By John Alan Doran This week the NLRB issued a blockbuster decision addressing employees’ abusive and foul language in the workplace. General Motors LLC, 369 NLRB No. 127 (2020). In the past, the Board has given many employees a free pass when they are disciplined or fired for using foul, abusive, or even racist/sexist language as […]
Category: NLRB
The NLRB Finally Cancels Pre-Disciplinary Bargaining
By Patrick Scully In a long-awaited move, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) overruled the Obama Board’s decision in Total Security Management Illinois 1, LLC, 364 NLRB No. 106 (2016) (“Total Security“), and concluded that an employer does not have to bargain individual disciplinary decisions with a newly certified labor organization. As the […]
NLRB Finalizes Improvements to Election Rules
By Patrick R. Scully and James S. Korte On March 31, 2020, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) finalized amendments to its election rules, improving current processes in favor of greater employee choice. New Blocking Charge Policy: Instead of delaying or canceling a representation election when a union files a “blocking” unfair labor practice charge, the […]
The Holidays Came Early for Employers
By James Korte Employers rejoice! The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) released a string of rulings on Monday reversing three controversial Obama-era decisions. With these rulings, the NLRB returned to long-standing rules in areas of significance prior to the sweeping changes made by the Obama-era Board. The NLRB’s return to the “old” tests should again provide […]
Board Affirms Reasonable Employer Policies on Confidentiality and Media Contact
By Carissa Davis Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”) held that employer policies that prohibit disclosure of confidential and proprietary information, and certain media contact rules are lawful under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). LA Specialty Produce Co., 368 NLRB No. 93 (2019). In Boeing Co., 365 NLRB No 154 (2017), the […]
The NLRB Has You Covered…By The Contract
By Patrick Scully In another stunning and sweeping decision, The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) has overturned the “clear and unmistakable” waiver test and concluded that employers may make unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment “covered” by an existing collective bargaining agreement. For decades, employers had negotiated lengthy “management rights clauses” […]
NLRB Enhances Its View of Property Rights
By Patrick Scully The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) has settled a long-brewing controversy over what constitutes “discrimination” with respect to non-employee access to employer property. Twenty years ago, the Board held in Sandusky Mall, 329 NLRB 618 (1999), that an employer discriminates against non-employee union representatives if it bars them from its […]
NLRB Drums Out Musicians and “New York New York”
By Patrick Scully The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) has reversed one of the Obama Board’s most fiercely debated decisions and held that a property owner may lawfully prohibit the employees of a contractor or licensee from leafletting on its private property. In February, 2017 San Antonio Symphony employees who were members of […]
NLRB Serves Up An Epic Ruling For Employers
By Patrick Scully In its first significant decision applying the Supreme Court’s holding in Epic Systems v. NLRB, 584 U.S. ____, 138 S.Ct. 1612 (2018), the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) ruled that a restaurant owner lawfully compelled its employees to sign a revised mandatory arbitration agreement. The employer, an operator of Latin-themed […]
NLRB Says Organizer Access to Public Spaces is Not on the Menu
By John Alan Doran Over thirty-five years ago, the NLRB held that an employer may not prohibit a union organizer’s access to an employer’s privately owned, but publicly accessible areas, such as an employer’s public restaurant or cafeteria, unless the organizer engages in “disruptive” conduct. A long line of subsequent Board decisions confirmed this rule. […]