News Notes: Supreme Court Upholds Tough Standard For Polling Union Workers

The U.S. Supreme Court has clarified the rules for when employers can poll unionized workers about their support for the union.The case involved a Mack Truck dealership that had recently changed ownership. Several employees allegedly made statements to the new employer indicating they did not want to be part of the existing union. When the union requested contract negotiations, the employer arranged instead for an independent poll of its workers. A majority of the employees voted against the union which then filed a lawsuit challenging the company’s right to poll the workers. The court upheld a strict National Labor Relations Board rule requiring employers to have a “good-faith reasonable belief” that most workers do not want union representation before conducting a poll. The court went on to find the truck dealer met the standard in this case.