Overview
The American system of labor law is at a critical crossroads. Recent Supreme Court decisions have struck at the independence and effectiveness of the one federal law designed to protect workers' rights to organize and have a voice in their workplaces: the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), administered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
The President's authority to remove Board members, prolonged vacancies and the absence of a quorum that prevent the agency from conducting business, growing questions about the Board's independence, increased judicial scrutiny of its decisions, and decades of inadequate funding have left the NLRB increasingly weakened and workers' rights increasingly vulnerable.
Meanwhile, some of the nation's largest employers—including Amazon, Tesla, and Starbucks—have aggressively fought workers' organizing efforts through surveillance, threats, inducements, and costly, protracted litigation. Workers may vote for a union, but winning an election does not necessarily mean they will ever get a contract. The law, as currently structured, often leaves workers with rights on paper but few effective means of exercising them.
This moment demands a fundamental examination of whether our federal labor law framework can protect workers and sustain a meaningful right to collective action.
What do the 2026 Elections mean for the labor movement? Is now the time for real reform that meets the public’s support for unionization?
This 90-minute webinar brings together leading voices in labor law and labor relations to examine the current crisis and, more importantly, what comes next. Our panelists will explore the implications of the new Congress, The Supreme Court's recent decisions, the structural weaknesses of the federal labor law system, and the possibilities for meaningful federal reform. We will also examine whether states can step into the breach: What is the appetite for newly elected Governors and state houses to protect workers' rights, strengthen collective bargaining, and address gaps in federal labor law? What solutions are possible under existing law, and where will new legislation and policy approaches be necessary?
