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In the News
Cornell Ph.D. Student’s Appeal to NLRB’s Top Prosecutor Urges Agency to End Union Control Over Graduate Students
February 23, 2026 // Author for National Right to Work Legal Defense Committee
Russell Burgett, a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell University, is asking newly-seated National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Crystal Carey to issue a complaint and ask the NLRB to free graduate students across the country from being forced to fund and associate with union bosses.
Illinois at near record-low union membership in 2025
February 23, 2026 // Mailee Smith for Illinois Policy Center
Just 13.1% of workers in Illinois were union members in 2025. Thousands of government workers have rejected union membership. Union membership in Illinois was at a near-record low in 2025, according to a release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Feb. 18.
Vernuccio Op-ed: Trump Reveals True Cost of Federal Collective Bargaining
February 23, 2026 // F. Vincent Vernuccio for Real Clear Politics
Bottom line: Taxpayers are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year, not on core government functions, but simply dealing with federal labor unions. What, exactly, are they bargaining over? For the most part, federal unions can’t bargain over wages or benefits. Instead, as my organization has found, taxpayers are funding negotiations that neither benefit federal workers nor have anything to do with serving the public. Case in point: One federal union bargained with the government over whether employees could wear spandex to work. The union argued that wearing spandex was a fundamental right. Taxpayers covered the cost of such absurd discussions.
UAW Gains Southern Foothold as VW Workers Ratify First-Ever Contract
February 23, 2026 // Michael Strong for Truth About Cars
The new deal also offers healthcare cost reductions, job security guarantees and other benefits. Volkswagen officials, as has been the case throughout the process, acknowledged the result in a short statement.
WA farmworker union bill doesn’t make it through Legislature
February 22, 2026 // ERICK BENGEL for Yakima Herald-Republic
Tuesday, Feb. 17, was the cutoff for bills to be voted out of the chamber — the Senate or House of Representatives — where they originated. The bill introduced by state Sen. Rebecca Saldana, D-Seattle, would have given farmworkers a legal framework to engage in collective bargaining with their employers. The bill made it through the first round of Senate committees but not to a floor vote that would have advanced it.
Op-ed: The $921M Special Interest Machine That Controls California
February 21, 2026 // Garry Tan for California Policy Center
The California Policy Center’s analysis lays it bare: California’s public sector unions collected $921 million in 2018 alone. That’s not campaign contributions—that’s annual revenue. The prize they’re protecting? According to Govern For California, state and local governments spend $240 billion per year on public employee compensation and benefits.
Labor Dept deploys ‘strike team’ to California over $21B unemployment debt, fraud concerns
February 20, 2026 // Charles Creitz for Fox news
In a statement, the department cited an 83-page California State Auditor report that determined the state’s UI system is high-risk, in part due to "inadequate fraud prevention and claimant service [in its employment development department (EDD)], as well as a high rate of overturned eligibility decisions in its Unemployment Insurance Program."
Can Employers Restrict Wearable Tech at Work?
February 20, 2026 // Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP for JD Supra
In general, employers have the ability to create policies that restrict use of these devices. Companies have legitimate business reasons to protect their confidential information from disclosure. The policy can also address productivity and employee privacy concerns. If a worker claims that the device is needed as an accommodation for a disabling medical condition, the employer should review the request, determine if it presents an undue hardship, and put into place limits on the use of the device to take into account the above business concerns.
Freelance Busting: ‘Absolute Stalemate’
February 20, 2026 // Kim Kavin for Freelance Busting
The nearly two-thirds of Americans who would prefer to be our own bosses need protection from this encroachment on our freedom to choose self-employment. So do the vast majority of us who are already independent contractors and wish to remain so. It’s beyond frustrating that the help we need may be a long time coming, especially at the federal level. Experts recently gathered to discuss the reality of the situation in Congress during an hourlong Federalist Society panel, where they minced no words about why the challenges in Washington, D.C., persist.
You paid $181 million for union bosses to negotiate against you in 2024, but the Trump administration is doing something about it
February 19, 2026 // Michael Watson for Capital Research Center
Even the “usual” topics of labor-relations negotiations are not part of federal bargaining. As Molly Conway, who served as Chief of Staff to the Department of Labor in the first Trump administration, wrote in a primer for the Institute for the American Worker: Management rights and any matters “specifically provided for by Federal statute” are not bargainable. This includes pay, health insurance, retirement, and certain workplace insurance (e.g., workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance), among others. [citations omitted]
Aurora School Board Approves Union for Support Staffers
February 19, 2026 // Bennito L. Kelty for Westword
Since August, dozens of classified employees at APS have been wearing red shirts and rallying at the board of education meetings whenever their potential union popped up on the agenda, which happened in August, October, January and finally this month. Classified employees have said that they need a union for better pay and benefits as the cost of living rises, as well as protection from retaliation when they speak out, better retention of long-time classified staff and better training for their replacements. According to APS estimates, the district has about 1,800 classified employees.
Ex-State Police Union President, Mass Lobbyist Sent To Prison In Corruption Case: Feds
February 19, 2026 // Josh Lanier for Daily Voice
Dana A. Pullman, 64, of Worcester, was sentenced in a Boston federal court to two years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release on Wednesday, Feb. 18, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. US District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns also ordered him to pay $43,915 in restitution. Anne M. Lynch, 75, of Hull, received 15 months in prison and one year of supervised release. She was ordered to pay $41,795 in restitution, federal prosecutors said.
Taxpayer-backed teacher unions receive $390M in dues
February 19, 2026 // Esther Wickham for The Center Square
Since 2022, the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers have together contributed $43.5 million to political organizations, including The Trevor Project, according to a report by the nonprofit Defending Education.
Downtown business leader says union push for state worker telework disrupts revival efforts
February 19, 2026 // Felicia Alvarez for Abridged
More than 100,000 people worked in Downtown Sacramento before the pandemic. Now, that number is only at about 60% of its pre-pandemic high, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. Michael Ault, executive director of the organization, is still advocating to put state workers in offices four days a week. “We would love to see the employees come back as much as we can,” Ault said. While he recognized that many workers enjoy the flexibility of remote and hybrid work, he said that the lack of public employees Downtown has noticeably hurt small businesses.
Inside gaming: Off-Strip casino workers unionize; WSOP to return
February 19, 2026 // David Danzis, Richard N. Velotta
Palms, which is owned and operated by the San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority, an entity of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, is currently the only tribal-operated casino in Las Vegas. The California-based tribe purchased the property from Red Rock Resorts in 2021 for $650 million.
Discovery Cove accused of refusing to recognize divers’ union, violating federal labor law
February 19, 2026 // McKenna Schueler for Orlando Weekly
Converso, one of the Discovery Cove divers, said he himself was recently suspended by his employer for alleged “time theft,” although he believes it could have been a retaliatory act, as one of the union leaders. He admitted he’s not someone who’s afraid to speak up about concerns on the job.
New Seasons lays off 95 employees, citing recent labor agreement
February 19, 2026 // Veronica Nocera
“Following the ratification of a new labor agreement and wage increases across all stores, our ongoing labor costs have significantly increased,” a New Seasons spokesperson told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an email statement. “As a result, we have had to make limited staffing reductions… to ensure the long-term sustainability of the business."
Tony Clark is resigning as head of MLB players union, AP source says, before potentially contentious labor negotiations
February 19, 2026 // Author for Source One
UPS Is the Symptom, Not the Disease: How Labor Policy Shapes Long-Run Worker Outcomes
February 18, 2026 // Liya Palagashvili for Labor Market Matters
The question, then, is not whether the gains are real, but how the trade-offs unfold. Why do headline-grabbing contracts so often coincide with downsizing, automation, and job losses in sectors governed by exclusive, monopoly bargaining arrangements? When short-run wage gains are secured through monopoly bargaining power, where do the adjustments occur—and who ultimately bears the costs?
Unions oppose a Trump labor nominee over lack of experience, hostility toward bargaining
February 18, 2026 // Erich Wagner for Government Executive
Last September, Trump nominated Charlton Allen to serve as general counsel for the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Per Allen’s website, he is a conservative lawyer, political consultant and occasional pundit, who served for seven years as a North Carolina industrial commissioner. The FLRA general counsel is responsible for investigating and prosecuting alleged unfair labor practices and other disputes between federal agencies and their labor unions. In the year since President Trump returned to office, a backlog of 300 cases has developed, which cannot proceed to the FLRA for consideration without a Senate-confirmed general counsel.