Labor Relations Update

Tag Archives: unfair labor practices

BREAKING: Senate Committee Proposes Bill to Add Civil Penalties to NLRA

By Joshua Fox and Timothy Kelly on Posted in Uncategorized
As we have discussed previously (here, here, here and here), Congressional Democrats have been attempting to amend the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) for the last few years.  However, attempts to invoke sweeping changes to a number of areas of the NLRA through the Protect the Right to Organize Act (“PRO Act”) have stalled in … Continue Reading

NLRB Majority: Employer May Continue “No Recording” Rule, Even After Unlawfully Applying it to Single Employee

By Mark Theodore, Joshua Fox and Jordan Simon on Posted in Uncategorized
In AT&T Mobility LLC , 370 NLRB No. 121 (2021), the NLRB majority (Members Ring and Emanuel) held that the Employer could lawfully maintain a workplace policy prohibiting its workers from recording conversations with their co-workers, managers or third-parties, even though its application in one particular circumstance was found unlawful.  Notwithstanding the fact that the … Continue Reading

Using a Cat to Chase the Inflatable Rat: NLRB General Counsel Urged Reconsideration of Board Precedent Regarding Banners and Signal Picketing of Neutral Employers

By Michael Lebowich and Joshua Fox on Posted in Advice, NLRA, NLRB, Section 8(b)(1)(A)
Continuing its efforts to overturn precedent, the NLRB General Counsel’s Division of Advice has issued a new advice memorandum looking to strike at the most recognizable sign of unionism in urban areas today – – the inflatable rat that is used to signal a labor dispute to the public. It has been long held by the Supreme … Continue Reading

NLRB Office of the General Counsel Advises that Uber Drivers Are Not Statutory “Employees”

By Mark Theodore, Joshua Fox and Jacob P. Tucker on Posted in Advice, NLRA, NLRB, Section 7, Section 8(a)(1), Section 8(a)(2), Section 8(a)(5)
In an Advice Memorandum dated April 16, 2019, but released on May 14, 2019, the NLRB’s General Counsel staked out a position in one of the most contentious and influential questions in labor and employment law today: Whether or not Uber drivers ­– and by implication, potentially, other “gig economy” workers – are statutory employees … Continue Reading

NLRB Issues Strategic Plan for Coming Years

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Bargaining units, NLRB, NLRB Election Rules, Specialty Healthcare, Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
The NLRB recently made public its NLRB Strategic Plan FY 2019-FY2022 wherein it states it wants to reduce time to handle cases before it by 5% per year at each stage of the case processing.  The Strategic Plan provides an excellent snapshot of NLRB operations (page 3) but not much can be read into, or from, this document, which is … Continue Reading

NLRB Finds Employer Effectively Repudiated Unlawful Handbook Rule…and RecusalGate Continues

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Employer policies, Handbook, NLRA, NLRB, Section 7, Section 8(a)(1), Solicitation, Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
The Board issued an interesting decision discussing an employer’s successful efforts to repudiate unlawful conduct, which we’ll get to in a minute.  In our last post, we discussed a simmering dispute over the circumstances which an NLRB member must recuse himself or herself.  This issue, we’ll call it Recusalgate,  has taken an interesting turn.  In ADI … Continue Reading

You’ve Got Mail: NLRB Requests Briefing on Standard for Employee Use of Employer Owned Electronic Communication Systems

By Michael Lebowich and Jordan Simon on Posted in Confidentiality, Email, Employer policies, NLRA, NLRB, Section 7, Social Media
In what could signify the beginning of the end for Purple Communications, Inc., 361 NLRB 1050 (2014) and guaranteed employee access to Employer computer systems for union organizing purposes, the NLRB issued a notice on August 1 inviting the filing of briefs on whether the Board should uphold, modify or overrule the decision.  Under Purple … 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

NLRB GC’s Attempt At Summary Judgment In Handbook Case Rejected By NLRB Majority

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Due Process, Employer policies, General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Section 7, Section 8(a)(1), Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
The change in a presidential administration always brings changes to government agencies, including the NLRB, as new appointments are made reflecting the policy preferences of the administration.  The NLRB is not immune to this change and it has been historical practice for the president to appoint three members from the party of the administration and … Continue Reading

Employer Claims Of Unprofitability And Competitive Disadvantage Enough To Trigger Audit Of Financials By Union, NLRB Majority Concludes

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Collective Bargaining, Duty to furnish information, Duty to provide information, General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Section 8(a)(5), Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
The end of another NLRB fiscal year is upon us.  Today, September 30, marks the last date of the fiscal year.  We can expect to see a number of decisions issue from the Board, and many determinations made at the regional level, as the agency attempts to pump up its case processing statistics.  We will … Continue Reading

Split D.C. Circuit Panel Upholds NLRB: DirecTV Violated NLRA By Terminating Technicians For Statements Made During A News Interview

By Mark Theodore and Laura Fant on Posted in NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Section 8(a)(1), Unfair Labor Practices
In a 2-1 ruling in DirecTV Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirmed the NLRB’s ruling that DirecTV must reinstate technicians who were terminated for complaining about a company pay policy during a television interview, finding that the employees’ conduct constituted protected, concerted activity and was … Continue Reading

NLRB Majority, Management Rights Clause Must Be Specific To Enable Employer To Make Unilateral Changes

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Collective Bargaining, Duty to furnish information, Duty to provide information, NLRA, NLRB, Section 8(a)(5), Unfair Labor Practices
Collective bargaining agreements, do not, and cannot cover every issue that will arise during their term.  Matters concerning terms and conditions of employment that are not addressed in the labor contract have to be negotiated before changes can be made.  Sometimes, however, the parties agree that management can make changes to certain terms and conditions of … Continue Reading

NLRB Requests Amicus Briefs in Two Significant Cases

By Michael Lebowich and Steven Porzio on Posted in NLRB
On Friday, February 19, 2016, the National Labor Relations Board invited interested individuals and organizations to file amicus briefs on two important legal issues where the Board is considering overturning existing precedent. In one case, King Soopers, Inc., NLRB, No. 27-CA-129598 (2/19/16), the NLRB’s General Counsel has asked the Board to change its long-standing practice … Continue Reading

NLRB Work Rule Decisions Continue to be a Mixed Bag

By Ronald Meisburg on Posted in Handbook, NLRB, Social Media Policies, Uncategorized
As the NLRB continues to wade through the pool of issues arising from social media policies and other workplace rules, an Administrative Law Judge’s recent decision in Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless (July 25, 2014) illustrates the growing number of problems employers face in developing corporate policies and the variability of NLRB decisions. In this … Continue Reading

NLRB Discards 50 Years Of Precedent – Dues Checkoff Clauses Now Survive Expiration Of Bargaining Agreement

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Collective Bargaining, General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Section 8(a)(5), Uncategorized, Unfair Labor Practices
Claiming that the Board “has never provided a coherent explanation” for the 50 year old rule that the obligation to continue deducting dues pursuant to a dues checkoff provision ceases upon expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, the NLRB recently announced it has overruled existing precedent.  Dues checkoff provisions now survive the expiration of an agreement … Continue Reading

Court of Appeals Rules Employee Efforts To Take Over Editorial Control At Newspaper Unprotected By NLRA

By Mark Theodore on Posted in General Counsel, NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Section 7, Section 8(a)(1), Unfair Labor Practices
An issue we have discussed previously is whether all employee action that is “concerted” is also protected by the NLRA.  We have seen that maliciously false statements made to third parties are unprotected.  But what about when employees disagree with managerial control of the operations?  How far can they press their claims?  When it comes to … Continue Reading

NLRB: Employer’s Harassment Investigation Lawful, But Not Resulting Discipline

By Mark Theodore on Posted in Decertification elections, Handbook, Leaving work without permission, NLRA, NLRB, Protected activity, Section 7, Section 8(a)(1), Unfair Labor Practices
As the end of its fiscal year approaches (September 30), the NLRB pushes more decisions out than it has in the last several weeks.  Not a whole lot are of note, honestly.  There seems to be an uptick of default judgments being issued,-findings of violations of the NLRA without a formal hearing,–but it is difficult … Continue Reading
LexBlog

This website uses third party cookies, over which we have no control. To deactivate the use of third party advertising cookies, you should alter the settings in your browser.

OK