In a very active end of summer for labor law, the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”) ruled in a 2-1 decision, in Quickway Transportation, Inc., 372 NLRB No. 127, that a company’s closure of a terminal where its drivers were unionized violated the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”).
NLRB Clarifies Burden Shifting Framework in Mixed-Motive Cases
On August 28, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “Board”) issued its decision in Intertape Polymer Corp., 372 NLRB No. 133 (2023) clarifying the standard by which the General Counsel satisfies her initial burden of persuasion in cases involving mixed motives for adverse employment actions. Specifically…
NLRB Reinvigorates 1949 Joy Silk Doctrine Giving Great Weight To Demands For Recognition
As we previously reported in April 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, asked the Board to revive the Joy Silk doctrine (which was rejected in 1969) and require employers to recognize unions without a secret ballot election.
On August 25, 2023, the Board…
Here We Go Again: Board Resurrects “Quickie” Election Rules

With over 58,000 workers reportedly unionizing so far in 2023 and the number of representation petitions on the rise, it comes as no surprise that the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “Board”) continues to make changes to expedite the unionization process.
Specifically, in a recent rule published…
A Change on the Horizon: US DOL Set to Finalize New Prevailing Wage Rules for Construction Industry
During what has already proven to be a very busy month for federal labor law, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) is poised to implement yet another pivotal change. On August 8, 2023, DOL announced it will soon publish a rule that, among other things, changes the prevailing wage calculation…
Stericycle Brings Us Full Circle

Late summer brings picnics, hiking, and general fun. It also brings a slew of NLRB decisions as the agency’s fiscal year comes to an end on September 30. One of the more highly-anticipated decisions concerns the lawfulness of employer work rules. On August 1, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board…
Total Security Recall: Recent Decision May Lead to Reinstatement of Bargaining Requirement for Discipline Pre-CBA
A recent Administrative Law Judge ruling in Starbucks Corp.sets up a possibility for the National Labor Relations Board to reinstate an employer’s obligation to bargain with a union before imposing serious discretionary discipline in a newly-organized workplace before a first contract is agreed to—even when the discipline is…