On September 30, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 288, which amends the state’s labor law and significantly expands the power of its Public Employment Relations Board (“PERB”) to cover private-sector employees currently under the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”).  

Under…

The Ninth Circuit’s recent resurrection of Trader Joe’s trademark infringement suit over an independent union’s sale of apparel, mugs, tote bags, and other labor-branded merchandise that allegedly infringed the company’s intellectual property highlights key issues at the intersection of federal labor and IP law.

The case, Trader Joe’s Co. v.

After years of battles within the state over ride-share driver classification issues, California is redrawing the map of gig-economy labor relations – a measure that would, for the first time in the state, give unions a path to organize rideshare drivers. California Governor Gavin Newsom is framing the bill as…

On September 5, 2025, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law what is dubbed an “NLRB Trigger Bill” amending the New York State Labor Relations Act.  The statute itself is hardly a model of clarity, but its sponsors describe it as an effort to expand the jurisdiction…

On August 19, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed preliminary injunctions halting National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “NLRB”) proceedings against SpaceX and two other companies while they litigate the constitutionality of NLRB removal protections.  In its holding, the court concluded that the for-cause…

On August 7, 2025, the Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”), William B. Cowen, issued GC Memorandum 25-10 providing revised guidance concerning the deferral of unfair labor practice (“ULP”) charges to the grievance and arbitration processes set forth in collective bargaining agreements (“CBA”).

The…