President Joe Biden signed legislation imposing a collective bargaining agreement between freight carriers and railroad unions, avoiding a nationwide strike. Congress passed the bill utilizing its authority under the Railway...more
Both the House and Senate have passed legislation under the Railway Labor Act to avoid a railroad strike by imposing the bargaining agreement brokered by President Joe Biden in September 2022....more
President Joe Biden has asked Congress to step in and enact legislation in the hopes of preventing a nationwide railway strike.
The move comes after four of 12 national railroad labor unions rejected a proposed bargaining...more
1. The National Labor Relations Board modified its test for determining if COVID-19-related conditions warrant mail ballot union elections, potentially signaling a return to mostly in-person votes. Starbucks Corp., 371 NLRB...more
11/9/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Monitoring ,
Mail-In Ballots ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Railways ,
Starbucks ,
Surveillance ,
Teamsters ,
Union Elections
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has proposed rescinding portions of its 2020 union representation procedures on blocking charges, voluntary recognition bar, and construction industry collective bargaining...more
Responding in part to the nature of the post-COVID-19 remote workplace, NLRB GC Jennifer Abruzzo has released a memo on employers’ use of electronic monitoring and automated management in the workplace....more
The National Labor Relations Board has proposed reversing the current joint-employer standard, which took effect on April 27, 2020. The new rule would revert to the Obama-era standard for determining joint-employer status...more
10/10/2022
/ Airports ,
Architects ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Food Service Workers ,
Joint Employers ,
MLB ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Railways ,
SMART ,
Strike ,
Supply Chain ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Noting the employer did not have an employee code of conduct policy prohibiting the use of derogatory language, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) held an automotive dealership violated the National Labor Relations Act...more
Labor Day 2022 comes at an optimistic time for U.S. labor unions. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, representation petitions and elections were declining steadily. However, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election filings...more
1. Compensation in non-union jobs is outpacing compensation in union-represented jobs. A Bureau of Labor and Statistics report indicates the total wage and benefit costs for private-sector nonunionized employers was 3% higher...more
9/12/2022
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Compensation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Legal Fees ,
NLRB ,
Reimbursements ,
Teamsters ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Willful Misconduct
On August 29, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a decision finding that absent special circumstances, employers may not enforce dress codes or uniform policies that interfere with employees’ right to...more
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “the Board”) has proposed a new rule for determining joint employer status under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”)....more
1. The National Labor Relations Board clarified its rerun election procedures in cases of uncontested election misconduct. Dynamic Concepts, 371 NLRB No. 117 (July 22, 2022). After losing an election to represent the...more
8/11/2022
/ AFL-CIO ,
Antitrust Division ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Memorandum of Understanding ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Union Elections ,
Unions ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
Wage and Hour
1. The National Labor Relations Board modified its electronic notice posting requirements for workplaces impacted by COVID-19. Paragon Systems, Inc., 371 NLRB No. 104 (June 2, 2022)....more
7/12/2022
/ Cease and Desist Orders ,
Discrimination ,
Electronic Reporting ,
Joint Employers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
NPRM ,
Starbucks ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
1. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel’s office issued a memorandum reiterating the rights of immigrant workers under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Continuing its aggressive approach to...more
6/16/2022
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Decertification ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Twitter ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
1. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel (GC) filed a brief seeking to expand unions’ right to obtain recognition from employers based on signed authorization cards alone, without the need for a Board...more
5/10/2022
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
GAO ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Opt-Outs ,
Secret Ballot ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Elections ,
Unions
1. Major League Baseball and the players’ union reached agreement on a collective bargaining agreement, ending the lockout. After a nearly 100-day lockout, MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association reached a deal...more
4/12/2022
/ Arbitration ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Davis-Bacon Act ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
NPRM ,
Reimbursements ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Dues ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
1. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel directed NLRB regions to seek preemptive injunctions for alleged unlawful threats during union campaigns. NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo issued a memorandum...more
3/11/2022
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Epic Systems Corp v Lewis ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Independent Contractors ,
Mandatory Arbitration ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions
1. The National Labor Relations Board General Counsel’s office is advocating for overturning Trump-era Board cases defining the scope of National Labor Relations Act-protected activity. In a brief filed on January 14, The...more
2/7/2022
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Bureau of Labor Statistics ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Foreign Workers ,
Memorandum of Understanding ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Unions
1. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced on Dec. 10 that it will again revisit its joint employer standard. The agency’s 2022 regulatory agenda includes plans to engage in the formal rulemaking process on the...more
1. On Nov. 19, 2021, the House passed a version of the Build Back Better Act that would vastly expand employer liability under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The bill adds aggressive “civil penalties,” on top of the...more
12/15/2021
/ Back Pay ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
NCAA ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Reinstatement ,
Student Athletes ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
The Build Back Better Act passed the House on November 19, 2021. It contains controversial provisions on many subjects, including new employer penalties under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). On December 11th, the...more
Strikes have been in the news recently. Employers faced with a strike, or a possible strike, often wish to know their legal options, including whether they may seek injunctive relief. The short answer is that federal law...more
When it comes to consolidations and restructurings, in-house counsel and the corporate law firms that support them have competing priorities to further a company's business objectives and mitigate legal risk. Labor and...more
The media has been covering the budget bill – the Build Back Better Act – which contains controversial provisions on many subjects. Among them are provisions that include new employer penalties under the National Labor...more