A man walking and a government agency seal are reflected off a window in an office space.

Preemption Questions Linger Over Wash. NLRB Fill-In Law

Washington joined several progressive states enacting laws allowing state agencies to fill in if the National Labor Relations Board is hampered in enforcing federal labor law, and while there are differences in the law from earlier efforts, experts say it's unclear whether they will be enough to defeat coming preemption challenges.

A gavel on top of a stack of books is next to a stack of wooden blocks spelling out FLSA. Shelves full of books are in the background.

FLSA Action Accelerated In 2025, Seyfarth Report Finds

The filing of Fair Labor Standards Act suits edged upward in 2025, with New York serving as a hotbed for such cases, and the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division recovered more back wages than it has in any year since 2019, a Seyfarth Shaw LLP report showed.

Photo illustration of a wooden gavel and soundboard atop scattered US bills of various denominations, all on a wooden surface

Worker Who Scored High Court Win Can't Get Atty Fees Yet

An Ohio federal judge refused to award $466,000 in attorney fees to a straight woman who persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to revive her bias suit, saying that while she won her appeal she still hasn't technically won the case.

Expert Analysis

Flashpoints In Focus: Harassment At Work After Epstein Files

Dawn Solowey and Gary Friedman

The recent release of millions of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking scheme has renewed a move... (more story)

New NLRB GC Likely To Prioritize Efficiency Over Policy Shifts

Michael Passarella

After the National Labor Relations Board operated without a quorum for nearly a year, general counsel Crystal Care... (more story)

NYC Leave Law Expands Compliance Beyond Written Policies

Angelo Spinola, Jack Blum and Liam Whitaker

Following recent amendments to New York City's Earned Safe and Sick Time Act that expand its uses, give employees ... (more story)

Labor More

Med School's NLRB Constitutionality Suit Thrown Out

A Tennessee federal judge on Thursday tossed a Nashville private medical college's lawsuit over the constitutionality of National Labor Relations Board proceedings, ruling that the court fell short in supporti... (more story)

REI Workers Say Boycott Imminent If CBA Talks Stay Stalled

Unionized REI workers have voted to call for a boycott on the outdoor equipment retailer's annual anniversary sale in May if the company doesn't reopen negotiations for a first collective bargaining agreement,... (more story)

three brown leather chairs in front of a wood-paneled wall featuring the NLRB's seal
Split NLRB Hands Hospital Win In Union Leader Firing Case

A split National Labor Relations Board overturned a board judge's finding that a New York hospital unlawfully fired a radiology technician, ruling 2-1 on Thursday that the hospital would have fired her for a H... (more story)

Colo. County Says State Union Law Silences Elected Officials

A Colorado law that expands county employees' right to unionize unconstitutionally silences elected officials and is preempted by federal law, a Colorado county told a federal judge, saying a union's bid to to... (more story)

NLRB Won't Rethink Mixed Guard Unit Exclusion Rule

The National Labor Relations Board on Thursday declined to review an order blocking a Service Employees International Union local's bid to intervene in a representation election for security guard employees, r... (more story)

2nd Circ. Reopens Mortgage-Backed Securities ERISA Suit

The Second Circuit on Thursday revived a federal benefits lawsuit against Wells Fargo and Ocwen accusing the companies of mishandling home loans tied to a union pension fund's investments, overturning a lower ... (more story)

Starbucks Dress Code Not Unlawful, NLRB Judge Says

Starbucks did not violate federal labor law by maintaining and enforcing a dress code that banned its employees from wearing clothing with logos, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled, finding that the ... (more story)

Discrimination More

White & Case Staffer Sues Firm Over Nude Photo Ridicule

A White & Case LLP staffer sued the law firm in New York state court Wednesday, alleging the firm's purported "hostile work environment" shielded his colleagues after they allegedly shared nude photos of him, ... (more story)

11th Circ. Seems Skeptical Of White Former Exec's Bias Case

The Eleventh Circuit pressed a white former medical waste disposal executive Thursday on whether the appellate court should revive his race bias case, asking him to square his discrimination argument with the ... (more story)

Circular government seal mounted on a wood-paneled wall with an eagle emblem at the center, blue background, gold border, and red uppercase lettering around the edge.
EEOC Says Gender-Affirming Care Limits Don't Violate Title VII

The Office of Personnel Management did not violate federal civil rights laws when it allowed health insurance plans to exclude coverage of treatments for gender dysphoria, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity... (more story)

Abbott Unit Beats Ex-Worker's Whistleblower Suit At 8th Circ.

The Eighth Circuit declined Thursday to reinstate a former worker's suit claiming he was fired from an Abbott Laboratories subsidiary for reporting healthcare kickback violations, ruling he couldn't sue under ... (more story)

Contractor Label Bars Bias Claims Against Cognizant

A New Jersey appellate panel on Thursday backed the dismissal of a technology recruiter's sexual harassment and discrimination suit against Cognizant Technology Solutions and a staffing vendor, finding she wor... (more story)

Fla. AG Threatens Suit Over NFL Diversity Hiring Rule

Florida's attorney general has called out the NFL's "Rooney Rule," which requires teams to interview diverse candidates for open coaching and leadership roles, claiming it amounts to "blatant race and sex disc... (more story)

Troutman, Former Associate Fight Over Scope Of Bias Trial

Weeks ahead of an anticipated May trial over discrimination and retaliation claims brought by a former Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP associate, the firm and its onetime employee are sparring over the sc... (more story)

Wage & Hour More

Conn. Sushi Chef Seeks Sanctions Over Deposition Spectator

A sushi chef suing a Connecticut restaurant on claims of wage-and-hour violations wants the defendant sanctioned for allowing a nonparty, who is the defendant in a separate but similar lawsuit, to attend a Jan... (more story)

NC Court Denies Collective Bid In Wage Row, For Now

Employees alleging a property management company stiffed them on overtime wages cannot proceed as a collective for now, a North Carolina federal judge has ruled, finding that the current record is insufficient... (more story)

A Black man in dark-rimmed eyeglasses with black hair and a gray goatee wearing a light gray suit with a white lapel pin and a white dress shirt. He stands behind a microphone at a lectern, which has a "City of Chicago" sign in front of it, and is raising his right index finger.
Chicago Mayor Stops Bid To Halt Tip Credit Phaseout

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed a City Council measure that sought to freeze the scheduled increases tipped workers are set to receive to be phased out of the subminimum wage, saying it was his "duty to v... (more story)

NYC Medical College, Entities Beat Collective Bid In OT Row

A former research coordinator cannot snag conditional collective certification in his suit seeking unpaid overtime against a Bronx medical college and several related entities, a New York federal judge ruled T... (more story)

Choice Hotels, Franchisee Seek Dismissal Of Wage Suit

Choice Hotels and a hotel operator have urged a federal judge in Washington state to toss a collective and class action alleging workers were denied breaks and sick leave, arguing the complaint failed to show ... (more story)

Workers In Race Bias Suit Say JBS, Subsidiary Shared Control

Haitian nationals accusing meatpacking giant JBS USA Food Co. and a subsidiary of race-based discrimination and numerous labor violations have told a Colorado federal court their lawsuit should survive JBS' di... (more story)

Steakhouse Chain Hit With $21.2M Judgment In Tip, Wage Suit

A Texas federal judge entered a roughly $21.2 million judgment against a steakhouse chain and its owner in a lawsuit brought by hundreds of workers alleging unpaid wages and misappropriated tips, according to a court filing.