In a recent decision by the NLRB, the Board upheld the lawfulness, in part, of an arbitration agreement that required employees to maintain the confidentiality of the arbitration proceedings, including the discovery process and the hearing. Dish Network, LLC, 370 NLRB No. 97 (March 18, 2021). However, Chairman
Arbitration
Overruling District Court, Second Circuit Affirms Individual Employees Are Bound By Arbitration Award Prosecuted By Their Union
On July 29, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (the “Second Circuit”) handed down what amounts to a significant win for the collectively-bargained dispute-resolution process set forth in the agreement between ABM Industry Groups, LLC (“ABM”) and its Union, the International Union of Operating Engineers,…
NLRB Gives Green Light to Confidentiality Provisions in Individual Arbitration Agreements
In many private arbitration agreements entered into in the non-union context, employers and employees agree that the proceedings shall remain confidential. On June 19, 2020, the Board addressed whether a confidentiality provision that arguably restricted an employee participating in the arbitration process from disclosing terms and conditions of employment violates…
Federal Appeals Court Vacates Arbitration Award, Concluding Arbitrator Issued Own “Brand of Industrial Justice”
In the field of labor relations, there exist some rare occurrences, things that happen so seldom that it seems as if they are impossible. As we’ve previously discussed, one such “unicorn sighting” is the NLRB overturning an Administrative Law Judge’s credibility determinations.
Another event that falls in the category…
NLRB Gives End of Year Gift for Employers, Restores Longstanding Standard for Deferring to Arbitral Decisions
In yet another end-of-2019 decision overruling significant NLRA precedent, the Board reverted to the less stringent Spielberg / Olin standard for determining whether to defer to arbitration decisions in the context of Section 8(a)(1) and (3) unfair labor practice cases. See United Parcel Service, Inc., 369 NLRB 1 (2019).…
NLRB Majority Stuns Nation By Ruling Employer Has Management Right, Chairman Dissents
In another example of the inconsistency of the current state of Board law, a 2-1 majority of the NLRB ruled that an employer not only had a management right but it wasn’t necessary that this right be expressly set forth in the parties’ contract. This is certainly odd because the…
Is Deferral to Labor Arbitration Awards in Jeopardy?
The National Labor Relations Board has issued a press release announcing its intention to revisit precedent created under a pair of Board decisions nearly 59 and 30 years old, respectively. The precedent involves under what circumstances the NLRB will defer to decisions of labor arbitrators in cases where there are…
D.R. Horton and the Doctrine of Non-Acquiescence
Today’s decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in D.R. Horton, Incorporated v. National Labor Relations Board, is a victory for employers who seek to channel work related disputes (other than NLRB charges) into an arbitration system which does not permit class action claims in…