In a recent memorandum to all Regional Directors, Officers-in-Charge, and Resident Officers, the National Labor Relations Board’s (“NLRB”) General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, sets forth her view that the proffer, maintenance,...more
The National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) has traditionally been limited in ways to remedy violations of federal labor law. Often, the Board is constrained to ordering “make-whole” relief like backpay and employee...more
As of today, so-called “right-to-work” (“RTW”) laws are effective in 27 states. These laws ensure that no worker can be required, as a condition of employment, to join or not join, nor pay dues to, a labor union, as permitted...more
3/28/2023
/ Governor Whitmer ,
New Guidance ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Repeal ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Right to Work ,
Severance Agreements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Union Dues ,
Unions
In a ruling on February 21st, the National Labor Relations (NLRB or “Board”) revoked employers’ ability to require their employees to keep the terms of severance packages confidential and to not disparage the company as part...more
On January 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down certain Trump-era changes to the rules by which the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administers union elections.
As...more
In what is becoming a holiday tradition, consequential National Labor Relations Board rulings continue this December. First, after nearly six decades, the Board has conformed to a rigid test in evaluating whether an employer...more
On Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Board issued a groundbreaking decision in American Steel Construction, Inc., 372 NLRB No. 23 (2022), reviving the concept of collective bargaining “micro-units.” Micro-units are...more
On September 6, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) issued a draft rule replacing and significantly altering the Trump-era 2020 joint-employer standard. Standard for Determining Joint-Employer Status...more
On August 29, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) issued a precedent-shifting decision ruling that it was unlawful for Tesla Inc. to prohibit employees from wearing shirts bearing union insignia....more
The Trump-era National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) “made multiple overlapping errors” in determining that Browning-Ferris Industries of California, Inc. (“BFI”) does not have a duty to bargain with the...more
8/4/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc. ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRB ,
Obama Administration ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Right to Control ,
Teamsters ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions
The chief lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) wants to ban mandatory meetings called by employers during worktime to dissuade employees from joining unions, calling them an “unlawful threat” to...more
The independent contractor test developed by the Republican-majority National Labor Relations Board under President Trump actually resulted in a higher rate of workers being classified as employees protected by federal labor...more
The Democrat-majority National Labor Relations Board readied for 2022 by announcing plans to confront two President Trump-era legal tests - one that determines whether an independent contractor is actually an employee...more
1/10/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc. ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Employee Definition ,
Franchisee ,
Franchises ,
Franchisors ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Obama Administration ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Union Elections ,
Unions
Employers covered under OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard to Protect Workers from Coronavirus (“ETS”) have a duty to bargain with unions representing employees over certain aspects of the ETS, according to Jennifer Abruzzo,...more
11/12/2021
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Masks ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
OSHA ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
With a newly minted Democratic majority on the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), the General Counsel of the NLRB, who directs enforcement of federal labor law, has ordered her staff to seek broad remedies - many of...more
The House of Representatives passed a bill that would overhaul federal labor law with the express purpose of making it easier for unions to organize workers and more difficult for employers to classify them as independent...more
3/12/2021
/ Collective Actions ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Employee Rights ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Pending Legislation ,
Union Elections ,
Unions
President Joe Biden has nominated Jennifer Abruzzo, a lawyer for the Communication Workers of America union, to be general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) after forcing out Peter Robb as the head...more
On September 8, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued its opinion in New York v. Scalia et al., S.D.N.Y., No. 20-01689, vacating the Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) April 27, 2020 final rule...more
On July 28, 2020, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “Board”) announced another round of rule changes that would impact representation election procedures in two significant ways. We previously discussed prior...more
On July 21, 2020, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “the Board”) issued its decision in General Motors LLC, 369 NLRB No. 127, reviving the Wright Line test and making it easier for employers to discipline an...more
On Saturday, May 30, 2020, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson granted summary judgment in favor of the AFL-CIO based on its challenge that the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “Board”) was not permitted to revise rules...more
On May 31, 2020, the NLRB’s long-awaited amendments to its procedures regarding the procedure and schedule of Representation or “R” cases will become effective, revising changes that went into effect in 2014. There are a...more
On March 31, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) finalized a series of rules, slated for publication on April 1, addressing union elections and recognition, which were originally proposed last August. The three parts...more
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) announced this morning that its final rule outlining the legal test for determining a joint employer will be published in the federal register tomorrow, February 26, 2020, and...more
On January 12, 2020, the Department of Labor (Department) announced a final rule to revise and update its regulations interpreting joint employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (see prior alert on Department...more