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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July 6
Municipal workers in Philadelphia continue to strike; Zohran Mamdani collects union endorsements; UFCW grocery workers in California and Colorado reach tentative agreements.
July 4
The DOL scraps a Biden-era proposed rule to end subminimum wages for disabled workers; millions will lose access to Medicaid and SNAP due to new proof of work requirements; and states step up in the noncompete policy space.
July 3
California compromises with unions on housing; 11th Circuit rules against transgender teacher; Harvard removes hundreds from grad student union.
July 2
Block, Nanda, and Nayak argue that the NLRA is under attack, harming democracy; the EEOC files a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former EEOC Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels; and SEIU Local 1000 strikes an agreement with the State of California to delay the state's return-to-office executive order for state workers.
July 1
In today’s news and commentary, the Department of Labor proposes to roll back minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by public defenders over a union’s Gaza statements, and Philadelphia’s largest municipal union is on strike for first time in nearly 40 years. On Monday, the U.S. […]
June 30
Antidiscrimination scholars question McDonnell Douglas, George Washington University Hospital bargained in bad faith, and NY regulators defend LPA dispensary law.