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HR Support on National Labor Relations Board

Editor's Note: NLRB - friend or foe?

Melissa BoyceOverview: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or the Board) was created to enforce the provisions of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which prohibits employers from engaging in certain conduct that interferes, restrains, or coerces employees in the exercise of their rights. The NLRB essentially acts as a panel of judges to hear and prevent unfair labor practices. It has numerous powers including the power to issue subpoenas requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of documents, as well as ordering any person to "cease and desist" from an unfair labor practice and to provide remedies. The NLRB has further power to petition any US court of appeals to enforce any order of the board, subject to the full contempt powers of the US courts for noncompliance.

Although many private non-union employers have not had much experience with the NLRB, they should be aware, however, that there are very few exceptions as to what is defined as an employer and employee under the NLRA. Therefore, private non-union employers should acquaint themselves with the NLRA and the NLRB process because they are not immune from being subject to an unfair labor practice charge.

Trends: Recent NLRB decisions have caused a stir among employers - both union and non-union. The NLRB has been on a crusade targeting employer policies that it considers a violation of an employee's right to engage in a protected concerted activity under the NLRA. Social media policies, confidentiality provisions, at-will clauses, and arbitration agreements have all been under recent scrutiny. According to the NLRB, even a policy requiring employees to be courteous may be unlawful!

Author: Melissa Boyce, JD, Legal Editor

New and Updated

  • NLRB Will Propose Joint Employment Rule Soon

    Date:
    June 7, 2018
    Type:
    News

    The current uncertainty over the standard to be applied in determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) "undermines employers' willingness to create jobs and expand business opportunities," according to National Labor Relations Board Chairman John F. Ring.

  • Burger Joint Becomes First Unionized Fast-Food Restaurant

    Date:
    May 7, 2018
    Type:
    News

    For the first time in the US, a fast-food restaurant - Burgerville in Portland, Oregon - has been unionized through a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) supervised election.

  • Republican Majority Restored as Ring Confirmed to NLRB

    Date:
    April 12, 2018
    Type:
    News

    The Senate has confirmed John Ring, a management-side employment attorney, to a five-year term on the National Labor Relations Board restoring a 3-2 Republican majority to the Board and paving the way to reverse Obama-era rulings.

  • NLRB Asks Appellate Court to Reconsider Joint Employer Case

    Date:
    March 6, 2018
    Type:
    News

    The United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit could either uphold the National Labor Relations Board's Browning-Ferris ruling or overturn it, thereby opening the door for the court or the NLRB to issue a new joint employment standard.

  • NLRB Restores Browning-Ferris Standard for Joint Employment

    Date:
    February 27, 2018
    Type:
    News

    The National Labor Relations Board has vacated its 2017 Hy-Brand decision, thereby restoring the 2015 Browning-Ferris decision, under which employers can be considered to be joint employers under federal labor law if they exercise indirect control of shared employees or reserve the right to control shared employees.

  • Trump Nominates John Ring to Fill NLRB Vacancy

    Date:
    January 19, 2018
    Type:
    News

    President Trump has nominated management-side attorney John Ring to fill a vacancy on the National Labor Relations Board. If confirmed, Ring will solidify a 3-2 Republican majority on the NLRB.

  • What the NLRB Shakeups Mean for HR

    Date:
    January 4, 2018
    Type:
    Editor's Choice

    An employer should understand recent legal developments from the National Labor Relations Board and how it affects its workplace. XpertHR rounds up resources to help an employer comply with these developments.

  • Labor Rights and Enforcement: Federal

    Type:
    Employment Law Manual

    Updated in light of the NLRB General Counsel Memo 18-02 concerning employer rules and other significant workplace issues.

  • NLRB Rulings Return Pre-Obama Standards to Some Labor Relations Issues

    Date:
    December 26, 2017
    Type:
    News

    In its last week with a Republican majority, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) reversed several labor relations rulings issued by the prior Democrat-led Board, restoring standards that had been followed for decades.

  • Republican-Led NLRB Reverses Obama-Era Joint Employment Ruling

    Date:
    December 18, 2017
    Type:
    News

    The National Labor Relations Board has reversed the 2015 Obama-era Browning-Ferris Industries ruling that had greatly expanded the definition of joint-employers, and restored the joint-employer standard of "direct control" that had been followed for decades.

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HR guidance on the NLRB and enforcement against unfair labor practices.

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