Following several complaints filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), SpaceX has mounted a constitutional challenge against the structure of the NLRB. Specifically, SpaceX contends that NLRB administrative judges and board members are improperly insulated from at-will removal by the president, and that NLRB proceedings violate the separation of power and companies’ right to
NLRB
Don’t Stop… Enjoining! NLRB’s GC Wants to Hold Onto That Feeling
The top lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is ordering her subordinates to continue to seek injunctions against employers for alleged violations of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), despite the Supreme Court seemingly making it more difficult to obtain an injunction to enjoin an unfair labor practice.
Section 10(j) of the NLRA…
Try Again NLRB – 5th Circuit Remands Case Back After the Board’s Bait and Switch Move
What happens when the NLRB asks a federal court to remand a case back to the Board based on a new case holding to interpret the matter before it, the court does so, and then the Board pulls a “bait and switch” to flat out reject the very case authority it based its request on?
U.S. Supreme Court Addresses 10(j) Injunction Standard in NLRB Case
In an 8-1 decision authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, the United States Supreme Court settled the conflict among circuits in setting the standard for issuing 10(j) injunctions sought in unfair labor practice proceedings. In Starbucks v. M. Kathleen McKinney, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Starbucks who was seeking to overturn a temporary…
An Opinion Is an Opinion, But an Opinion with a Threat Is a Threatening Opinion, and Threatening Opinions Are Unlawful Under the National Labor Relations Act
A National Labor Relations Board administrative law judge in San Francisco recently ruled that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy violated the National Labor Relations Act when he commented on labor unions through several media outlets. As a result of Mr. Jassy’s violations, the judge entered an order requiring Amazon to post a nationwide notice stating that…
Union Activity on a Coffee Break? DC Circuit Upholds NLRB’s Decision on Pro-Union Pins and Paraphernalia in Starbucks Case
Can you prevent your employees from handing out pro-union paraphernalia if they’re on a paid break? After brewing on the issue, the D.C. Circuit says no, backing baristas in the first of five National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rulings involving Starbucks currently pending before the circuit courts of appeal.
As we’ve noted before, unions…
How Quickly Can the NLRB Get You? The Supreme Court to Decide in Starbucks Appeal
As we have been blogging during the Biden presidency, the National Labor Relations Board has become quite aggressive these days. The aggression toward employers has been shown in the types of conduct the Board finds to be unlawful (like simply holding meetings with employees), the types of relief that the Board seeks (like compensatory damages…
No (Union) Shirt? No Problem: Fifth Circuit Strips Down NLRB’s Employee Uniform Rules
Can you enforce your uniform policy, even if that means an employee can’t wear a union t-shirt? Earlier this month, in Tesla, Inc. v. NLRB, the Fifth Circuit looked at that very question and ruled for Tesla.
Let’s face it — from UPS employees and Hollywood screenwriters and actors to auto workers and college…
Exercise Your Joints: NLRB Issues Final Rule on Joint Employers
Today, the NLRB issued their Final Rule on what constitutes joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act. This new rule overrides the old 2020 standard, that was much stricter in what type of control had to exist over employees.
Who Has the Power?
Under the new rule, companies or entities can be considered joint…
Open Up the Playbook: NLRB Rules Starbucks Must Produce Document at Hearing or Custodian of the Search
If you don’t already know, Starbucks has been in a pretty big labor dispute, and there are bound to be lessons for all of us. If your company has internal documents about relations with prospective unions, you may have to disclose them in a labor dispute even though pre-hearing discovery is generally not available. You…