Labor

  • March 11, 2025

    'Congress Never Came Up' In CFPB Firing Talks, Worker Says

    A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee recounted before a D.C. federal judge on Tuesday a frantic effort to fire 1,200 agency staffers before a court order halted it, saying the prospect of first securing congressional approval was never mentioned.

  • March 11, 2025

    Ex-Officers Dodge Flight Attendant Union's Fiduciary Claims

    Former officers of the union representing American Airlines flight attendants escaped the union's allegations that they breached their fiduciary duties after an arbitrator found they misappropriated union funds, a Texas federal judge has ruled, with the district court finding the allegations weren't filed in a timely manner.

  • March 11, 2025

    2nd Circ. Affirms Union Fund's Win In COVID-19 Test Fight

    The Second Circuit upheld a win for a union benefit fund Tuesday in a medical practice's suit alleging it was owed reimbursements for COVID-19 testing from a union employee health benefit plan, finding a lower court properly tossed the complaint for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.

  • March 11, 2025

    NLRB Judge Says Teamsters Unit's Referral Process Is Illegal

    A Teamsters unit in Texas violated federal labor law by prioritizing union members in its hiring hall referral process over nonunion members, a National Labor Relations Board judge concluded, while also dinging the local for delaying the referrals of two union dissidents for work on a film production.

  • 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

    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

    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.  

Expert Analysis

  • How DOGE's Severance Plan May Affect Federal Employees

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    President Donald Trump's administration, working through the Department of Government Efficiency, recently offered a severance package to nearly all of the roughly 2 million federal employees, but unanswered questions about the offer, coupled with several added protections for government workers, led to fewer accepted offers than expected, says Aaron Peskin at Kang Haggerty.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Axed ALJ Removal Protections Mark Big Shift For NLRB

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    A D.C. federal court's recent decision in VHS Acquisition Subsidiary No. 7 v. National Labor Relations Board removed long-standing tenure protections for administrative law judges by finding they must be removable at will by the NLRB, marking a significant shift in the agency's ability to prosecute and adjudicate cases, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • The Future Of ALJs At NLRB And DOL Post-Jarkesy

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    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 Jarkesy ruling, several ongoing challenges to the constitutionality of the U.S. Department of Labor's and the National Labor Relations Board's administrative law judges have the potential to significantly shape the future of administrative tribunals, say attorneys at Wiley Rein.

  • Water Cooler Talk: 'Harry Potter' Reveals Magic Of Feedback

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    Troutman Pepper's Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter chat with Wicker Park Group partner Tara Weintritt about various feedback methods used by "Harry Potter" characters — from Snape's sharp and cutting remarks to Dumbledore's lack of specificity and Hermione's poor delivery — and explore how clear, consistent and actionable feedback can transform workplaces.

  • What To Expect From Trump's Deputy Labor Secretary Pick

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    President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, Keith Sonderling, has a track record of prioritizing clear guidance on both traditional and cutting-edge issues, which can provide insight into what employers can expect from his leadership, say attorneys at Littler.

  • A Look At Order Ending Federal Contractor Affirmative Action

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    To comply with President Donald Trump's executive order revoking affirmative action requirements in the next 90 days, federal contractors should focus on identification of protected groups, responsibilities of "diversity officer" positions and annual compliance reviews, says Jeremy Burkhart at Holland & Knight.

  • The Implications Of E-Cigarette Cos. Taking Suits To 5th Circ.

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. R.J. Reynolds over the definition of an "adversely affected" person under the Tobacco Control Act, and the justices' ruling will have important and potentially wide-ranging implications for forum shopping claims, says Trillium Chang at Zuckerman Spaeder.

  • 4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

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    President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 8 Lessons Yellow Corp. Layoffs Can Teach Distressed Cos.

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    A Delaware bankruptcy court’s recent decision, examining trucking company Yellow Corp.’s abrupt termination of roughly 25,500 employees, offers financially distressed businesses a road map for navigating layoffs under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • 10 Key Worker-Friendly California Employment Law Updates

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    New employment laws in California expand employee rights, transparency and enforcement mechanisms, and failing to educate department managers on these changes could put employers at risk, says Melanie Ronen at Stradley Ronon.

  • 7 Employment Contracts Issues Facing DOL Scrutiny

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    A growing trend of U.S. Department of Labor enforcement against employment practices that limit workers' rights and avoid legal responsibility shines a light on seven unique contractual provisions that violate federal labor laws, and face agressive litigation from the labor solicitor, says Thomas Starks at Freeman Mathis.

  • How Trump Presidency May Influence NLRB's Next Phase

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    Attorneys at Paul Hastings discuss how last year’s key National Labor Relations Board developments may progress once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, including the wave of lawsuits challenging the board’s constitutionality and two landmark board decisions that upset decades of precedent.