Liana Wang is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary, the DC Circuit lifts a preliminary injunction on Trump’s collective bargaining ban for federal workers; HHS, DOL and Treasury pause a 2024 mental health parity regulation; and NJ Transit workers continue into the third day of a historic strike.
In a 2-1 decision issued on Friday, the D.C. Circuit overturned an injunction against Executive Order 14251 in NTEU v. Trump. The EO threatened to end collective bargaining rights for about 100,000 federal workers at over a dozen agencies on the grounds that they conducted national security work. Two circuit judges held that the union failed to show it would suffer irreparable harm, and the injunction interfered with the President’s autonomy on national security issues. In line with another Trump Administration directive in March, the majority also noted that the union should have posted a financial bond to cover the potential costs of a wrongly issued injunction.
Meanwhile, HHS, DOL, and Treasury have announced they will not enforce another Biden-era regulation as they consider whether to rescind it. The Biden Administration’s mental health parity rule required insurers and employers to make sure that their plans provided the same level of “meaningful benefits” for mental health conditions as for physical ones. The regulation was meant to ensure greater compliance with the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The ERISA Industry Committee, which represents several Fortune 500 companies, challenged the regulation in January 2025. The pause comes amid other attacks on research and funding for mental health and addiction services.
And, updating Justin’s story from Monday, New Jersey Transit workers and members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen officially went on strike for the first time in 40 years starting Friday. The locomotive engineers are asking for salary raises, arguing that they make 20% less compared to engineers at other regional rail systems. Hours of contract talks Saturday did not produce an agreement. As the strike continues into its third day today, NJ Transit and the union are returning to meet with a mediator in Newark.
Daily News & Commentary
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June 8
Workers at Albertsons and Kroger in Washington State vote to authorize a strike; ICE agents arrest SEIU California President David Huerta during a protest; and a federal judge approves a $2.75 billion settlement allowing colleges to directly pay student-athletes.
June 6
Colorado clashes with ICE over information sharing, SCOTUS exempts a Catholic charity from paying unemployment compensation tax, and SCOTUS lowers bar for raising a Title VII reverse discrimination claim
June 5
Nail technicians challenge California classification; oral arguments in challenge to LGBTQ hiring protections; judge blocks Job Corps shutdown.
June 4
Federal agencies violate federal court order pausing mass layoffs; Walmart terminates some jobs in Florida following Supreme Court rulings on the legal status of migrants; and LA firefighters receive a $9.5 million settlement for failure to pay firefighters during shift changes.
June 3
Federal judge blocks Trump's attack on TSA collective bargaining rights; NLRB argues that Grindr's Return-to-Office policy was union busting; International Trade Union Confederation report highlights global decline in workers' rights.
June 2
Proposed budgets for DOL and NLRB show cuts on the horizon; Oregon law requiring LPAs in cannabis dispensaries struck down.