In today’s news and commentary, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders unionize, the Bureau of Prisons again seeks to strengthen its argument for union contract cancellation, and CSU faculty votes on strike authorization.

On Friday, the Dallas Cowboys football team announced its recognition of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association. This recognition comes after years of efforts to improve pay and working conditions for the cheerleading team. Their concerns became the focus of popular attention when several of the cheerleaders discussed the topic on their Netflix show, leading to a 400% pay increase ahead of the 2025 NFL season. While information regarding a future collective bargaining agreement is not public, this high-profile recognition follows in the footsteps of the first NFL cheerleading union in 1995, and more recent boom in professional players associations. 

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Prisons has made another attempt to justify the one-sided termination of its union contract. As Maya covered last week, workers from the AFGE’s Council of Prison Locals have gone back and forth with the BOP regarding their 2025 contract termination. The union contests the cancellation on both First Amendment and APA grounds. Judge Vernon Oliver of the District of Connecticut previously issued an injunction against the agency requiring them to reinstate the agreement, and then found that the agency had violated that order in “open defiance.” Now, BOP has filed an emergency motion asking the court for either clarification on whether it may re-terminate the CBA based on a “fresh” explanation, or for the court to modify the preliminary injunction so that the agency can do so. Part of the litigation surrounds the agency’s claim that it derived its unilateral authority to cancel the contract from President Trump’s executive order banning collective bargaining for federal workers on national security grounds. The union, which covers over 30,000 workers nationally, has the opportunity to issue briefing in reply to the emergency motion before Judge Vernon issues a clarification or decision. 

Finally, the California Faculty Association, which represents 29,000 professors and other employees at California State University, is asking its members to authorize a strike after contract negotiations with CSU system administration reached an impasse. Following sixteen months of bargaining, the union’s president accused university negotiators of not being “honest agents.” The union is seeking salary increases, changes to faculty workloads, and protections related to the use of artificial intelligence. CSU has recently reached tentative agreements with three other unions: the Statewide University Police Association, Academic Student Workers of CSU (UAW 4123), and Academic Professionals of California. However, the agreements still require approval from union members and the CSU Board of Trustees. The California Faculty Association strike authorization will run until November 19, wherein the union may be authorized to call a strike.