May: This Month in Workers' Rights

A roundup of key workplace stories, legal updates, and events shaping workers’ rights.

The Pope calls for worker dignity

On May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV released his landmark encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, calling upon companies to prioritize people over profits; specifically noting, "the pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs." He also mentions the intrinsic value of work that enhances the dignity of our lives and brings personal fulfillment. Listen here.

More employers are cutting family leave and workplace benefits

A new survey from the Society for Human Resource Management found that the percentage of U.S. employers offering paid family leave dropped from 33 percent to 31 percent in 2025, signaling a potential pullback in workplace benefits. The trend was highlighted in recent coverage by The New York Times examining benefit reductions at companies including Zoom and Deloitte. At Deloitte, the changes apply to certain administrative employees and include reduced vacation time as well as the elimination of financial support for adoption, surrogacy, and IVF, raising broader questions about how workplace benefits are being scaled back for some categories of workers.

Washington sues Providence over alleged failures to accommodate pregnant workers

Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown has filed a lawsuit against Providence Health & Services, alleging the company repeatedly failed to provide legally required accommodations to pregnant and nursing employees. According to the lawsuit, the Washington Attorney General’s Office investigated incidents dating back to 2021 in which nurses and other workers were allegedly denied accommodations or if an accommodation was granted on paper, frequently "failed or refused" to implement it. Read more as reported by KUOW.

Meta faces lawsuit over alleged use of pirated books to train AI

Five major publishers — Hachette, Macmillan, McGraw Hill, Elsevier, and Cengage, along with best-selling author Scott Turow, have filed a class-action copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. As reported by The New York Times, the lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, alleges that Meta illegally used millions of copyrighted books and journal articles, including pirated and unlicensed copies, to train its AI model, Llama. Plaintiffs argue that generative AI systems threaten the livelihoods of writers and publishers by producing copycat content and detailed summaries that could reduce demand for original works.