Last Friday, President Obama announced his intention to nominate Craig Becker and Mark Pearce as Members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the government agency that administers the National Labor Relations Act, the primary law governing relations between unions and employers in the private sector. Click Here to read the White House Press
President Obama Nominates Wilma Liebman to Chair NLRB
Late last month, President Obama appointed Wilma B. Liebman to chair the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the agency that enforces federal labor law. Click here to read the NLRB’s press release on the appointment. Chairman Liebman has served on the Board since November 14, 1997. First appointed by President Clinton, she is now serving
Supreme Court Rejects Appeal on Aliens’ Right to Vote in Union Elections
Earlier this month, the United States Supreme Court declined to review a ruling from the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit holding that unauthorized aliens are "employees" under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and therefore entitled to cast votes in a union election.
In Agri Processor Co. v. NLRB, the
NLRB 2008 Report Shows Efficient, Aggressive Enforcement of Labor Law
Ronald Meisburg, General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued his annual Summary of Operations memo on October 29, 2008. (The NLRB is the federal agency that enforces our country’s labor laws and conducts union elections.) Mr. Meisburg’s memo is full of interesting news and developments on all facets of the NLRB’s operations. To read the complete
Starbucks Settles NLRB Charge With Wobbly Organizer
The New York Times is reporting that Starbucks has settled with the National Labor Relations Board an unfair labor practice claim filed by a former employee who alleged he was terminated for attempting to organize his coworkers to join the Industrial Workers of the World, aka "the Wobblies."
Under the terms of
“Permanent” Strike Replacements Can Be Employed At Will
Earlier this week, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an employer does not violate the National Labor Relations Act by refusing to reinstate economic strikers because it had hired permanent replacements, even though those "permanent" workers are at-will employees. The decision in United Steelworkers v. NLRB upheld an earlier National Labor Relations Board ruling
Ninth Circuit Overturns NLRB in Dues Checkoff Case
Earlier this week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned for the second time a decision by the National Labor Relations Board, and held that two Las Vegas casinos violated the National Labor Relations Act by unilaterally terminating dues checkoff without first bargaining with the union over that decision. Local Joint Executive Bd v. NLRB
NLRB Issues New Guidelines on Employee Political Activity
You have an employee who is using the breakroom as his bully pulpit, discussing his political views with his coworkers. Some coworkers complain to you that they don’t want to hear it, so you call the employee in to your office and tell him to keep his views and opinions to himself. A no-brainer, right?