Melinda Meng is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News and Commentary, immigrant truckers bring suit over DOT’s commercial license ban, the NLRB calls for a rerun election at a Hormel subsidiary, and NTEU calls for a federal district judge to review CFPB job cuts.
On Wednesday, 19 immigrant truckers filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida claiming that the Department of Transportation’s rule barring 200,000 foreign truck drivers from holding commercial licenses violates the Administrative Procedure Act and equal protection under the Fifth Amendment. The DOT regulation, which took effect on March 16, 2026, prevents immigrants with asylum, refugee, or deferred action status from obtaining commercial drivers licenses, limiting eligibility to foreign nationals with seasonal work visas of E-2 nonimmigrant status. The suit is also claiming that the state of Florida’s decision to implement an indefinite pause on issuing or renewing non-domiciled commercial drivers licenses violates due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.
On Thursday, a divided National Labor Relations Board rejected a request from a United Food and Commercial Workers affiliate to preserve its December 2024 victory at Dold Foods LLC. UFCW had won its election at the Wichita-based facility by a 277-266 margin, but the company objected to the results on the grounds that barriers to non-English-speaking employees prevented their full participation in the election. The NLRB St. Louis Regional Director held that the lack of translators and the printing of ballots in English only destroyed the laboratory conditions necessary for employees to exercise their free choice on the union question. Member David Prouty, the NLRB’s sole Democrat, dissented from the decision, finding that the Regional Director erred in using the wrong legal standard and insufficient evidence to sustain the employer’s objections and order a new vote.
On Friday, the National Treasury Employees Union filed a brief with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia asking for a federal district judge in Washington to review the CFPB’s new plan to eliminate half of its remaining staff. The Trump administration is pushing an expedited timeline for these job cuts, but the NTEU argues that the CFPB’s year-long delay in issuing its subsequent reduction-in-force plan demonstrates a lack of urgency warranting extraordinary relief from the Court. Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the US District Court for the District of Columbia had issued a preliminary injunction blocking an attempt to cut 90% of the agency’s staff, after which the CFPB under acting Director Rusell Vought requested that the DC Circuit issue a 45-day remand for Judge Jackson to reconsider her injunction. The union agreed that Judge Jackson should review the reduction-in-force plan before the appellate judges, but maintained that the Trump administration lacked any valid justification for expediting job cuts. The agency currently has fewer than 1,200 employees remaining, compared to the 1,700 that were authorized for fiscal year 2025.
Daily News & Commentary
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September 13
Documents released on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks show that city officials encouraged workers to return to Ground Zero despite knowing the risks of asbestos exposure, and new polls demonstrate continued widespread support for labor unions.
September 10
Amazon workers allege pregnancy discrimination; federal unions challenge USDA reorganization; NYC warns of silicosis risks.
September 9
Wynn Las Vegas employees allege anti-union retaliation; Amazon faces a class action over pregnancy accommodations; H-1B demand plunges following a six-figure visa fee.
September 8
In today’s News and Commentary, workers and unions across America celebrate Labor Day, California’s SEIU Local 1000 prepares for a strike authorization vote, and New York City creates the Office of Worker Power. On Monday, labor unions and workers gathered in cities across the United States in celebration of Labor Day. Parades and rallies took […]
September 7
Eighth Circuit finds DOL order violates Seventh Amendment; 1,300 workers at Encore Boston Harbor go on strike.
September 6
Encore casino workers strike; President Trump commutes sentence of former Philadelphia IBEW leader; Durham labor activist ends his hunger strike against Amazon.