Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute Releases 2025 Labor Day Report

WASHINGTON (September 2, 2025) – Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute® (WPI®), the government relations and public policy arm of Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has released its 2025 Labor Day Report. Now in its eighth edition, the report examines the top trends impacting employers in the first year of the Trump administration and offers insights into how labor and employment law may evolve in the months ahead. 

 “In less than nine months, the new administration has transformed more than six decades of labor and employment policy, and there is no indication that the pace will slow. As key oversight and enforcement agency positions are filled, we anticipate further upheaval. At the same time, as the federal government pulls back on workplace regulation, states will look to fill perceived gaps in federal law, creating an even more complex web of state and federal regulation for employers to navigate,” said Shannon Meade, WPI’s executive director, and WPI co-chairs Alex MacDonald and Jim Paretti in a joint statement.

This year’s report provides in-depth insight into several urgent issues employers are facing, including labor relations trends, changes in wage and hour regulation, immigration enforcement, the rise of state-level artificial intelligence regulation, and more. The report is divided into 14 sections, each covering the historical context, latest developments, and potential predictions behind specific, critical trends impacting employers:   

• Federal “Independent” Agencies Face Uncertain Future
• Labor Law Without a Labor Board? With the NLRB Sidelined, States Step Up
• Rock Bottom, or Still Falling? Unions Continue to Lose Members
• More States Banning Mandatory Employer-Sponsored Meetings
• The “Faster Labor Contracts Act” Offers Quicker Labor Negotiations, Bipartisan Support, and Big Legal Questions
• Construction Industry Challenges Continue Against Federal PLA Mandates and Davis-Bacon Revision
• Trump Administration’s Focus on DEI Continues
• White Collar Overtime: Will We See a 2026 Increase?
• Minimum Wages March Higher, Potentially Approaching a Tipping Point
• New Rules for Taxation of Tips and Overtime
• Worker Classification Continues to be Front and Center for Federal and State Policymakers
• What’s Happening on the Workplace Safety and Heath Front?
• Immigration Enforcement Remains a Top Priority
• Artificial Intelligence Regulation Remains in the States

In addition to Meade, MacDonald, and Paretti, the report was authored by shareholders Maury Baskin, Bradford Kelley, and Jorge Lopez; associate George Michael Thompson; and senior counsel Felicia Watson. 

Click here to view the full report.

About Littler 

With more than 1,800 labor and employment attorneys in offices around the world, Littler provides workplace solutions that are local, everywhere. Our diverse global team and proprietary technology foster a culture that celebrates original thinking, delivering groundbreaking innovation that prepares employers for what’s happening today, and what’s likely to happen tomorrow.

About Littler WPI

WPI advocates for employers on a global scale. Working closely with businesses and trade associations, WPI serves as a strong voice for employers and their workplaces to navigate real-time changes in employment and labor law, while influencing the legislation of tomorrow. By harnessing Littler’s global depth of knowledge and expansive resources for tracking emerging issues that affect the workplace, WPI brings employers’ interests to the forefront of today’s rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.