Sharon Block

@poweratwork.bsky.social's 10th ep of the Power Half-Hour is out! Joining @mrsethharris.bsky.social is @cljeharvard.bsky.social Executive Director @sharblock.bsky.social, @seattleulaw.bsky.social professor Elizabeth Ford, & @chicagotribune.com reporter Talia Soglin: poweratwork.us/power-half-h...

Workers are being squeezed by a softening job market, rising costs, and an administration that is hostile to unions and labor rights.

@sharblock.bsky.social joined The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton to explain how Trump’s policies are leaving workers less secure.

Opinion | Unions are as popular as ever. Our labor laws haven't caught up yet. Building a labor law that actually enables workers to form unions requires a lot more than tinkering with the existing systems.

In @msnbc.com, labor expert @sharblock.bsky.social explains that while unions are more popular than ever, outdated laws make organizing risky. She outlines reforms like stronger penalties for union-busting and sectoral bargaining to ensure workers can organize. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

To Make Democracy Work, Give More of It to Workers The fight to reclaim American democracy has to begin with our oligarchic political economy.

Member Scholar @sharblock.bsky.social of Harvard Law was quoted in a commentary by @ositanwanevu.com in The Nation about democracy and workers.

Read Nwanevu's commentary here. 👇

www.thenation.com/article/arch...

Trump administration moves to curtail union representation at EPA The move is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to terminate contracts and end union representation at agencies across the federal government.

A recent email to EPA employees discouraging union activity on personal time raises ethics concerns and could "have a pretty serious chilling effect on their willingness to engage with their union at all," according to @sharblock.bsky.social. More from @wgbh.org ⬇️
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...

Trump says his falling out with Jeffrey Epstein was over spa workers at Mar-a-Lago Trump has said he kicked Epstein out of his club for hiring workers away from Mar-a-Lago. When asked Tuesday if the workers included young women, Trump responded, "the answer is yes, they were."

Hey anti-trust friends: Didn’t Trump just admit to violating anti-trust law by soliciting a no-poach agreement from Jeffrey Epstein? I know this is hardly the worst behavior that has transpired btwn these two but just wanted to call out more lawlessness.

www.npr.org/2025/07/29/n...

YouTube video by Center for Labor and a Just Economy | HLS Come for the Music, Stay for the Message: A Conversation with Ken Casey and Sharon Block

Come for the music, stay for the message! Watch an extended excerpt from our interview with Ken Casey (@dropkickmurphys.com), Professor @sharblock.bsky.social, and Sing for Science podcast host Matt Whyte:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ53...

"Reimagining the purpose and function of science and innovation policy will be a core component of asserting our bigger vision of democracy..." More on democratically deploying AI from @sharblock.bsky.social and @michelleimiller.bsky.social: rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/democra...

Big Beautiful Bill would ban regulating AI - The Boston Globe Workers would be powerless to react to how AI affects their lives and livelihoods.

"We need meaningful human oversight and worker input." @bostonglobe.com op-ed from @sharblock.bsky.social and Mass AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch delves into the AI provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill and the impact it will have on workers. Read more ⬇️
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/11/o...

Shipping up for solidarity! See @dropkickmurphys.com's Ken Casey and CLJE's @sharblock.bsky.social talk all things labor and economic justice, June 12 @ 7pm at the Harvard Science Center. Grab your spot here: www.eventbrite.com/e/sing-for-s...

I am so excited to get the chance to talk to Ken Casey of @dropkickmurphys.com. Workers may be asking “who will stand with us?” I know one answer - Ken Casey!

Join us for a live taping of Sing for Science with Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys and Harvard Law professor and CLJE Director @sharblock.bsky.social! June 12th, 7pm. Tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/sing-for-s...

BREAKING: The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has denied the Trump administration's request to overturn a lower court order that blocks the reorganization of the federal government.

This latest win is the most significant challenge to President Trump's authority.

Join CLJE and Sing for Science as we talk with @dropkickmurphys.com lead singer Ken Casey and Harvard Law's @sharblock.bsky.social about all things labor and economic justice! June 12, 7PM. Read more about the event and grab your spot below:
www.eventbrite.com/e/voices-for...

How Trump is Trying to Establish Presidential Control Over Independent Agencies The abrupt, premature dismissals of agency officials has teed up a Supreme Court decision that, if delivered in the president's favor, could give him substantially more authority.

The Supreme Court has agreed to allow President Trump to temporarily remove leaders of two independent agencies. “There is a potential for a government that is devoid of a lot of the checks and balances that we have come to rely on.” - @sharblock.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Common-Sense Measures Could Curb Heat-Related Deaths Extreme heat is becoming more prevalent. We need to protect people who work and play outside

Providing access to basic cooling measures is an inexpensive way to keep people safe, with the added benefit of economic efficiency. “It’s not just the decent thing to do but the smart thing to do.” @sharblock.bsky.social in @sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/comm...

The Future of Labor and the Democratic Party.
(@sharblock.bsky.social @maxkiefel.bsky.social @cljeharvard.bsky.social @onlabor.bsky.social)
More, via Opinion Today:
opiniontoday.substack.com/p/250513-top...

@daveyseligman.bsky.social is exactly the kind of pro-worker progressive leader we need in this moment. Okay — in any moment but particularly this one. I’m thrilled to support him.

The Future of Labor and the Democratic Party ✦ OnLabor Are unions breaking up with the Democratic Party? In light of the party’s historical relationship with the labor movement, this question has been circulating widely since the 2024 election. That’s bec...

Are unions breaking up with the Democratic Party? Our new survey data shows labor is powerful but not monolithic. What else can unions do to communicate salient policies that affect workers' everyday lives? Read more from @sharblock.bsky.social & @maxkiefel.bsky.social
onlabor.org/the-future-o...

Did you know that union members are more likely to think corporate policies contributed to inflation while nonunion workers think gov’t policy caused inflation. Want to know more about the role of unions in the 2024 election — check out our new report.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Labor at the Polls: Understanding How Union Members Approached the 2024 Election. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the... The 2024 election highlighted the shifting partisan allegiance of working-class voters. What impact does the labor movement have on members’ political decision making? Join us for a presentation of a ...

WEBINAR: Does being a union member influence the way people vote? Do unions act as sources of information on policy and the economy? Delve into new research around labor's influence on the 2024 election with CLJE & @harvardash.bsky.social tomorrow. Register ⬇️
harvard.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

The Varied Voice of Labor: Unpacking the Political Engagement of Labor in the 2024 Election - Center for Labor and a Just Economy “The Varied Voice of Labor: Unpacking the Political Engagement of Labor in the 2024 Election,” focuses on unions’ role in…

Our new research with Columbia Labor Lab sheds light on unions as important sources of information about policy and government, playing a role in educating their members to make the most informed choice at the ballot box. Check out our new report:
clje.law.harvard.edu?p=6248

The future of AI shouldn’t be left in the hands of tech billionaires and corporations.

Workers must have a real voice in how AI is deployed. Explore more on why we need a pro-worker agenda for AI that includes real safeguards and worker-centered policies. #restoringdemocracy

Honored to be part of this collection from @rooseveltinstitute.org to show a path out of the chaos into economic fairness. @michelleimiller.bsky.social and I offer a vision of AI policy that puts workers in the lead. @cljeharvard.bsky.social

Graphic for the Roosevelt Institute featuring text "Restoring Economic Democracy: Progressive Ideas for Stability and Prosperity" on a two-tone teal background.

NEW: Americans need a government that delivers stability and security—not chaos.

Our new essay collection brings together great minds to imagine how democracy can better deliver the economy Americans need and want. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

A whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data A whistleblower tells Congress and NPR that DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data and hid its tracks. "None of that ... information should ever leave the agency," said a former NLRB official.

"There is nothing that I can see about what DOGE is doing that follows any of the standard procedures for how you do an audit that has integrity...that serve the normal auditing function, which is to look for fraud, waste and abuse."

@sharblock.bsky.social on @npr.org
www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Building a People’s Regulatory Agenda Through Rulemaking Petitions. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Join the Center for Progressive Reform and the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards on Thursday, May 1, at 11 a.m. Eastern time for a webinar on Building a People’s Regulatory Agenda Through Rulemaking P...

Come join me for a timely @progressivereform.bsky.social and @sensiblesafeguards.bsky.social webinar on how the public interest community can begin reclaiming their government from Trump by building their own People's Regulatory Agenda. Thursday, May 1. 11 am ET. us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

I don’t know of any labor law clinics but this class at UCLA law school gives students field experience with unions. law.ucla.edu/academics/cu...

Frustrated Berkeley REI Workers Accuse Co-Op of Union Busting, Straying From Values | KQED REI’s Berkeley employees claim the company has stalled contract negotiations and harmed unionized workers by excluding them from bonuses and pay raises.

“We’re seeing these assaults, not just on their collective bargaining rights, but some of the basic labor standards that sort of undergird decent work in this country.” - @sharblock.bsky.social on the erosion of national labor standards as REI workers try to bargain
www.kqed.org/news/1203728...

Should We Fight for the Civil Service? Law and Democracy Forum - Center for Labor and a Just Economy Join Professor Sharon Block, Professor of Practice and Executive Director, Center for Labor and a Just Economy and Former Acting…

On campus at Harvard Law tomorrow? Come by the Law and Democracy Forum to hear from former Acting Secretary of Labor @juliesulabor.bsky.social and Professor @sharblock.bsky.social as they discuss how and why we should fight for the civil service
clje.law.harvard.edu/events/shoul...