As the 2024 election approaches, protests continue across the country, and employees increasingly engage in discourse on important national and international political topics, employers can expect that political speech and...more
On March 8, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas struck down regulations promulgated by the National Labor Relations Board (the “NLRB” or “Board”) defining joint employment (the “new Rule” or “2023...more
3/11/2024
/ Controlling Employer ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions ,
Vacated
On October 26, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “the Board”) released a final rule setting forth the standard for joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA” or “the Act”). The rule...more
On August 25, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) released its highly anticipated decision in Cemex Construction Materials Pacific (“Cemex”), NLRB Case No. 28-CA-230115. Cemex involved allegations...more
On September 6, 2022, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board delivered employers a slightly belated Labor Day “present” – a proposal to revise yet again its standard for determining joint-employer status under the National...more
On June 23, 2022, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo released Memorandum GC 22-06, relating to her efforts “to secure full remedies” in settlements with the Board. This follows on her prior...more
National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “the Board”) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo continues to push the Board to take aggressive and unprecedented pro-labor stances, seeking to overturn decades of well-settled...more
4/13/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Rights ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Policy Statement ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Union Elections ,
Unions
On April 7, 2022, General Counsel (GC) Jennifer A. Abruzzo released Memorandum 22-04, The Right to Refrain from Captive Audience and other Mandatory Meetings. As set forth in the memorandum, GC Abruzzo will urge the National...more
4/8/2022
/ Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Free Speech ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Section 7 ,
Unions
With supporters of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act unable to advance the legislation under the regular rules of the Senate, they are now attempting to move pieces of the legislation by way of special rules...more
9/9/2021
/ Budget Reconciliation ,
Federal Budget ,
Labor Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions
In September 2020, then-candidate Joe Biden promised organized labor that, if elected, he would be the “strongest labor president you’ve ever had.” In his first 100 days in office, now President Biden has acted quickly and...more
5/4/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Infrastructure ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
LGBTQ ,
Minimum Wage ,
NLRA ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
On March 9, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 (PRO Act) by a largely party-line vote of 225-206. One Democratic Representative voted against the bill; five...more
3/11/2021
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRA ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
On February 4, 2021, House and Senate Democrats introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Introduction was expected, as President Biden pledged to be “the strongest labor president you have ever had” during...more
2/10/2021
/ ABC Test ,
Biden Administration ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Right to Work ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions
During a pandemic, protests, and a polarized election season, employers have walked an ever-increasingly fine line between protecting employee speech in the workplace and enforcing rules on workplace conduct....more
7/23/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Burden-Shifting ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Section 7 ,
Title VII ,
Unions
The federal government recently released its unified federal regulatory agenda–the document that outlines regulatory and deregulatory actions agencies expect to take in coming months....more
7/8/2020
/ Affirmative Action ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Federal Contractors ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Wage and Hour
On February 25, 2020, the National Labor Relations Board released its long-awaited final rule regarding joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The final rule is scheduled to be published in the...more
2/27/2020
/ Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc. ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Franchises ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, and the Department of Labor will all issue regulations governing joint employment, according to the federal government’s Unified Agenda of Federal...more
11/21/2019
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EEO-1 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
GINA ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Regulations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Private Property ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Organizers ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wellness Programs
On December 28, 2018, a divided Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld portions of an Obama-era standard for determining “joint employer” status under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), ultimately...more
1/2/2019
/ Appeals ,
Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc. ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Franchises ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
In the days leading up to the confirmation vote on Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh, more than half of Americans said they had engaged in political discussions in the workplace about his confirmation battle, a recent online...more
The National Labor Relations Board (the NLRB or Board) has issued a proposed rule revising the test for whether two employers are considered “joint employers” under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). ...more
9/14/2018
/ Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc. ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Franchisors ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Right to Control ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
The current leaders of the Department of Labor, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and National Labor Relations Board addressed transitions and regulatory plans at their respective agencies at a November 16 forum. ...more
11/17/2017
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Deregulation ,
EEO-1 ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
GINA ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Pay Gap ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Wage and Hour
On July 27, 2017, House Republicans unveiled a bill, entitled the Save Local Business Act, that would amend two labor and employment statutes to clarify when an entity can be deemed a “joint employer.” At a press conference...more
On July 12, 2017, the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing concerning the need for legislation to redefine the joint employer standard. As many employers are aware, the interpretation of when...more
7/14/2017
/ Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc. ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Franchises ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Small Business
In a three-sentence press release, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced the withdrawal of two Wage and Hour Administrator's Interpretations (AIs) on joint employment and independent contractors. While the AIs were not...more
On Thursday, March 9, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held long-awaited oral arguments in Browning-Ferris International v. NLRB. The case will be critical in defining joint employment...more
As a result of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to grant certiorari and address the dispute over whether class and collective action waivers are lawful in an arbitration agreement, many employers have asked whether similar...more
2/6/2017
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Collective Actions ,
Corporate Counsel ,
D.R. Horton v NLRB ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Murphy Oil v NLRB ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Opt-Outs ,
Protected Concerted Activity