The National Labor Relations Board has reminded employers that they must tolerate a certain degree of heated discourse during a union organizing campaign before discipline or termination may be warranted. On June 27, 2019, the Board, in Pacific Green Trucking, Inc., 368 NLRB No. 14, ruled that a union organizer was unlawfully terminated for his … Continue Reading
An employer violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) when it discharged an employee who refused to participate in a performance evaluation scheduled for discriminatory reasons, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled, reversing the decision of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). United States Postal Service, 367 NLRB No. 142 (June 4, 2019). In … Continue Reading
UberX and UberBLACK drivers are independent contractors, not employees, of Uber, the General Counsel (GC) of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has determined in a recently released Advice Memorandum. The drivers therefore are not employees within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and are not eligible for NLRB-certified union representation or … Continue Reading
Among the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) rulemaking priorities under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) are its representation-case procedures, “blocking charge” and voluntary recognition standards, student status as employees, and access to employer private property. The priorities are included in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Long Term Actions/Short Term Actions), … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has dismissed a complaint against a Wisconsin employer that published a document informing employees of their right to stop paying union dues under Wisconsin’s right to work law. Metalcraft of Mayville, 367 NLRB No. 116 (Apr. 17, 2019). Employers in states with new right-to-work laws have questions about what … Continue Reading
The NLRB has ruled that, under the particular circumstances, an employer representative lawfully barred a union representative from asking questions during an investigatory interview while the employer representative was questioning the employee to get his version of events. PAE Applied Technologies, LLC, 367 NLRB No. 105 (Mar. 8, 2019). NLRB Chairman John Ring and Member … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board’s Office of General Counsel is urging Regional Directors to limit their use of investigative subpoenas and instead issue complaints “based on the evidence available,” according to a March 13, 2019, memorandum obtained by Bloomberg Law. The memo is General Counsel Peter Robb’s latest effort to reduce case processing time. It … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has remanded a 2013 decision to an administrative law judge to determine whether the Board’s landmark 2017 decision on work rules and policies affects its 2013 determination that a union did not violate National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) Section 8(b)(1)(A) by unilaterally including a Weingarten rights statement on the … Continue Reading
Unions no longer can require objectors to contribute toward union lobbying costs, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled in a 3-1 decision. United Nurses & Allied Professional (Kent Hospital), 367 NLRB No. 94 (Mar. 1, 2019). The NLRB said lobbying costs of all kinds are not considered part of a union’s statutory collective-bargaining … Continue Reading
John Ring, NLRB Chairman, has sent a five-page letter to several members of Congress in response to their request for the NLRB to withdraw its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the joint-employer standard. In the January 17, 2019 letter recently released to the public, the Board Chairman spent considerable time defending the Board’s position and … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board has overruled FedEx Home Delivery, 361 NLRB 610 (2014). In that case, the Obama-Board decided that, in determining whether an individual is an independent contractor or an employee, “entrepreneurial opportunity represents merely ‘one aspect of a relevant factor that asks whether the evidence tends to show that the putative contractor … Continue Reading
Once again, the percentage of private sector union-represented workers fell – to 6.4% in 2018, from 6.5% in 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Highlights from the “Union Members – 2018” report include: Men had a higher union representation rate than women (11.1% to 9.9%). Black employees … Continue Reading
After the NLRB adopted a new standard for determining bargaining-unit composition, many expected fewer micro-units would result. PCC Structurals, 365 NLRB No. 160 (2017) (PCC I). However, when the employer filed a request for review (appeal) of the Regional Director’s decision allowing, on remand, a “micro-unit” of its employees to vote on union representation under … Continue Reading
In a long-awaited decision, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the controversial joint-employer standard articulated by the National Labor Relations Board in its 2015 Browning-Ferris decision. Browning-Ferris Industries of Calif., Inc. v. NLRB, D.C. Cir., No. 16-1028, 12/28/18. The Court held that the Board properly considered both the putative employer’s reserved right to … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board has once again extended the deadline for submitting comments regarding its proposed rulemaking on the standard for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act, this time to January 14, 2019. Replies to comments submitted during the initial comment period must be received by the Board on or before … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board is affording dozens of employers the chance to have cases involving the legality of their workplace rules re-evaluated under a 2017 Board decision. The Board decision overruled Obama-era Board precedent that hampered employers’ ability to maintain workplace conduct rules without running afoul of the National Labor Relations Act. The Board’s … Continue Reading
Employers waiting for the National Labor Relations Board’s revisions to union election rules will have to wait a bit longer. According to the latest agency regulatory agenda, that is a “long-term” action item, a downgrade from its prior ranking. This is a possible indication that revisions to the rules have become a less important priority … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board has extended the deadline for submitting comments regarding its proposed rulemaking on the standard for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act to December 13, 2018. The proposed rule was originally published in the Federal Register on September 14, 2018, and comments were due by November 13, 2018. … Continue Reading
National Labor Relations Board’s field office staff have been directed to prosecute a broader array of cases against unions that engage in negligent behavior toward their members, according to an internal memorandum obtained by Bloomberg BNA. The Office of the General Counsel Memorandum expresses a marked contrast to the Board’s historical position with respect to … Continue Reading
While the National Labor Relations Act allows states to enact right-to-work laws, it does not authorize local municipalities to do so, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in Chicago, has held. I.U.O.E. Local 399 v. Village of Lincolnshire, No. 17-1300 & 17-1325 (7th Cir. Sept. 28, 2018). This decision is contrary to … Continue Reading
While I-9 compliance is important, companies cannot forget about other labor and employment laws. In May 2018, a meatpacking company in Illinois was caught between ICE and the National Labor Relations Board.ICE conducted an audit of the company’s I-9s. Upon notice of the audit, the company began implementing E-Verify. An NLRB judge ruled that the … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board’s office of the General Counsel is urging the Board to overrule its decision in Purple Communications, Inc., 361 NLRB 1050 (2014), which allowed employees to use employer email systems for NLRA Section 7 purposes (e.g., union organizing and protected concerted activity) during nonworking time. On August 1, 2018, the Board invited … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board has announced that it will publish a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” in the Federal Register regarding its joint-employer standard. The notice will be published on Friday, September 14. The proposed rule will adopt the pre-Browning-Ferris standard for determining if two or more employers are joint employers of employees. The “Notice … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board has upheld an Administrative Law Judge’s decision to invalidate 11 severance agreements that provided payments to employees laid off shortly after an election in violation of the National Labor Relations Act. The 11 individuals were awarded full reinstatement and back pay. Terex, 366 N.L.R.B. No. 162 (Aug. 21, 2018). The … Continue Reading
