A federal judge has temporarily blocked New York from enforcing a new labor law that Amazon says illegally regulates private-sector work.
US District Judge Eric Komitee in Brooklyn granted the preliminary injunction Wednesday, marking the first test of the law since it was signed in September by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul.
The law was meant to address a backlog of cases at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which lacked a full quorum after former President Donald Trump fired Democratic member Gwynne Wilcox in January.
Similar legislation was recently passed in California, but the NLRB has challenged both states, saying the laws conflict with federal labor regulations.
Judge Komitee, a Trump appointee, cited a 1959 US Supreme Court decision in ruling that Amazon likely has a strong case, US News reported.
He explained that federal labor law prevents states from enforcing rules that interfere with the NLRB, noting that Congress expected the board might temporarily lack a quorum.
“There was no basis to believe the lack of a quorum would endure indefinitely,” Komitee wrote.
A judge granted $AMZN a preliminary injunction to stop New York from enforcing a labor law the company says wrongly regulates private-sector labor relations. https://t.co/YoZY3Vpaos
— ML-ionetiQs (@MLionetIQs) November 26, 2025
Amazon Warns PERB Ruling Could Cause Confusion
The injunction comes as Amazon faces a PERB case concerning the firing of Brima Sylla, a local union vice president at its JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, the company’s only unionized facility in the US Amazon argued that letting PERB hear the case while the NLRB’s quorum is temporarily incomplete could create inconsistent rulings and cause irreparable harm.
According to Reuters, Amazon and its lawyers have not commented publicly, and the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, representing PERB, also did not immediately respond.
The law was a direct response to delays at the NLRB, where dozens of employers are challenging union election outcomes. Wilcox, the NLRB member who was fired, has sued for reinstatement, though the US Supreme Court allowed her removal while her case is pending.
Meanwhile, Trump has nominated two lawyers to fill NLRB vacancies, aiming to restore the board’s quorum and secure a Republican majority.
Komitee’s decision reinforces the importance of federal oversight in labor disputes. It prevents states from stepping in to regulate private employers when federal mechanisms exist, even if temporarily impaired.
Experts say the ruling could have broader implications for state-level labor legislation across the US.
Originally published on vcpost.com
