Tag: Joint Employers

Court Rejects Joint Employer Defense in Discrimination Case

A federal district court in Louisiana recently heard a case in which a governmental entity tried to assert that it wasn’t liable as a joint employer of the individual who had accused it of discrimination and retaliation. Read on to learn why the court sided with the employee and allowed the claims to proceed to […]

NLRB Delays Effective Date of Joint-Employer Standard

Recently, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its final rule on the joint-employer standard under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This new rule, originally set to go into effect December 26, 2023, is essentially a rollback of the NLRB’s 2020 joint-employer rule issued during the Trump administration. On November 16, 2023, however, the […]

NLRB’s Latest Rule Means Big Changes Ahead on Joint Employment Front

The National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) new rule on joint employment puts more employers at risk of joint employer status, meaning they will bear more responsibility related to unionization, bargaining, and unfair labor practice charges. The Board’s new rule, issued October 26, replaces a rule issued in 2020 by the Trump administration’s Board. That rule […]

Understanding the NRLB’s New Joint Employer Rule Proposal

Over the last decade, there has been a significant amount of litigation over how to determine if multiple companies are joint employers of a workforce. Joint employer status can create significant liability issues for the secondary employer in areas such as wages and safety matters. The rules governing that determination may be about to change.

It’s Now Easier for Alleged Joint Employers to Compel Arbitration

Nearly four years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court held employers can enforce arbitration agreements that waive an employee’s right to join a class action lawsuit. Since then, many companies have avoided what would be costly class action lawsuits, particularly in the wage and hour context, by requiring individual arbitration with employees. Despite this, there was […]

Browning-Ferris reversal calls end to uncertainty on joint employment

Employers confused over what constitutes joint employment have seen the confusion largely cleared up, thanks to a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision issued December 14. The 3-2 decision overrules the Browning-Ferris decision, which broadened what could be considered a joint employment relationship. Under the Browning-Ferris decision, employers that had indirect—even potential—unexercised control over employees […]

New bill latest effort to tackle definition of joint employment

The definition of “joint employment” may be heading for another turnaround. Legislation introduced in Congress on July 27 takes aim at a 2015 National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision that raised the ire of many in the business community, especially employers that work with franchisees, contractors, and staffing agencies. The NLRB’s 2015 Browning-Ferris decision broadened […]

New joint-employer guidance puts employers ‘on notice’

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new guidance on joint employment means employers must think ahead when they find themselves in relationships that may fit the definition of “joint employment.”  In a January 20 post on his blog, David Weil, administrator of the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), announced new guidance related to joint […]

New NLRB standard exposes more employers to union, other pressures

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has adopted a new and broader standard of what constitutes joint employment by taking a stand that abandons a long-accepted standard in favor of one the Board claims better reflects “the current economic landscape.” The new view of joint employment will bring major change not just to employers using […]