In Universal Health Services, Inc., 370 N.L.R.B. No. 118 (April 30, 2021), the Board dismissed a complaint alleging that an employer’s bargaining proposals seeking significant concessions violated the duty to bargain in good faith. Notably, the Board found that even when faced with extreme proposals, a union must still “test”

Scott Tan
Scott Tan is a law clerk in the Labor & Employment Law Department and a member of the Employment Litigation & Arbitration Group.
Scott earned his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law, where he served as a problem developer and member of the Moot Court Honors Board. He also worked as a research assistant for Dean Jennifer Mnookin and Professor Hiroshi Motomura.
NLRB Declines to Address Validity of Acting GC’s Appointment, Instead Deferring the Issue to the Courts
On April 30, 2021, in National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians, 370 NLRB No. 114 (2021), the Board declined to opine on the validity of President Biden’s termination of former General Counsel Peter Robb and subsequent replacement with Acting General Counsel Peter Sung Ohr. It now sets the…
NLRB: Employer’s Good-Faith Belief in Employee’s Misconduct Insufficient to Justify Terminating Employee Engaged in Protected Activity
As we have often discussed, there is a fine line between protected and unprotected activity. Profane outbursts, deliberate misconduct, or highly-disruptive strikes may fall outside the protection of the NLRA, subjecting employees to lawful disciplinary action by their employers.
On December 7, 2020, the Board reaffirmed its prior…

NLRB: Employer Tweet Unlawfully Restrained Protected Activity
On November 24, 2020, the Board held that a high-level executive’s tweet violated Section 8(a)(1) of the NLRA by interfering with or restraining employees’ protected, concerted activity.
In FDRLST Media, LLC, 370 NLRB No. 49 (2020), the Board reaffirmed its longstanding principle that a violation of Section 8(a)(1)…
NLRB Establishes Bright-Line Rule Voiding Election Ballots with Dual or Additional Markings
One area of controversy over the years is the NLRB’s attempt to interpret markings on representation ballots that are not clearly “yes” or “no.” This has given rise to a number of tests for divining voter intent. Overruling decades of conflicting precedent involving the interpretation of a voter’s intent, the…

NLRB Suspends Remedial Notice-Posting Requirements for Facilities Shutdown During COVID-19 Pandemic
The Board continues to issue decisions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, while acknowledging that business operations around the country are far from “business as usual.” The agency is up and running. Representation elections vote counts are being conducted via video conference as are hearings. The remedy stage of unfair labor practice…
NLRB: Employee’s Profanity and Threatening Comments Insufficient to Forfeit Protections of the Act
In the past, we frequently have discussed protected activity and how an employee’s profane outburst or deliberate conduct may render otherwise protected activity, “unprotected.” However, as this recently issued decision reinforces, the Board is usually quite tolerant of impulsive behavior and outbursts in response to legitimate grievances over the terms…

BREAKING: NLRB Announces Representation Elections Will Resume April 6, 2020
On March 19, 2020, the NLRB announced that it was suspending all representation elections through April 3, 2020. The Board stated that the suspension was necessary to ensure the safety of its own employees, as well as those members of the public involved in the elections.
Today, the Board announced…