Labor

  • March 26, 2026

    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.

  • March 26, 2026

    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 supporting its claims and proving the court had jurisdiction in the case.

  • March 26, 2026

    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, the REI Union announced.

  • March 26, 2026

    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 toss the county's challenge to the law should be rejected.

  • March 26, 2026

    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, rebuffing the local's request to reconsider a previous board decision preventing unions representing both guards and non-guards from doing so.

  • March 26, 2026

    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 court ruling that handed the bank and loan servicing companies a pretrial win in the proposed class action.

  • March 26, 2026

    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 company has shown "special circumstances" to justify the rule.

  • March 26, 2026

    NLRB Greenlights Hearing In Big Starbucks Bargaining Case

    Long-percolating National Labor Relations Board litigation accusing Starbucks of snubbing Workers United at hundreds of cafes is slated to move forward after a two-year delay, with the board lifting the stay in the consolidated case and telling the agency's Tampa regional director to schedule an in-person hearing.

  • March 25, 2026

    School Bus Co. Expands Strike Litigation Against Teamsters

    School bus operator First Student Inc. sued the Teamsters on Wednesday over their threat to go on strike in two more federal courts, expanding its strike litigation beyond Massachusetts and into Connecticut and New York.

  • March 25, 2026

    Colo. Builder Says Agency's Labor Investigation Is 'Flawed'

    The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment relied on a flawed investigation initiated by a union affiliate and surpassed its authority in finding a Colorado construction company responsible for $1.05 million in labor violations, the construction company alleged in state court.

  • March 25, 2026

    NLRB Won't Disturb UPS' Win In Union Expansion Case

    The National Labor Relations Board has tossed a Teamsters local's request for a second chance at expanding a New York-based bargaining unit of UPS drivers and package handlers, preserving a board official's decision that the unit can't absorb maintenance and repair employees at this time.

  • March 25, 2026

    NLRB Backs Block On WinCo Union Decertification Petition

    The National Labor Relations Board has declined to review an order blocking a petition to decertify a Teamsters local as the representative for employees at supermarket chain WinCo Foods, according to an order filed by the board.

  • March 25, 2026

    VA Says Court Can't Enforce Reinstated Bargaining Contract

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs told a Rhode Island federal court it hasn't violated a preliminary injunction reinstating its bargaining contract with over 300,000 employees, arguing the court can't remedy the union's claims of subsequent contract breaches.

  • March 25, 2026

    Fired MSPB Member Urges Justices To Review Case

    Former Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a D.C. Circuit decision upholding her firing from the agency, arguing that the decision "muddled" the differences between the board and other federal agencies.

  • March 24, 2026

    NLRB Urges Judge To Declare Members, Judges Fireable

    The National Labor Relations Board has moved to surrender its members' and judges' job protections, urging a Texas federal judge to strike language restricting their removals so the agency can restart a blocked suit accusing a pipeline company of retaliating against a worker.

  • March 24, 2026

    Teamsters Local Urges 7th Circ. To Permit Casino Picket

    An Indiana city must allow a Teamsters local to resume picketing in front of a casino because the site is located on public property, the union told the Seventh Circuit, urging the court to reverse a lower court decision. 

  • March 24, 2026

    Judge Allows Some Claims Against DOGE To Proceed

    A D.C. federal judge ruled that four nonprofit groups can continue to pursue their claims that Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency violated the Constitution's appointments clause and acted outside their legal authority while dismissing other Administrative Procedure Act and separation of powers claims.

  • March 24, 2026

    NLRB OKs Teamsters Vote For Kansas City Car Haulers

    Drivers at a vehicle transportation company's Kansas City, Missouri, location can vote on union representation next month, a National Labor Relations Board official held Tuesday, rejecting the company's request to include workers at other locations in the potential bargaining unit.

  • March 24, 2026

    Union Fails To Shut Down Suit Over Retirement Plan Roster

    A carpenters union and its retirement plan manager failed in an early bid to defeat a class action claiming they violated federal benefits law by investing retirement plan assets in risky funds that lost more than $250 million, with a Washington federal judge saying the Ninth Circuit already determined that the workers have a viable claim.

  • March 24, 2026

    Union Fund Asks High Court To Preserve 2nd Circ. Win

    The U.S. Supreme Court shouldn't disturb a union pension fund's win in a multimillion-dollar dispute with the federal agency that bails out struggling pension funds, the fund's trustees have argued, asking the justices to reject the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.'s petition for review of a Second Circuit ruling.

  • March 24, 2026

    School Bus Co. Says Teamsters' Strike Threat Violates CBA

    A threatened strike by a Teamsters local representing bus drivers in two Massachusetts public school districts would violate the terms of their collective bargaining agreement, a school transportation company claimed, asking a federal court Tuesday to stop the drivers from going through with the work stoppage.

  • March 24, 2026

    Calif. Oil Co. To Pay $9M To End Standby Shift Dispute

    An oil company agreed to pay $9 million to settle 750 workers' claims alleging they were not compensated for their 12-hour standby shifts, the employees told a California federal court, seeking the final approval for the deal.

  • March 23, 2026

    New Wash. Laws Create NLRB Stand-In, Ban Noncompetes

    Wash. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed employment bills on Monday establishing a fallback framework for the state to oversee certain private-sector labor disputes in the case that the National Labor Relations Board's jurisdiction is scaled back by the federal government and expanding the state's restrictions on noncompete provisions to an outright ban.

  • March 23, 2026

    Teamsters Unit Urges NLRB To Keep Joint Employer Ruling

    The National Labor Relations Board shouldn't revise a recent order finding that Browning-Ferris must bargain with a staffing agency's employees, a Teamsters unit argued, rebuffing the waste management company's argument that the board needs to clarify what terms the company has individual and shared control over.

  • March 23, 2026

    Union Accuses VA Of Violating Contract Injunction

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hasn't confirmed that its employees are eligible for benefits and protections under a union contract even though a Rhode Island federal judge ordered the agency to resume complying with the contract, an American Federation of Government Employees local claims.

Expert Analysis

  • Pa. Ruling Highlights Challenges Of Employer Arb. Appeals

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    A Pennsylvania federal court's recent ruling in Welch Foods v. General Teamsters Local Union No. 397 demonstrates the inherent difficulties employers face when seeking relief from labor arbitration decisions through appeals in court — and underscores how employers are faced with often conflicting legal priorities, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • NLRB One-Two Punch Curbs Employer Anti-Organizing Tools

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    The National Labor Relations Board’s recent decisions in Siren Retail and Amazon, limiting employer speech about the impact of unionization and outlawing captive audience meetings, severely curtail employers' arsenal of tools to combat an organizing campaign — though this may soon change under a new administration, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Timing Of An NLRB Power Shift Hinges On Biden Nominees

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    President-elect Donald Trump seems certain to shake up the National Labor Relations Board's prounion Democrat majority, but the incoming president's timing depends on whether the current Senate confirms two pending nominees to board positions, say attorneys at Fox Rothschild.

  • 5 Tips For Complying With NLRB Captive Audience Ban

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    The National Labor Relations Board’s recently ruled that so-called captive audience meetings violate federal labor law, representing a radical shift in precedent and creating new standards for employers to follow when holding workplace meetings where union representation will be discussed, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Expect More State-Level Scrutiny Of Noncompetes Ahead

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    Despite the nationwide injunction against the Federal Trade Commission’s noncompete ban, and the incoming Republican administration, employers should anticipate that state legislatures will continue to focus on laws that limit or ban noncompetes, including those that target certain salary thresholds or industries, says Benjamin Fryer at FordHarrison.

  • NYC Hotel Licensing Law's Costs May Outweigh Its Benefits

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    A hotel licensing bill recently approved by New York's City Council could lead to the loss of many nonunionized hotels that cannot afford to comply, says Stuart Saft at Holland & Knight.

  • How The Presidential Election Will Affect Workplace AI Regs

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    The U.S. has so far adopted a light-handed approach to regulating artificial intelligence in the labor and employment area, but the presidential election is unlikely to have as dramatic of an effect on AI regulations as it may on other labor and employment matters, say attorneys at Littler.

  • 8 Phrases Employers May Hear This Election Season

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    From sentiments about the First Amendment to questions about political paraphernalia, attorneys at Venable discuss several scenarios related to politics and voting that may arise in the workplace as election season comes to a head, and share guidance for handling each.

  • Inside FTC's Decision To Exit Key Merger Review Labor Memo

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    Despite the Federal Trade Commission's recent withdrawal from a multiagency memorandum of understanding to step up enforcement of labor issues in merger investigations, the antitrust agencies aren't likely to give up their labor market focus, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Insights From Calif. Public Labor Board's Strike Rights Ruling

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    The California Public Employment Relations Board's recent rejection of a school district's claim that public employees have no right to conduct unfair labor practice strikes signals its interest in fortifying this central labor right — and warns employers to approach potentially protected behavior with caution, say attorneys at Atkinson Andelson.

  • Insurance Considerations For Cos. That May Face Strikes

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    The recent surge in major work stoppages in the U.S. highlights the growing importance of strike preparedness for businesses, which includes understanding strike insurance coverage options, say Chris D’Amour and Brooke Duncan at Adams and Reese.

  • It's Time To Sound The Alarm About Lost Labor Rights

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    In the Fifth Circuit, recent rulings from judges appointed by former President Donald Trump have dismantled workers’ core labor rights, a troubling trend that we cannot risk extending under another Trump administration, say Sharon Block and Raj Nayak at the Center for Labor and a Just Economy.

  • Insights On NLRB General Counsel's New 'Stay-Or-Pay' Memo

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    Attorneys at Davis Wright discuss the National Labor Relations Board general counsel's new memorandum on employer “stay-or-pay” policies and noncompete agreements, and explain key takeaways concerning the proposed financial remedies, prosecution framework and more.

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