Posts tagged lawsuit
Republic Services sues Teamsters over alleged actions on picket line as strike passes two week mark
July 17, 2025 // According to the suit, on the first day of the strike, picketers at a Revere facility swarmed a rental car and vans with management and 40 replacement workers, trapping them for three hours. Republic Services alleges that a union official slashed tires on two vans, while others rocked the vehicles and screamed profanities and homophobic slurs. (The suit claims that Revere police on scene took no action in response to the incident. A Revere police spokesperson didn't return a request for comment.) The suit alleges that on another occasion, the same union official spit in the face of a security guard hired by Republic Services. WBUR left messages with the union official seeking comment but did not hear back. The company claimed in the suit that Local 25 President Thomas Mari yelled at Republic General Manager Kenny Runge, words to the effect of “You think this is bad? Wait until we ramp it up."
Federal government reverses course on Florida union law, appeals court holds lawsuit
June 16, 2025 // An appeals court Tuesday put on hold a lawsuit that Florida filed against the federal government, after the Trump administration reversed course on a controversial 2023 state law that placed restrictions on public-employee unions. The law included a series of restrictions, including preventing most public employees from having dues deducted from their paychecks and requiring unions to be recertified as bargaining agents if fewer than 60% of eligible employees pay dues. The lawsuit deals with interplay between the state law (SB 256) and a longstanding federal law designed to ensure that transit workers’ collective-bargaining rights are protected before federal transit money is provided to local agencies.
Pa. Worker Sues Union, State Over Mishandled Promotion
June 13, 2025 // Veteran state employee Todd Burns was in line for a well-deserved promotion until state officials allegedly violated his employment contract to promote someone less qualified but who had close ties to management. Burns turned to his union for help, only for AFSCME, Council 13, to refuse to defend the contract, despite his many years as a dues-paying member. Now, Burns is suing his union for violating state law by failing to provide him with fair representation and his employer, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), for breaking his employment contract.
County workers vote to unionize (Fairfax County, Virginia)
June 4, 2025 // First, however, the county must recognize the vote’s result. Thousands of workers can negotiate their pay, work benefits, and conditions through the union if recognized. “This historic victory is the result of nearly two decades of tireless organizing,” LaNoral Thomas, president of SEIU Virginia 512, told the Fairfax County Times. “Our union, alongside allies in the labor movement, played a leading role in overturning a 45-year ban on collective bargaining in Virginia.” “The journey began in 2006 when the founding president of our Fairfax Chapter began organizing, following a tragic workplace fatality. Her leadership and the unwavering dedication of workers across the county have led us to this pivotal moment,” Thomas continued.
Federal Appeals Court Hears Arguments in Starbucks Baristas’ First-In-The-Nation Suit Challenging Constitutionality of NLRB
May 16, 2025 // Cortes and Karam’s case, originally filed in 2023, was the first in the nation to advance the argument that NLRB board members’ removal protections – which insulate members of the federal labor board from accountability to the President except on very rare occasions – violate separation of powers doctrines in Article II of the Constitution. Since Foundation attorneys filed the baristas’ case, the Trump Administration advanced the same arguments to remove Biden NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox from the Board, which is now the subject of ongoing litigation.
Blackburn: By reining in federal labor unions, Congress can cut down on government waste | OPINION
March 27, 2025 // That’s why Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and I recently introduced the Federal Workforce Freedom Act, which would put a stop to all collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and labor unions. Among its provisions, this legislation would prohibit federal employees from participating in labor unions for the purposes of collective bargaining, ban federal agencies from engaging in collective bargaining negotiations, and immediately terminate all collective bargaining agreements.
Court grants injunction to striking Post-Gazette employees; company plans an appeal
March 26, 2025 // “Today we have been given the victory that we’ve held the picket line waiting for so long,” Guild President Zack Tanner said in a prepared statement. Post-Gazette spokeswoman Allison Latcheran said the newspaper was “pleased that the court decided favorably for the company,” although it may seek clarity on the restoration of the health benefit plan.
Teachers sue Trump admin for stopping affordable student loan repayment plans
March 24, 2025 // The teachers' union, however, says the Education Department's decision to interpret the 8th Circuit's decision on Feb. 18 "in such a maximalist way" has "wreaked havoc" on the system. The union claims in its filing that paper applications are not currently being processed as well.
CVUSD teachers’ union president sues district, alleges discrimination against non-Latino employees
March 17, 2025 // Days after Carrera filed her complaint with the FPPC, she said the school district placed her on leave on Oct. 25. The district later issued a press release stating that an employee was under investigation for allegedly misusing district funds, which the Riverside County Sheriff's Department later determined to be "unfounded." An incident report provided by CVTA in December detailed a deputy's investigation into Carrera, which began in October after the sheriff’s department was contacted by a private investigator hired by the school district. The private investigator was looking into a "possible fraudulent incident" involving Carrera’s use of services at the Riverside County Latino Commission, a contracted provider for the district, for her minor son, who was then a student at Desert Sands Unified School District. "As a direct and proximate result, Plaintiff was harmed; she has been humiliated, suffered emotional pain and distress, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and economic damages," the complaint read.
Liberty Justice Center Files Three New Lawsuits to Protect the Rights of Government Employees Against Public-Sector Unions
March 13, 2025 // "Public-sector unions continue to place barriers for government employees who wish to stop being union members and stop paying union dues in ways that violate the Supreme Court’s Janus decision.” said Jeffrey Schwab, Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center. “And although those unions are supposed to only collect dues from members, these unions often refuse to be held accountable by their own members for how they spend those dues.”