Jacqueline Rayfield is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News and Commentary, the NLRB general counsel vows not to succumb to pressure from SpaceX, Amazon, and others, the NLRB will seek make-whole remedies for unlawful work rules, and the LA County Federation of Labor joins the call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Attorneys from SpaceX, Amazon, Trader Joe’s and Starbucks all argued in recent months that the NLRB is unconstitutional. NLRB general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, accused these companies of jumping on the bandwagon of challenging the NLRB instead of spending money “improving their workers’ lives and their own workplace operations.” The most serious challenge by SpaceX and others was filed in Texas earlier this year claiming that NLRB adjudication violates SpaceX’s right to a jury trial and administrative law judges (ALJs) should be easier to remove.
Abruzzo issued a memo earlier this week urging the NLRB to seek full remedies for all victims of unlawful conduct. The memo clarifies that victims of unlawful conduct include employees harmed by unlawful work rules or contract terms. Simply removing an unlawful rule is not enough, Abruzzo explains, and does not remedy the chill caused by the rule in the first place. Instead, the board should also seek to expunge any previous discipline under the unlawful rule and provide make-whole relief.
The Los Angeles Federation of Labor released a statement explaining: “The death toll in Gaza has already been unbearable, and it threatens to spiral exponentially if the course of the war is not altered. We cannot bomb our way to peace.” The Federation represents more than 300 unions and labor groups in the LA area and joins other major unions in calling for a ceasefire.
Daily News & Commentary
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May 30
Trump's tariffs temporarily reinstated after brief nationwide injunction; Louisiana Bill targets payroll deduction of union dues; Colorado Supreme Court to consider a self-defense exception to at-will employment
May 29
AFGE argues termination of collective bargaining agreement violates the union’s First Amendment rights; agricultural workers challenge card check laws; and the California Court of Appeal reaffirms San Francisco city workers’ right to strike.
May 28
A proposal to make the NLRB purely adjudicatory; a work stoppage among court-appointed lawyers in Massachusetts; portable benefits laws gain ground
May 27
a judge extends a pause on the Trump Administration’s mass-layoffs, the Fifth Circuit refuses to enforce an NLRB order, and the Texas Supreme court extends workplace discrimination suits to co-workers.
May 26
Federal court blocks mass firings at Department of Education; EPA deploys new AI tool; Chiquita fires thousands of workers.
May 25
United Airlines flight attendants reach tentative agreement; Whole Foods workers secure union certification; One Big Beautiful Bill Act cuts $1.1 trillion