Tag: Unions

Does Your Handbook Need Revision Following Recent NLRB Decision?

Two years ago, in a memo issued by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the agency’s general counsel signaled that one of the Board’s main priorities would be to scrutinize whether certain workplace policies unlawfully infringed on employees’ rights to engage in protected activity under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Common […]

Surveillance in the Workplace: An Update from the NLRB

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) continues to move the needle on its interpretation of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in favor of unions. For example, in Memorandum GC 23-02 entitled “Electronic Monitoring and Algorithmic Management of Employees Interfering with the Exercise of Section 7 Rights,” General Counsel Abruzzo outlined a new framework for […]

Shot Through the Heart: Did SCOTUS Give Strikes a Bad Name?

On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision some have deemed a blow to the right to strike. The 8-1 decision crossed ideological lines, as both conservative and liberal members of the Court either joined the majority opinion or concurred. Strike In August 2017, the collective bargaining agreement between cement manufacturer Glacier […]

Employee Tracking Technologies May Violate Labor Laws

There are countless workplace technologies available to companies that enable them to track employees for various purposes. For example, many employers have GPS devices on company vehicles so they can track how efficiently deliveries are being made. But does the use of such technology violate labor law? Based on a memo from the National Labor […]

NLRB Relaxes Standard for Union Insignias in Workplace

On August 29, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a major decision that reversed a standard it set in 2019. Previously, employers enjoyed substantial discretion to limit alterations to work uniforms or other designated clothing in the workplace.

Get Ready for Union Organizing on Steroids

Against the backdrop of a new presidential administration, an evolving workforce, and a changing economy brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the landscape for union organizing has radically changed over the past two years. While the nation’s attention is currently focused on unionization efforts at household names such as Amazon and Starbucks, employers of all […]

NLRB’s Latest Move Continues Administration’s Union-Boosting Efforts

A new memo from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) general counsel (GC) represents a continuation of efforts to promote unionization, according to attorneys who help guide employers through union campaigns. NLRB GC Jennifer Abruzzo on April 27 announced an initiative aimed at promoting collective bargaining through partnering with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service […]

Want a Union Card with Your Latte? Labor Activity Starts Percolating at Starbucks

For some people, loyalty to a particular coffee brand rivals their devotion to a favorite college football team. Kathleen, my spouse, would crawl three miles over broken glass for her Starbucks Americano decaf. I favor QuikTrip and McDonald’s coffee. Within the last three months, employees at several Starbucks locations voted to unionize. Seem like isolated […]

Call For End to Captive Audience Meetings Signals More Change Ahead At NLRB

A memorandum sent to National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) field offices calling for an end to mandatory meetings in which employees must listen to an employer’s side during a union campaign points to more union-friendly actions to come, according to attorneys who advise employers on labor matters. The NLRB on April 7 announced the memorandum in which […]

NLRB Landscape Shifting (Again) for Nonsolicitation, Other Workplace Policies

It should come as no surprise that President Joe Biden’s appointment of Jennifer Abruzzo as General Counsel (GC) of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) would effectively shift the NLRB to a pro-union majority. Ever since the new Board took control, we’ve advised employers to brace for widespread rollbacks of gains they saw in the […]