Jacqueline Rayfield is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News and Commentary, a 5th Circuit Appeals court panel suggested that companies lack standing to sue over a 2022 memo from National Labor Relations Board General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, Chippendales Dancers seek to unionize under the Actors’ Equity Association, and the AFL-CIO urges members to vote for Vice President, Kamala Harris.
Five companies appealed a Texas judge’s opinion stating that they did not have standing to review prosecutorial discretion by the NLRB general counsel. A 5th Circuit appeals court heard oral arguments on this appeal yesterday. Comments from the three-judge panel suggest that they will rule with the lower court. These companies specifically challenged Abruzzo’s statements targeting captive audience meetings.
Chippendales Dancers, members of an all-male show based out of the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, have asked their employer for voluntary recognition of their union and have filed with the NLRB for an election. Dancers leading the effort explain that this is a step towards fair pay, benefits, and safety on the job. Chippendales would be the third venue of adult performers to unionize under Actors’ Equity, following Magic Tavern dancers in Portland and Star Garden dancers in Los Angeles.
The AFL-CIO is urging the U.S.’s 14.4 million union members to vote for Harris in the upcoming presidential election. The union’s website explains that former president Donald Trump has crossed picket lines and bragged about firing workers. Meanwhile, Harris has shown solidarity by joining a United Auto Workers picket line and supporting the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
September 12
Zohran Mamdani calls on FIFA to end dynamic pricing for the World Cup; the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement opens a probe into Scale AI’s labor practices; and union members organize immigration defense trainings.
September 11
California rideshare deal advances; Boeing reaches tentative agreement with union; FTC scrutinizes healthcare noncompetes.
September 10
A federal judge denies a motion by the Trump Administration to dismiss a lawsuit led by the American Federation of Government Employees against President Trump for his mass layoffs of federal workers; the Supreme Court grants a stay on a federal district court order that originally barred ICE agents from questioning and detaining individuals based on their presence at a particular location, the type of work they do, their race or ethnicity, and their accent while speaking English or Spanish; and a hospital seeks to limit OSHA's ability to cite employers for failing to halt workplace violence without a specific regulation in place.
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.