Labor Relations Update

Category Archives: NLRA

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Employee’s Failed Attempt To Secure Union Representation Sufficient Notice of Weingarten Request, Divided NLRB Rules

By Mark Theodore on Posted in NLRA, NLRB, Section 8(a)(1), Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices, Workplace Investigations
One area of labor relations that continues to vex practitioners is the scope of the so-called Weingarten rights.  NLRB v. J. Weingarten Inc., 420 U.S. 251 (1975).  Some 43 years after the Supreme Court set forth the right that represented employees are entitled to union representation when facing an interview that could lead to discipline, … Continue Reading

NLRB General Counsel Issues Handbook on Handbook Rules

By Michael Lebowich, Joshua Fox and Jay M. Cohen on Posted in Advice, General Counsel, Handbook, NLRA, NLRB, Non-Union employers, Section 7, Uncategorized
Following up on the NLRB’s decision in The Boeing Company, 365 NLRB No. 154 (Dec. 14, 2017), on June 6, NLRB General Counsel Peter Robb issued a new Guidance Memorandum (18-04) detailing how NLRB Regional Offices receiving claims of improper employment policies are to interpret employer workplace rules. As we reported this past December (here), … Continue Reading

NLRB Considers Rulemaking to Address Hotly-Contested Joint-Employer Standard

By Mark Theodore, Joshua Fox and Dana N. Berber on Posted in Joint Employer, NLRA, NLRB, Rulemaking
As we previously reported here, here and here, the NLRB’s “joint employer” standard has vacillated over the last several years, and currently remains in flux.  For historical reference, the NLRB expanded the scope of joint-employment in 2015 in Browning-Ferris, 362 NLRB No. 186 (2015), and then reverted to a more rigorous showing that had been … Continue Reading

Thorough Employer Investigation Helps Establish Employer’s “Honest Belief” of Employees’ Picket Line Misconduct

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Collective Bargaining, General Counsel, Investigations, NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Section 7, Section 8(a)(1), Strikes, Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
The Board is now operating at a full complement and is issuing decisions on a fairly regular basis.  Nothing earth shattering in terms of law (which is kind of a relief) but there are some interesting issues worth discussing.  A frequent topic of discussion here is the often blurry line between what constitutes “protected” versus … Continue Reading

Unicorn Sighting: NLRB Overturns ALJ Credibility Determination

By Mark Theodore on Posted in General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Uncategorized
As we have seen, there are few things that can be counted on in labor relations.   Oftentimes, several experts look at the same problem and come to vastly different conclusions (here, here and here are some examples).  What is (almost) guaranteed, however, is that the NLRB rarely disturbs the determinations made by an Administrative … Continue Reading

Impulse Control? NLRB Finds Employee’s Misconduct To Be Deliberate and “Predetermined” and Not Protected

By Mark Theodore on Posted in General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Section 8(a)(1), Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
The past few weeks on the Labor Board front have been fairly routine, save for, of course, the high drama associated with the NLRB reversing its own decision (lest anyone think this is a super significant development, remember that this agency had scores of decisions overturned for lacking a proper quorum only to wait, quietly, and … Continue Reading

ABOUT FACE! Under Pressure, NLRB Vacates Joint Employer Standard and Returns to Browning-Ferris

By Michael Lebowich, Joshua Fox and Jordan Simon on Posted in Joint Employer, NLRA, NLRB
In an unexpected and critical turn of events, after extensive political pressure, the NLRB, sitting as a three-member panel comprised of Chairman Kaplan and Members Pearce and McFerran, vacated last year’s decision in Hy-Brand Industrial Contractors, Ltd., 365 NLRB No. 156 (Dec. 14, 2017) due to Member William Emanuel’s participation in the decision. Prior to … Continue Reading

Turns Out Attempting To Insert New Term Into Collective Bargaining Agreement Not Agreed To In Negotiations Violates The Law…Who Knew?

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Collective Bargaining, General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Section 8(a)(5), Section 8(b)(3), Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
As we have noted previously, the make-up of the Board currently stands at four out of five total members, divided evenly between two warring factions making it pretty much impossible to change the law which requires a majority.  It also means the precedent the new General Counsel has highlighted will not be reviewed until a … Continue Reading

NLRB Reverses Information Request Decision…After Court Reverses Board Decision

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Collective Bargaining, Duty to furnish information, Duty to provide information, NLRA, NLRB, Section 8(a)(1), Section 8(a)(5), Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
December saw a flurry of decisions (discussed here, here, here and here) by the NLRB as it briefly held a full complement.  The Board currently has only four members and so law-changing decisions are less likely to occur until a new member is confirmed. Board cases still proceed through the courts.  Sometimes, as we have seen here and here, a federal … Continue Reading

NLRB Restores Ability Of ALJs To Accept Settlement Offers Over Objection of Charging Party and General Counsel- Overrules One Year Old Precedent

By Mark Theodore on Posted in General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
In the last few years, December has been a time of change at the NLRB.  The last few Decembers have seen precedent overturned and other sweeping decisions issue from the Board. This December is no different.  With Chairman Miscimarra’s term ending on December 16, a flurry of decisions issued.  We saw the micro-unit, joint employer … Continue Reading

A Return to Clarity: Traditional Joint Employer Test Reinstated

By Joshua Fox on Posted in Joint Employer, NLRA, NLRB
As we noted last week, one of the more controversial Obama-Board rulings expanding joint employer liability was overruled this past week.  In a widely-predicted 3-2 decision (Miscimarra, Kaplan, Emanuel), the NLRB, in Hy-Brand Industrial Contractors, Ltd., 365 NLRB No. 156 (Dec. 14, 2017), reinstated the traditional standard that had been followed for more than 30 years. Under … Continue Reading

“Micro-Units” Eliminated: NLRB Overturns Specialty Healthcare

By Michael Lebowich and Lee Douthitt on Posted in Bargaining units, NLRA, NLRB, Representation Elections, Specialty Healthcare
Adding to the list of falling precedents in the waning days of Chairman Miscimarra’s term, on Friday, the NLRB reversed another of the seminal decisions of the Obama-Board when it overruled the highly controversial Specialty Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center of Mobile, 357 NLRB 934 (2011) decision.   The 3-2 decision in PCC Structurals, Inc., 365 NLRB … Continue Reading

On A Roll: Board Finds No Bargaining Obligation Attaches to Unilateral Actions Consistent with Past Practice

By Mark Theodore and Joshua Fox on Posted in Collective Bargaining, NLRA, NLRB, Section 8(a)(5)
On the eve of Chairman Miscimarra’s departure, the Board has been churning out decision after decision, many of them reversing precedents from the last 8 years. Today, the NLRB, in Raytheon Network Centric Systems, 365 NLRB No. 161 (December 15, 2017), returned to the longstanding law of the NLRB that there is no duty to … Continue Reading

Handbook Wars – Common Sense Returns NLRB Overhauls Standard for Legality of Work Rules

By Mark Theodore and Joshua Fox on Posted in Employer policies, Handbook, NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Section 8(a)(1)
We have noted many times over the years how the NLRB’s zeal to review employer policies, or more correctly, fragments of employer policies, for lawfulness has led to nettlesome issues that rarely, if ever, involve actual employees.  The results have been absurd and have raised an entire cottage industry of attacks on language by unions … Continue Reading

Here We Go: The Full Board Finally Starts to Make Its Mark

By Michael Lebowich and Joshua Fox on Posted in Employer policies, Handbook, Joint Employer, NLRA, NLRB, Section 7, Section 8(a)(1), Unfair Labor Practices
 NLRB Reverses Precedent on Joint Employer Liability and Standard Governing Employee Handbooks This afternoon, just two days prior to the end of Chairman Philip Miscimarra’s term, the NLRB issued a pair of 3-2 decisions overruling significant precedent regarding joint-employer status and the legal standard governing whether workplace rules violate the exercise of Section 7 rights … Continue Reading

NLRB Hints That “Ambush” Election Regulations May Be Rescinded

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Bargaining units, NLRA, NLRB, NLRB Election Rules, Representation Elections, Rulemaking
Things are moving fast and furiously at the NLRB.  Last week we saw the new General Counsel issue a sweeping memo which rescinded many policy guidelines and initiatives of his predecessor and highlighted the Board precedent from the last eight years that may be overturned. This week the NLRB posted a Request For Information on its … Continue Reading

NLRB GC Boldly Defines Direction of Board Prosecution in New GC Memo

By Mark Theodore on Posted in General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
The new NLRB General Counsel Peter Robb has been fast at work.  A short two weeks after being sworn in on November 17, 2017, the new General Counsel issued a memorandum making clear his intention to re-examine much of the legal precedent that was changed during the last 8 years,–and to undo many other initiatives … Continue Reading

Pair of NLRB ALJ Decisions Find Unions Violated NLRA

By Mark Theodore on Posted in NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Right To Work Laws, Section 7, Section 8(b)(1)(A), Uncategorized
It is mid-November, and the Board is at a full complement, and even has a new General Counsel.  While we haven’t seen anything significant (or really, anything at all) come out of the newly constituted Board we know the new members are feverishly working on getting some decisions out.  The full complement of the Board will last only a few … Continue Reading

NLRB Gains a New General Counsel With Senate Confirmation of Peter B. Robb

By Mark Theodore on Posted in General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Uncategorized
By a vote of 49 to 46, the U.S. Senate confirmed Peter B. Robb as the General Counsel of the NLRB.  Mr. Robb, who replaces former General Counsel Richard Griffin, is the 33rd person to hold the position since the NLRA was passed in 1935.  We have previously discussed how the newly constituted Board is likely to change … Continue Reading

The Devil Is In the Details: New Board Members Likely To Change Law In Nuanced Ways

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Duty to furnish information, Duty to provide information, Employer policies, General Counsel, Investigations, NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Section 8(a)(1), Specialty Healthcare, Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices, Witness statements
The end of September in most years sees a spate of new NLRB decisions, sometimes dozens, issued on or about September 30, to coincide with the end of the agency’s fiscal year.  Not so this past September 30 because of the recent changeover from a majority of Democrat Board Members to a majority of Republican … Continue Reading

Senate Confirms Appointment of William J. Emanuel to NLRB; Board Has Full Complement,- For Now

By Mark Theodore on Posted in General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Uncategorized
In a 49-47 vote today, the Senate confirmed William J. Emanuel’s appointment to the NLRB.  Once Mr. Emanuel is sworn in, it will be first time since 2015 that the NLRB has had a full five members.  Before 2015, years of gridlock often saw the Board at less than full strength, which resulted in all sorts of mayhem, … Continue Reading

NLRB Ditches Effort To Expand Weingarten Rights to Non-Union Workplaces

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Advice, General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Non-Union employers, Section 8(a)(1), Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices, Workplace Investigations
Since the change in Presidential administrations, the main topic has turned to what rules will a newly constituted NLRB change?  With the addition of Marvin E. Kaplan the Board now has four members, which makes undoing some of the past few years a difficult task.  But a four member Board also means there likely will be … Continue Reading

NLRB: Employer’s Side Letter Explaining NLRB Notice Breached Settlement Agreement and Warranted Default Judgment

By Mark Theodore on Posted in General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Section 8(a)(1), Uncategorized
One of the fundamental pillars of any remedy doled out by the NLRB is the agency’s  requirement that the employer (or union) post a “Notice to Employees,” a bright blue poster detailing the misdeeds of the charged party.  Such a Notice is required to be posted as a result of a finding of an unfair … Continue Reading

NLRB’s Enforcement of Secondary Boycott Restrictions Does Not Place Union Agent in Involuntary Servitude Nor Does It Encroach on Union’s Religious Freedom

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Duty to provide information, General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
Labor Day is upon us.  It is fitting, therefore, to enter the weekend with another case that exemplifies the bizarre world of labor relations.  Like the case of the human resource manager who turned on his employer, or the nurse who felt her union activity protected her in screaming confrontations, we continue to see new … Continue Reading
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