Posts tagged lawsuit
Amazon sues New York over union protections
September 24, 2025 // In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in New York City, Amazon argues that a newly minted state law giving the New York State Public Employment Relations Board authority to oversee union elections and resolve unfair labor practice charges is an "unconstitutional power grab" that's preempted by federal labor laws. Amazon was seeking a temporary restraining order blocking the law, but U.S. District Court judge Eric R. Komitee rejected that request in an order issued late Tuesday, citing a lack of notice to defendants named in the lawsuit. Lawyers for Amazon said the New York law "flips U.S. labor law on its head" by giving the state's PERB jurisdiction over every private-sector employer "until the NLRB gets a court to hold otherwise."
National Labor Relations Board sues to block New York labor law
September 22, 2025 // The suit claims that S8034A/A8590A creates a regulatory system in conflict with the National Labor Relations Act, alleging that it usurps the NLRB’s authority to regulate the private sector. It wants the court to declare the law invalid because it’s preempted by the NLRA under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The complaint also asks the court for an injunction to stop the state from enforcing the law. S8034A/A8590A, signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) at the New York City Labor Day Parade, amends the State Labor Relations Act to allow the PERB to enforce collective bargaining agreements and certify bargaining representatives. It took effect immediately upon being signed.
The Buckeye Institute Wins Settlement in Education Union Dues Case
August 25, 2025 // The Buckeye Institute won another legal victory, this time for Beth Queen, a science teacher in Poland, Ohio, and Buckeye’s client in Queen v. NEA. Immediately after The Buckeye Institute filed the case, the Ohio Education Association agreed to settle the dispute to Ms. Queen’s satisfaction. “With this settlement, the OEA properly recognized Ms. Queen’s claims and avoided costly and protracted litigation for all involved,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute and an attorney representing Ms. Queen.
It’s been 1,805 days since Chicago Teachers Union’s last “annual audit”
August 19, 2025 // The Chicago Teachers Union is required by its own internal rules to provide an audit of its finances every year. But it hasn’t done so since September 9, 2020. That means it’s been 1,805 days since the union released an “annual” audit. After unsuccessfully seeking the required audits from the union, a group of CTU members filed suit on Oct. 8, 2024. CTU tried to get the lawsuit tossed out, but the judge rejected its request. The court noted the union didn’t even dispute failing to provide the required audits.
USDA plant inspectors challenge exclusion from union rights
August 19, 2025 // Due to the change, the USDA no longer recognizes the National Association of Agriculture Employees and refuses to honor the terms of an existing collective bargaining agreement between the union and the federal government, according to the complaint. These actions exceed the government’s authority and violate the free speech and equal protection rights of APHIS plant inspectors, according to the complaint. The lawsuit has asked a federal judge to declare that the exclusion of APHIS inspectors from union representation was unlawful and to order the USDA to recognize the National Association of Agriculture Employees and abide by the collective bargaining deal
USDA moves to end employee union contracts, documents show
August 17, 2025 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture moved to terminate union contracts with thousands of employees of its animal health and food safety inspection agencies, according to documents seen by Reuters, as one union on Wednesday challenged the firings in court. The notices sent to union leaders at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Food Safety and Inspection Service on Tuesday evening said the action was aligned with President Donald Trump's March executive order to exclude some federal workers from collective bargaining because their agencies have national security missions, the documents show.
More Than 150,000 Federal Workers Accepted Trump’s Resignation Incentives
August 6, 2025 // A new government estimate, along with a study by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, provides a long-awaited window into the scale of the departures.
Boilermakers sue ex-president, demand he repay union nearly $500,000 he ‘misused’
August 3, 2025 // The Kansas City-based International Brotherhood of Boilermakers is suing the president it ousted two years ago, demanding that Newton Jones pay back nearly $500,000 of union money it says he misused. Filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, the lawsuit says Jones has ignored the union’s order to reimburse the money he’s accused of taking.
Trump-appointed judge tosses White House lawsuit against labor unions
July 27, 2025 // Albright also noted that a different federal judge in Kentucky came to the same conclusion on standing back in May. Nevertheless, he wrote that the administration offered “compelling arguments” supporting Trump’s determination that these agencies are primarily engaged in national security work and, therefore, can be exempted from unionization. The White House and AFGE did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In the aftermath of Trump’s executive order, agencies worked to stop deducting union dues from workers’ paychecks — a critical blow to AFGE’s and other groups’ ability to fund their operations. Unions have moved to set up alternative collections mechanisms but have said in court papers that the administration’s decision will cost them millions of dollars.
President Trump Taps Two GOP Nominees for NLRB, But Uncertainty Remains
July 21, 2025 // President Trump nominated Scott Mayer (chief labor counsel at Boeing Co.) and James Murphy (former NLRB attorney) to fill two vacant Republican seats on the NLRB, potentially restoring the Board’s ability to issue decisions. Mayer’s work experience demonstrates a strong management background, having worked at InterContinental Hotels Group, MGM Resorts International, Aramark, and several law firms prior to his current role at Boeing. Meanwhile, Murphy was selected by Kaplan to serve as his chief counsel in 2017 and has spent his career at the Board, having served as staff counsel or supervisor on the staffs of dozens of Board members.