Labor Unions NAICS 813930

May 5, 2025 - Labor Unions Join Lawsuit Against Trump Administration

• A coalition of labor unions, nonprofits, and local governments have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration claiming that actions taken by the president, Elon Musk, and the heads of nearly two dozen federal agencies to dramatically downsize the federal workforce violate the Constitution because Congress has not authorized them. "Three months into this Administration, there can be no real doubt that impacted federal agencies are acting according to the direction being given by President Trump through DOGE, OMB, and OPM," the lawsuit states, referring to the government efficiency team that Musk oversees, as well as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The plaintiffs further note that "since the founding of the nation, federal courts have recognized that the federal agencies are not created by the President," but by Congress, which has the sole authority to undertake the kind of wholesale transformation Trump has ordered.
• Trump administration tariffs on foreign goods received mixed support from the auto industry, a key component of the US labor movement, according to Fox News. The United Automobile Workers Union (UAW) praised Trump's "aggressive" tariff strategy and defended the president from criticism that his tariffs will upend the economy. Some auto industry experts are skeptical of the president's actions. "You just can't relocate automotive production and the supply chain overnight," said John Bozzella, who heads the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, according to Reuters. "That's the challenge and the dilemma: auto tariffs in North America could end up increasing costs on consumers before jobs come back to the country."

• Nearly 200 large union contracts covering more than 1.5 million workers across a many of industries are set to expire in 2025, according to Bloomberg Law. An early test for unions and for the incoming Trump administration was avoided when the union representing 45,000 longshoremen at docks along the US East and Gulf coasts and port operators tentatively agreed to a new six-year contract in early January. Other workers may be emboldened to strike based on the record-breaking wages and benefits secured in contracts from the last few years, such as with Detroit’s Big Three, the Boeing Company, and Hollywood production studios, according to Bloomberg Law. Workers may also push for new job protections from emerging technology like artificial intelligence.
• Labor union industry employment decreased slightly while average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first month of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Labor union industry revenue is forecast to grow at a 3.2% compounded annual rate from 2024 to 2028, slower than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. Labor unions generate revenue by charging dues to members.