Gilbert Placeres is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News & Commentary, two reversals in the Trump administration’s firing of federal labor employees as a judge orders the reinstatement of NLRB Board Member Gwynne Wilcox and the Department of Labor reinstates about 120 employees who were facing termination.
On Thursday, a federal district court judge ordered the reinstatement of NLRB Board Member Gwynne Wilcox, whom President Trump had fired in the first day of his second term. Divya covered the oral arguments in the case last week. In her ruling, Judge Beryl Howell wrote that “the President does not have the authority to terminate members of the National Labor Relations Board at will, and his attempt to fire [Wilcox] from her position on the Board was a blatant violation of the law,” as well as that “an American president is not a king.” The Trump administration has already filed an appeal in the case.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) announced Friday that about 120 probationary employees in the Department of Labor had been reinstated immediately and told to report back to duty on Monday. The Labor Department employees were reinstated a day after U.S. President Donald Trump told his cabinet members that they, not Elon Musk, had the final say on staffing and policy at their agencies. He also told cabinet members to approach workforce cuts with a “scalpel” instead of a “hatchet.”
Daily News & Commentary
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September 9
Ninth Circuit revives Trader Joe’s lawsuit against employee union; new bill aims to make striking workers eligible for benefits; university lecturer who praised Hitler gets another chance at First Amendment claims.
September 8
DC Circuit to rule on deference to NLRB, more vaccine exemption cases, Senate considers ban on forced arbitration for age discrimination claims.
September 7
Another weak jobs report, the Trump Administration's refusal to arbitrate with federal workers, and a district court judge's order on the constitutionality of the Laken-Riley Act.
September 5
Pro-labor legislation in New Jersey; class action lawsuit by TN workers proceeds; a report about wage theft in D.C.
September 4
Eighth Circuit avoids a challenge to Minnesota’s ban on captive audience meetings; ALJ finds that Starbucks violated the NLRA again; and a district court certifies a class of behavioral health workers pursuing wage claims.
September 3
Treasury releases draft list of tipped positions eligible for tax break; Texas court rules against Board's effort to transfer case to California; 9th Circuit rules against firefighters seeking religious exemption to COVID vaccine mandate.