In today’s News and Commentary, Condé Nast accused of union busting, the Supreme Court declines to hear the Freedom Foundation’s suit challenging union membership cancellation policies, and AFT-120 proposes a “Safe Sleep Lots” program for families facing homelessness in Kentucky.

Yesterday, Condé United, the union of Condé Nast employees, rallied to protest the recent firings of union leaders who protested recent Teen Vogue Layoffs. After two rounds of mass layoffs last week and the announcement that Teen Vogue would merge with Vogue, approximately 20 members of Condé United confronted management about the actions. According to the union, the layoffs were a “fairly transparent at political appeasement,” given Teen Vogue’s left-leaning reputation. In response to the march, Condé Nast terminated four employees and suspended five others. While the company claims the workers were fired for harassment, the union noted that the march was a routine action on the boss. Condé United filed unfair labor practice charges over the terminations and suspensions.

On Monday, the Supreme Court denied certiorari over the Freedom Foundation’s suit challenging the Association of Oregon Corrections Employees’ policy that required non-member workers to sign a membership cancellation document. According to the plaintiffs, under the policy, workers who opted out of the union would pay an additional $500 should they decide to rejoin the union. The plaintiffs challenging the policy claimed that the $500 was intended to punish workers who opted out of membership. In April, the 9th Circuit affirmed the District Court’s 2024 dismissal of the case for lack of standing. According to the court, the plaintiffs had not suffered an injury in fact because each had resigned from the union and did not intend to rejoin the union.

A local of AFT, AFT-120, requested that Fayette County Public Schools, the second largest school district in Kentucky, create a “Safe Sleep Lots” for families living in their cars to park overnight in a secure district-owned lot. Cincinnati is expected to implement a similar program opening in the spring, which would use the parking lot behind a public school as a place that families could park and access bathroom and shower facilities. AFT-120 organizers acknowledged that the program would be a temporary solution for the more than 1,100 Fayette County Public Schools students facing homelessness.