Luke Hinrichs is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentaries, district court judge orders reinstatement of FLRA board member unlawfully removed by Trump, and the UAW files unfair labor practices charges against Volkswagen.
U.S. District Judge of the District of Columbia Sparkle Sooknanan ordered the reinstatement of Susan Grundmann to her board member position on the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), an agency which impartially manages and resolves disputes between the federal government and federal employees’ unions. The court ruled that the February 10 firing of Grundmann through a two-sentence email sent on behalf of President Trump was unlawful given the statutory provision that FLRA members can only be removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office during their staggered five-year terms, and only after notice and a hearing. The decision is expected to be appealed to the D.C. Circuit.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) announced it has filed federal labor charges against Volkswagen for “violating workers’ rights” at the automaker’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant after the company announced it was cutting jobs and limiting production to a two-shift model. The company has also begun offering production employees a “voluntary attrition program,” including a severance package, retirement options, and benefits. Volkswagen’s downsizing decision comes as the union is negotiating its first contract with the company. The UAW won the unionization election at the Chattanooga factory last April, becoming the first auto plant in the South to unionize via election since the 1940s.
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