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@alvinvelazquez

@alvinvelazquez.bsky.social

290 followers 410 following 130 posts

Associate Professor at IU Maurer School of Law thinking about labor law, bankruptcy, economic trends, and theology. All comments are my own and not my employer's. Papers at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=6971537

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Jun 24

Thinking about getting rid of labor law in the US? @poweratwork.bsky.social hosted @gracabi.bsky.social, @mrsethharris.bsky.social@sethunion.bsky.social, Lynn Rhinehardt, and myself to talk about that and what could replace it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKDI...

Power At Work Blogcast #96: Would workers have more power without the NLRA and NLRB?

YouTube video by The Burnes Center for Social Change

www.youtube.com

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · 12d

I provided comments to El Nuevo Día about Puerto Rico's bankruptcy. Both the NLRB and the Oversight Board lack quorum. Should the local government have the power to step in and manage the bankruptcy as New York state is stepping in to fill a gap in labor law? www.elnuevodia.com/english/news...

After Fiscal Board layoffs, Donald Trump keeps PREPA debt restructuring in limbo

The White House began the layoffs on Aug. 1, but maintains the six vacancies created by the U.S. president

www.elnuevodia.com

@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · 20d

Who would have thought that Loper-Bright would matter in private sector bankruptcies involving labor unions and pension funds? Apparently, it does in the Yellow Bankruptcy. @bloomberg.com covered my thoughts on it. In short, Judge Ambro got this decision right. news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-l...

Yellow’s $6.5 Billion Pension Loss Marks Victory for PBGC (1)

Yellow Corp.'s failed bid to slash around $6.5 billion in pension withdrawal liabilities is a significant win for one federal regulator, even as the underlying legal issue is up for a possible revisit...

news.bloomberglaw.com

@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · 29d

@katejackson.bsky.social wrote a great paper that this LPE Post draws from. What really blew me away was how the descriptive accounts of authoritarian regimes tracked CEO behavior intuitively. This is really insightful stuff, and I'm thankful that Kate is doing this.

Luke Herrine @lookheron.bsky.social · 29d

Very interesting post on the emerging politics of corporate law from @katejackson.bsky.social. But why “populism”? These aren’t agrarian antimonopolists. The classical term is “demagoguery”, no?

lpeproject.org/blog/a-popul...

A Populist CEO in Corporate Law’s Court?

Recent amendments to Delaware’s corporate code have tilted the playing field toward powerful tech CEOs and private equity representatives. Beneath these reforms lies a deeper political shift — the…

lpeproject.org

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Sep 5

Thanks to Michael Duff for the JOTWELL review of my paper the Death of Labor Law and the Rebirth of the Labor Movement. worklaw.jotwell.com/beyond-colla...

Beyond Collapse: Why Labor Law Probably Can't End - Worklaw

Alvin Velazquez, The Death of Labor Law and the Rebirth of the Labor Movement, B.C.L. Rev. (forthcoming), available at SSRN (Feb. 13, 2025).Michael C. DuffIn The Death of Labor Law, Professor Alvin Ve...

worklaw.jotwell.com

@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Sep 4

I absolutely love this blog post by Eamon Coburn because it brings moral conversations into labor law in an explicit way. I may write a response to it because I liked it so much. It's a great pickup by the LPE Blog.

LPE Blog @lpeblog.bsky.social · Sep 4

Today, Eamon Coburn argues that the legal scholars and the labor movement must confront a fundamental challenge to organizing: the erosion of social norms against union-busting.

Union Busting is (Morally) Disgusting

As legal protections for labor organizing face existential threats, the American labor movement must confront a deeper challenge: the erosion of social norms that once condemned union-busting as…

lpeproject.org

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Reposted by @alvinvelazquez

Charlotte Garden @charlottegarden.bsky.social · Sep 2

This is very good on statutory paths to (private sector) faculty unionization:

Corinne Blalock @corinneblalock.bsky.social · Sep 2

A must-read by Mike Wishnie on why even tenured faculties of private universities should be able to unionize under EXISTING law!!

lpeproject.org/blog/why-not...

Why Not a Faculty Union?

Despite a recent surge in campus organizing, tenured faculty at private universities haven't unionized. Why is this? The conventional answer is that the Supreme Court said they can't. Fortunately…

lpeproject.org

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Aug 28

The Labor Studies Journal just published my article "Bargaining for the Common Good in Bankruptcy" after peer-review. It's a playbook for what unions should do in the event of a municipal bankruptcy to fight not only in their interest, but for the public good. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Bargaining for the Common Good in Bankruptcy - Alvin Velazquez, 2025

When a corporation files for bankruptcy, it is usually bad news for workers. That is because most corporations are usually looking to slash wages or seek other ...

journals.sagepub.com

Reposted by @alvinvelazquez

Indiana University Maurer School of Law @iumaurerlaw.bsky.social · Aug 27

New op-ed out in @bloomberg.com from Prof. @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social:
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

SpaceX’s Court Victory Paves Way for a Labor Movement Revival

Opinion: Maurer School of Law Professor Alvin Velazquez says a Fifth Circuit ruling against the National Labor Relations Board could open a tactical toolbox for organized labor to exploit.

news.bloomberglaw.com

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Aug 25

Bloomberg just ran my op-ed on SpaceX's victory in the 5th Circuit. I argue that its win could lead to a labor rebirth by taking out preemption and opening up the toolbox of tactics available to labor. Returning labor law to the law of the jungle? news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

SpaceX’s Court Victory Paves Way for a Labor Movement Revival

Opinion: Maurer School of Law Professor Alvin Velazquez says a Fifth Circuit ruling against the National Labor Relations Board could open a tactical toolbox for organized labor to exploit.

news.bloomberglaw.com

Reposted by @alvinvelazquez

Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · Aug 19

The 5th Circuit holding that the NLRB is not likely constitutional?

Wall Street Stock Market Crash GIF

ALT: Wall Street Stock Market Crash GIF

media.tenor.com

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Aug 20

This professor's paper "The Death of Labor Law and the Rebirth of the Labor Movement" lays out the case for using Gwynne Wilcox's case to get rid of the NLRA so that workers can engage in these tactics. Risky--yes, but it's the only legal option I see to move forward. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

The Death of Labor Law and the Rebirth of the Labor Movement

What if the current Supreme Court could do what Congress has failed to do since 1935—reform labor law to facilitate worker organizing? The current Supreme Court

papers.ssrn.com

Reposted by @alvinvelazquez

John Light @johnalight.bsky.social · Aug 12

Trump's so-far-successful effort to strip collective bargaining rights from federal workers appears to have resulted in a decrease in the total number of unionized American workers of more than 2%.

Courts Let Trump Strip Collective Bargaining Rights From Huge Number of Federal Workers

Just days after a federal appeals court cleared the way for President...

talkingpointsmemo.com

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Reposted by @alvinvelazquez

Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · Aug 10

It is very possible that the power of organized labor will be effectively broken under Trump and we will need to rebuild the American labor movement again, without making the same mistakes that got us here.

www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/fragile-mo...

Fragile Movements Crumble

Taking seriously the threat to organized labor.

www.hamiltonnolan.com

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Aug 12

I actually think it's time to rebuild, and partially do that by letting go of the NLRA--(as much as I hate to say it).

@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Aug 11

The Stanford Law Review has accepted for publication my latest article "Bankupting Labor Power". I am beyond thrilled with it, and hope that it gets labor scholars and activists to think about bankruptcy's role in reviving the labor movement. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Bankrupting Labor Power

<div> Corporations use bankruptcy to undermine worker collective power. For example, corporations can run to bankruptcy court to shed collective bargaining agr

papers.ssrn.com

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Aug 6

Trump's removal of the Oversight Board's members all has to do with getting creditors paid. Old Board v New Board= a restructuring that PR cannot afford. My comments here in @elnuevodia.bsky.social.

www.elnuevodia.com/corresponsal...

Donald Trump asumiría el control de la Junta de Supervisión Fiscal con sus próximos nombramientos

La Casa Blanca atacó los gastos del ente fiscal y renovó las críticas del presidente a la “corrupción” en el gobierno de Puerto Rico

www.elnuevodia.com

@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Aug 5

I have some thoughts about all of his covered by the Associated Press. apnews.com/article/puer...

The Trump administration dismisses most on a federal board overseeing Puerto Rico's finances

The Trump administration has dismissed five out of seven members on Puerto Rico’s federal control board that oversees the U.S. territory’s finances, sparking concern about the future of the island’s f...

apnews.com

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Aug 5

My hunch...PREPA's creditors hope by removing certain Oversight Board members they will clear a path for raising some of the highest electrical rates on some of the poorest people in the U.S. to get paid back. www.breitbart.com/politics/202...

Exclusive: Trump Axes Five Members of Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico

President Trump fired five members of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, Breitbart News can exclusively report.

www.breitbart.com

@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Jul 23

No, no one has. However, the letter carriers case dealt with that.

@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Jul 23

I literally just wrote about the term "scab" and how it's seen as defamatory in my upcoming law review article on forgiving labor torts. I even included a picture of scabby for good measure.

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Jul 22

Most of them are Omnibus editions so they are out in the open. The Transformers are in the box.

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Jul 22

My office screams child of the 80's! I have comic books, with Wolverine 1 as part of my Zoom backdrop. I also have a Roberto Clemente statuette and some Transformers toys on my shelf. Finally, I have some cards that colleagues have written to me over the years. Always starts a conversation.

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@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Jul 18

Thanks for sharing this. I am a big fan of baseball history.

@alvinvelazquez @alvinvelazquez.bsky.social · Jul 18

@elnuevodia.bsky.social covered my comments about a recent Congressional hearing on PROMESA. The reality is that Puerto Rico's electrical authority does not have a viable path for restructuring in the long term without a truly feasible debt cut off. www.elnuevodia.com/corresponsal...

Impera aún la desconfianza en el gobierno de Puerto Rico en el manejo de los temas fiscales y de quiebra, según expertos

Analizan el saldo de la sesión del miércoles, en el Congreso, con ocasión del noveno aniversario de la ley Promesa y el desempeño de la Junta de Supervisión