The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent federal board whose members are appointed by the President for five-year terms. Its job is to look out for the rights of private sector employees. In 1935, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA or Act) was passed, and the NLRB was created to ensure the Act was enforced properly. In … [Read more...]
Search Results for: NLRB
Whole Foods Fails to Gain Support from the NLRB
Emboldened by a conservative panel at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Whole Foods recently attempted (and failed) to overturn an Obama-era ruling that prohibits certain restrictive policies put forth by the grocery conglomerate. Last year, the Second Circuit US Court of Appeals upheld the NLRB’s 2015 decision, putting an end to Whole … [Read more...]
NLRB Limits the Scope of the Joint Employer Doctrine
In mid-December, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) reversed an Obama-era ruling that permitted workers to file complaints against large corporations (like fast-food conglomerates) that reap profits from franchises but don’t oversee day-to-day operations. According to the NLRB of yesteryear, such corporations would count as “joint-employers” … [Read more...]
NLRB Files Unfair Labor Practices Complaint Against Tesla
On August 31st, the National Labor Review Board (NLRB) filed a complaint against Tesla, an electric car manufacturer run by CEO Elon Musk. The complaint marked the commencement of an investigation into charges made in 2017 by Tesla workers and the Service Employee International Union. Workers have claimed that the company forced employees to sign … [Read more...]
Court Rejects McDonald’s Proposed Settlement in On-Going Labor Relations Case
Fast-Food Giant Wants to Avoid “Joint Ownership” Label with Franchisees McDonald’s relationship with their franchisees has been an integral part of the fast-food giant’s success – but a recent ruling in a major case is putting those relationships in jeopardy, and McDonald’s is definitely not lovin’ it. Although the Big Macs and the other menu … [Read more...]
Conservative Labor Board Sides with Employers
Recent changes at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have resulted in a number of rulings favoring employers, leaving workers (both union and non-union) with fewer legal options. John Ring, a labor attorney who sides with management, was confirmed this month by the Senate as the fifth member of the independent regulatory body. In a somewhat … [Read more...]
Appeals Court Upholds Right-to-Work Law in Wisconsin
On September 19th, a Wisconsin appeals court upheld the state’s so-called right-to-work law, dealing a major blow to union organizers. The Wisconsin AFL-CIO, the International Associations of Machinists and United Steelworkers first brought the lawsuit in 2015 not long after the law’s enactment. Since then there has been an effort to rescind the … [Read more...]
Trump Administration Wants to Change Salary Threshold for Overtime
Background In May of last year, the Obama administration authored a rule that would, in effect, raise the salary threshold for collecting overtime (OT). This means salaried workers would be able to collect time-and-a-half if they work longer than 40 hours in a week. According to the Labor Department’s rule, anyone making under $47,476 (instead of … [Read more...]
Administration Reverses Position in Major Labor Case
Last week, the Trump administration submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court that effectively reversed the administration’s position on arbitration agreements as originally stated in a petition for review, filed in 2016. The Office of the Solicitor General rarely changes its position on a major case like this, even if there’s a … [Read more...]
Facebook’s Impact on Employment
Anything you post on social media can virtually be viewed by anyone, and employers are no exception. In fact, heated group discussions on Facebook have even lead to several people being fired. However, only in certain cases will these discussions be protected by the National Labor Relations Act, meaning that it would be unlawful for an employer to … [Read more...]
