Posts tagged Congress
Supreme Court allows Trump mass layoffs to move forward
July 9, 2025 // “The plans themselves are not before this Court, at this stage, and we thus have no occasion to consider whether they can and will be carried out consistent with the constraints of law,” Sotomayor wrote. Since the start of the second Trump term, the Supreme Court has repeatedly lifted lower-court rulings restricting his actions, including in a ruling last month that restricted lower-court judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions. The case is Donald J. Trump, president of the United States, et al. v. American Federation of Government Employees, et al.
Nation’s most liberal, union-beholden congressman wants out
July 8, 2025 // Notably, he has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from major public-sector unions such as SEIU and AFSCME. Evans was a vocal supporter and co-sponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a controversial bill criticized by opponents for undermining workers’ freedom to choose union membership and expanding the political power of union leadership. Before serving in Congress, Evans spent 35 years as a Pennsylvania state representative. In 1998, he notably opposed the teachers union, which spent more than $150,000 in an unsuccessful effort to defeat him.
Following layoff announcements, Sharp medical office workers unionize
July 7, 2025 // The election took place by mail from June 9 to 30 to join the union, which represents 120,000 healthcare workers across California. The medical office workers at all six offices known as SharpCare in Coronado, Chula Vista, La Mesa, San Diego, Santee and Spring Valley join 6,000 Sharp workers across the region — including more than 650 earlier this year.
Michael Watson: Improving Union Annual Reporting
July 3, 2025 // Especially following the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which “collection” is funding what spending is important information for union members, and they deserve ready, single-site access. (Citizens United overturned a Taft-Hartley Act–derived ban on using union dues revenues for independent expenditures on behalf of candidates.) They should not need to cross-reference Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports and Labor Department reports to infer which pot of money paid for which spending. Instead, the Labor Department or Congress should revise the LM-2 form to require labor unions to specify the funding source, perhaps by adding a new schedule for expenditures to or by the “Separate Segregated Fund” (the technical name for the “second collection” pot of money) or by requiring specification of the source of funds for Schedule 16 and 17 expenditures related to politics and advocacy.
Op-ed–Kim Kavin: ‘Please Don’t Destroy My Career’
July 2, 2025 // The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors did a survey of its members during our shared battle in Congress over a federal freelance-busting bill, and found an unbelievably high desire to remain independent contractors. That survey found: Approximately 90% of NAIFA members receive income reported on an IRS form 1099 94% do not want to be treated as an employee for union organizing 95% operating as independent contractors wish to remain so
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.
New York State Looks to Take Over Labor Law Enforcement Amidst Uncertainty at the NLRB
June 26, 2025 // With mounting uncertainty about the lack of a quorum and near term future of the National Labor Relations Board (the “NLRB” or the “Board”), New York State legislators are attempting to usurp the powers delegated to the Board by Congress.
Rep. Allen, Vinnie Vernuccio: How to empower workers and improve unions
June 26, 2025 // The ERA will protect workers’ rights while refocusing unions on their core mission of representing employees. It will give workers and entrepreneurs the confidence to champion their future and shape our economy for decades. The ERA protects and promotes the foundational elements of the modern economy. It ensures that workers of all backgrounds can continue pursuing their American dream by guaranteeing their right to decide how and when they work as independent contractors. That fundamental right has long been under attack and in danger due to conflicting federal laws, regulations, and rulings. The ERA also ensures that Americans can continue to pursue entrepreneurship through franchising by permanently clarifying the shifting and incompatible “joint employer” standards that have threatened this long-standing small business model.
Unions ask California to lead fight for workers at the state level
June 23, 2025 // California Chamber of Commerce was the only group that spoke in opposition to the bill. It argued the bill is preempted by the Garmon doctrine, which stops state and local governments from regulating activities protected or prohibited by the National Labor Relations Act. But, preemption, McKinnor said, was designed to create consistent protection for workers, not to shield companies from the consequences of breaking the law
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.