conducting risk assessments and implementing compliance plans, say Daniel Schudroff and Lorien Schoenstedt at Jackson Lewis.

  • 3 Developments That Will Affect Hospitality Companies In 2024

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    As the hospitality industry continues its post-pandemic recovery, it faces both challenges and opportunities to thrive in 2024, including navigating new labor rules, developing branded residential living spaces and cautiously embracing artificial intelligence, says Lauren Stewart at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal and state courts made 2023 another groundbreaking year for whistleblower litigation and retaliation developments, including the SEC’s massive whistleblower awards, which are likely to continue into 2024 and further incentivize individuals to submit tips, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Starbucks Raise Ruling Highlights Labor Law Catch-22

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    A National Labor Relations Board judge recently ruled that Starbucks violated federal labor law when it gave raises to nonunion employees only, demonstrating that conflicts present in workforces with both union and nonunion employees can put employers in no-win situations if they don't consider how their actions will be interpreted, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

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