Sunah Chang is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s news and commentary: the New York Times Tech Guild returns to work as bargaining talks continue, and Bloomberg Law analyzes the fate of the EEOC under Trump’s second term.
Yesterday, the New York Times Tech Guild, the union representing more than 600 tech workers, announced the end of their week-long strike. Last Monday, the guild launched a strike just a day before election day to raise pressure on the company in the midst of stalled contract negotiations. The guild has been in ongoing negotiations over wages and job security with the New York Times for over two years.
Negotiations did not progress during the week-long strike. However, the tech workers have expressed optimism that the strike will reinvigorate contract talks moving forward. According to the Tech Guild, the strike impacted the New York Times’ election coverage by eliminating state-level or non-presidential needles from its website, disrupting ads, and slowing down apps and websites. The Tech Guild also stated that subscribers across the country showcased their solidarity with the striking workers by boycotting the New York Times’ cooking app and daily word puzzles and by using the Tech Guild members’ independently run games site during the week-long strike. In a press release published yesterday, the Tech Guild’s unit chair, Kathy Zhang, stated that the strike served as a “warning” to the company. “We clearly demonstrated how valuable our work is to The New York Times, especially on election night, and showed that we have the full support of subscribers and allies across the country going forward.”
In light of the recent presidential election, Bloomberg Law has published an article diving into how the second Trump administration may shape the future of the EEOC. According to the article, Trump has plans to appoint the current Republican commissioner, Andrea Lucas, as chair of the EEOC and to replace the general counsel with a Republican appointee. Once Vice Chair Jocelyn Samuels’ term expires in 2026, Trump will have the chance to appoint another Republican commissioner to the EEOC, securing a majority of the five-person board. Up until then, the Democratic majority may stall Trump from pushing forward his agenda through the EEOC; a 2021 update to EEOC practices grants a majority of commissioners the authority to request a vote to bring most cases. However, once the majority of the board flips in 2026, it is anticipated that the Trump administration will wield the EEOC to further various conservative policy agendas, such as combating DEI efforts or reducing protections for LGBTQ+ and pregnant workers.
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April 21
Bryan Johnson’s ULP saga before the NLRB continues; top law firms opt to appease the EEOC in its anti-DEI demands.
April 20
In today’s news and commentary, the Supreme Court rules for Cornell employees in an ERISA suit, the Sixth Circuit addresses whether the EFAA applies to a sexual harassment claim, and DOGE gains access to sensitive labor data on immigrants. On Thursday, the Supreme Court made it easier for employees to bring ERISA suits when their […]
April 18
Two major New York City unions endorse Cuomo for mayor; Committee on Education and the Workforce requests an investigation into a major healthcare union’s spending; Unions launch a national pro bono legal network for federal workers.
April 17
Utahns sign a petition supporting referendum to repeal law prohibiting public sector collective bargaining; the US District Court for the District of Columbia declines to dismiss claims filed by the AFL-CIO against several government agencies; and the DOGE faces reports that staffers of the agency accessed the NLRB’s sensitive case files.
April 16
7th Circuit questions the relevance of NLRB precedent after Loper Bright, unions seek to defend silica rule, and Abrego Garcia's union speaks out.
April 15
In today’s news and commentary, SAG-AFTRA reaches a tentative agreement, AFT sues the Trump Administration, and California offers its mediation services to make up for federal cuts. SAG-AFTRA, the union representing approximately 133,000 commercial actors and singers, has reached a tentative agreement with advertisers and advertising agencies. These companies were represented in contract negotiations by […]