North Carolina Farmworker Union Restrictions Struck Down in Part

A North Carolina law prohibiting farmworker unions from seeking voluntary recognition as part of a wage and hour settlement is unconstitutional, a federal judge said in an order that allows other restrictions on union dues collection to survive.

The ruling by Judge Loretta C. Biggs blocks state officials from enforcing a 2017 law that prevents unions representing agricultural workers from seeking voluntary recognition as part of class-wide settlements with employers to resolve disputes over hours, wages, and other workplace issues.

Biggs’ ruling, which adopts the recommendations of a federal magistrate judge, says the law violates the First Amendment and “first-amendment-related ...