Gibbons Law Alert

Gibbons Law Alert

Tagged: Unions

The Walls Have Ears: NLRB Invalidates Employer’s Prohibition on Recording in the Workplace

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Posted in Policies and Handbooks

On February 10, 2016

Whole Foods Markets received the proverbial ugly holiday sweater in the form of a December 24, 2015, 2-1 decision by the National Labor Relations Board that declared its policy prohibiting recording in the workplace unlawful. The decision in the cases Whole Foods Markets, Inc. and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 919 and Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago, focused on two rules contained in Whole Foods’ General Information Guide. The first prohibited the recording of meetings, with the laudable, express goals of encouraging “open communication, free expression of ideas, spontaneous and honest dialogue and an atmosphere of trust.” The only exceptions were when the recording was approved by management or all parties to the conversation consented. The second rule also prohibited the use of a recording device in order to “eliminate a chilling effect on the expression of views that may exist when one person is concerned that his or her conversation with another is being secretly recorded.” Seems fair, right? Not according to the NLRB.

NLRB Ruling is Problematic for Employer Workplace Investigation Policies

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Posted in Labor

On October 26, 2015

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) decided that an employer’s workplace investigations policy, which recommends employees keep an internal investigation confidential, violated the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) because it interfered with employees’ rights to communicate regarding matters affecting terms and conditions of employment. The ruling creates a quandary for employers to maintain effective workplace investigation policies and practices including confidentiality statements in anti-harassment policies.

NLRB Expands Reach by Altering Joint-Employer Standard

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Posted in Labor

On September 17, 2015

Recently, in Browning-Ferris Indus. of Cal., the National Labor Relations Board continued to expand its reach and once again altered decades old law in favor of labor unions, this time by making it easier for unions to hold multiple businesses responsible for bargaining with a single group of workers over employment conditions and terms. The decision has potentially far-reaching implications for companies that enter into staffing arrangements with third parties, including franchisors, who now may have legal obligations to bargain with unions where they never before did.

NLRB Calls a Timeout in Northwestern Football Players Case

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Posted in Labor

On August 24, 2015

Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its long-awaited decision in Northwestern University, a case involving an attempt by scholarship football players to unionize under the National Labor Relations Act. About a year-and-a-half ago, in response to the university’s attempt to dismiss a union election petition filed on behalf of the players, a regional director decided that the students were statutory employees who could unionize. The university challenged the regional director’s decision, which set the stage for the Board’s decision.

NLRB General Counsel Issues Memorandum Regarding “Quickie” Election Rule

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Posted in Labor

On April 29, 2015

On April 14, 2015, the National Labor Relations Board’s “quickie” election rule took effect (despite pending lawsuits challenging the legality of the rule). Earlier this month, the Board’s general counsel issued a 36-page memorandum to provide guidance on the new rule, which we summarize in some detail below in an effort to help employers navigate these new waters. The memorandum serves as a reminder that non-union businesses should consider implementing a labor relations strategy now so they can effectively, lawfully, and quickly respond to a notice of petition for election if they receive one under the new rule. An in-depth discussion of the general counsel’s memorandum is provided. The highlights are as follows:

NLRB Rules that Attack on Safety of Employer’s Products is Protected Employee Concerted Activity

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Posted in Labor

On March 19, 2015

As previously discussed on the Employment Law Alert, the National Labor Relations Board has taken several pro-union actions and issued many pro-union decisions over the last few years that impact union and non-union businesses alike, which recently include issuing the latest “quickie” election rule and increasing protections afforded to union-related communications made through companies’ e-mail systems. In MikLin Enterprises, Inc., d/b/a Jimmy John’s, the Board rendered another pro-union decision, a decision which serves to remind all employers to be mindful of the NLRB when considering employee discipline for disloyalty when the allegedly disloyal acts relate to employee dissatisfaction with working conditions.

NLRB General Counsel Issues Memorandum Addressing New Arbitral Deference Standard

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Posted in Labor

On March 17, 2015

The National Labor Relations Board’s General Counsel recently issued a memorandum providing guidance regarding the amount of deference the Board should afford arbitrations and settlements resolving unfair labor practice (ULP) allegations under sections 8(a)(1) and 8(a)(3) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). These sections prohibit interference with employees’ rights to engage in protected concerted activities (8(a)(1)) and discrimination against employees for union affiliation (8(a)(3)). The General Counsel’s memorandum was issued to provide guidance in light of the NLRB’s recent decision in Babcock & Wilcox Constr. Co. — a decision that altered decades’ old law by giving the Board greater discretion (1) to initially decide these types of ULP allegations, which had previously been subject to arbitration in the first instance, and (2) to review arbitration decisions concerning such ULP charges. Companies that are negotiating collective bargaining agreements or have such agreements in place and that prefer to arbitrate ULP claims rather than litigate them before the NLRB, should carefully review the General’s Counsel’s memorandum—as should companies settling ULP allegations, as the memorandum deals with settlements as well.

Businesses Look to Slam Brakes on “Quickie” Election Rule

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Posted in Labor

On January 15, 2015

The United States Chamber of Commerce, Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, National Association of Manufacturers, and Society for Human Resource Management have filed a lawsuit in federal court against the National Labor Relations Board seeking to enjoin a final “quickie” election rule that the Board issued last month. The rule, which seeks to expedite the union election process, will negatively impact businesses that do not have proactive labor relations programs in place by effectively stripping them of their statutory and constitutional rights to speak to their workers about labor unions before an election. Absent a postponement, injunction, or some legislative action that trumps the rule, the rule will take effect April 15.

NLRB Rules Employees “Presumptively Permitted” to Use Employer Email Systems for Statutorily Protected Communications

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Posted in Labor

On December 23, 2014

On December 11, 2014, in Purple Communications, Inc. and Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, Cases 21-CA-095151, 21-RC-091532, and 21-RC-091584, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board” or “NLRB”) held that “employee use of email for statutorily protected communications on nonworking time must presumptively be permitted by employers who have chosen to give employees access to their email systems.”

Supreme Court Finds President’s NLRB “Recess” Appointments Unconstitutional

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Posted in Labor

On June 30, 2014

On June 26, 2014, in NLRB v. Noel Canning, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously decided that President Obama’s purported “recess” appointments of National Labor Relations Board members on January 4, 2012 violated the Constitution because the Senate was not on a break of “sufficient length” when the President appointed them, and thus the President could not dispense with Senate consent of the appointments. The decision calls into question hundreds of NLRB rulings between January 4, 2012 and August 7, 2013, when a new Board was finally sworn in with Senate approval of the President’s appointments. Those rulings include numerous pro-union decisions dealing with dues checkoff clauses, confidentiality policies and practices, employee social media activities, conduct during bargaining unit elections and workplace investigations. More globally, the decision ends an arduous debate as to the meaning of the words “[v]acancies that may happen during the Recess” in the Constitution’s Recess Appointments Clause.

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