Mila Rostain is a student at Harvard Law School.
In today’s News and Commentary, Senate Democrats introduce a companion bill to nullify Trump’s executive orders ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees, the Massachusetts Teachers Association faces backlash after calling on school districts to respect union contracts following the killing of Charlie Kirk, and Loyola Marymount University claims a religious exemption and stops recognizing their faculty union after ten months of bargaining.
Yesterday, Senate Democrats introduced a bill that would nullify President Trump’s executive orders ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees. The House is already considering that proposal, which was introduced in April. The House version of the Protect America’s Workforce Act is two signatures away on a discharge petition to force a floor debate. In the Senate, 48 senators introduced the Protect America’s Workforce Act. Everett Kelley, president of AFGE, praised the senators and stated that the executive order “represents the single most aggressive action taken by the federal government against organized labor in U.S. history, dwarfing any previous action against public or private sector working Americans.”
On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Teachers Association (“MTA”) called on local school districts to refrain from taking “actions that would validate accusations by extremists against educators,” following the death of Charlie Kirk. Since last week, school officials have placed at least five school employees on leave who allegedly posted about Kirk online. Following MTA’s statement, state Republicans criticized the union’s position. In response to Republican pushback, union leadership reiterated its commitment to the safety and support of MTA members.
Last week, Loyola Marymount University (“LMU”) announced it will no longer recognize its faculty union and will stop bargaining. As reported in Inside Higher Ed, LMU is claiming a religious exemption with the NLRB. In explaining the decision, LMU cited financial concerns and argued that claiming the exemption would preserve autonomy while continuing to bargain would “jeopardize the university’s near-term viability and long-term sustainability.” Rather than continue bargaining, LMU implemented a series of unilateral changes. Professor William Herbert noted that schools claiming the religious exemption typically do so when a union files a representative petition, not a year later during the bargaining process. The union, which won recognition in 2024 and had been bargaining for the past ten months, filed an unfair labor practice charge in response with the NLRB.
Daily News & Commentary
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September 18
Senate Democrats introduce a bill to nullify Trump’s executive orders ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees; the Massachusetts Teachers Association faces backlash; and Loyola Marymount University claims a religious exemption and stops recognizing its faculty union.
September 17
A union argues the NLRB's quorum rule is unconstitutional; the California Building Trades back a state housing law; and Missouri proposes raising the bar for citizen ballot initiatives
September 16
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which […]
September 15
Unemployment claims rise; a federal court hands victory to government employees union; and employers fire workers over social media posts.
September 14
Workers at Boeing reject the company’s third contract proposal; NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cohen plans to sue New York over the state’s trigger bill; Air Canada flight attendants reject a tentative contract.
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.