Posts tagged collective bargaining
Supreme Court likely to decide fate of federal unions
June 30, 2025 // How the Supreme Court will view the matter is anybody’s guess, though the Roberts Court has shown deference to the executive branch and a willingness to revisit precedent involving public sector unions. In its 2018 Janus v. AFSCME ruling, the court said public sector employees could not be forced to join a union as a condition of employment. Federal government collective bargaining is relatively recent, having only been codified in 1978. The Roberts Court may decide collective bargaining is a privilege, not a right, for federal workers.
Union warns Trump’s rapid changes for wildland firefighters will be ‘disastrous,’
June 27, 2025 // The Forest Service said no full-time wildland firefighters were removed from their jobs as part of the Trump administration’s workforce reductions. But as wildfire season ramps up, the Forest Service is now asking 1,400 former employees with “red cards” — or those who are qualified wildland firefighters despite it not being their main job title — to come back to their jobs temporarily to help with response needs. In the meantime, NFFE is opening the doors to more feedback from its membership to better understand the pitfalls and the opportunities of consolidating the federal programs.
Judge rules Trump can’t eliminate federal workers’ union bargaining
June 27, 2025 // Siding with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and other unions, U.S. District Judge James Donato ruled that President Trump’s executive order letting several federal agencies dispense with union bargaining is likely unlawful. Donato wrote in a 29-page opinion that federal workers have had the right to unionize and collectively bargain for better employment conditions for more than 60 years, and Trump’s order threatened that “long-standing status quo.” The six unions that filed suit “appear to have been deemed hostile to the President,” he said.
Georgia Rep Introduces Bill To ‘Empower Workers’ Against Unions
June 27, 2025 // Representative Rick Allen (R-GA) introduced the Employee Rights Act (ERA) of 2025 on Thursday, seeking to reform labor unions and support workers’ rights. The legislation, Allen claims, will provide privacy for unionized workers, allow workers to opt out of union representation, and harmonize existing labor laws. Allen collaborated with F. Vincent Vernuccio – the president and co-founder of labor advocacy group Institute for the American Worker (I4AW) – to write an op-ed in the Washington Examiner explaining his bill.
Utah Governor Cox Ensures Labor Union Bill H.B. 267 Goes to Public Vote in 2026 Election
June 24, 2025 // According to the Utah Governor's Office, Cox signed an executive order on June 23, ensuring that the referendum on H.B. 267, known as the Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, will appear on the November 3, 2026, ballot. This move is not merely a gubernatorial whim but a statutory requirement triggered by Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson's confirmation on June 21 that opponents of the bill had collected enough signatures to push the legislation to a public vote.
House Committee Debates NLRB’s Fairness and Transparency
June 18, 2025 // Also at issue was how workers vote for or against unionization. When workers select a union, said Vincent Vernuccio, president of the Institute for the American Worker, they should be allowed to make that choice “securely and privately” and “without intimidation or coercion.” He cited the “true language” of the NLRA that says a “union must be chosen by the majority of all the employees in a unit.” Vernuccio advocated for the use of secret-ballot elections in place of card check, an organizing method in which a union gathers worker signatures.
Sen. Joni Ernst pushes to ban taxpayer-funded union time in One Big Beautiful Bill Act
June 16, 2025 // Approximately $160 million of your money went toward fed workers’ union time as of 2019, the last time such data was available, and Ernst (R-Iowa) has been on a quest for more recent information. Her legislation, dubbed the “Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallet Act,” would compel government unions to reimburse taxpayers for all of their taxpayer-backed activities. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) has championed the measure in the House.
Jewish teacher suing Portland teachers union over alleged antisemitic curriculum
June 10, 2025 // “He remains anonymous because what happened to him was so horrifying and caused him so much PTSD that he doesn't want to come out with his name,” said Freedom Foundation Litigation Counsel Shella Alcabes. “He's scared of the kind of retribution he's going to get.” Alcabes told The Center Square, their client, a high school math teacher-opted out of paying union dues to PAT, but is still required to be represented by the association in collective bargaining negotiations with his employer. “He worked for one school where he was bullied and harassed. He eventually was able to move to another school, but that doesn't change that PAT still represents him,”
Sen. Hawley Introduces Bill to Raise Minimum Wage to $15
June 10, 2025 // Some business advocacy groups still oppose minimum rate hikes, including Hawley's proposed bill. "This proposal would more than double the minimum wage and slash over 800,000 jobs," Rebekah Paxton, research director at the Employment Policies Institute, said in a statement to The Hill. "An overwhelming majority of economists agree that drastic minimum wage hikes cut employment, limit opportunities for workers and shutter businesses."
Scott Vetoes Bill That Would Let Some Court Employees Unionize
June 10, 2025 // “The Judiciary has advised this change could have a negative impact on the effective management of courthouses and fear a workplace marked by divisiveness and angst were this bill to pass,” Scott wrote in his veto message regarding S.125. “At a time when our court system is managing a significant backlog, we should be focusing on improving efficiencies within the system.” In addition, the bill would make it harder for workers to kick out an existing union, which is done by what is known as a decertification vote. To schedule a vote today, 30 percent of a union’s members must sign a petition supporting the move. The bill would have raised that threshold to 50 percent plus one.