|
Category: Labor Relations

NLRB’s Structure Likely Unconstitutional, Fifth Circuit Rules, Affirming Ban on SpaceX Prosecution

The National Labor Relations Board remains barred from bringing unfair labor practice cases against SpaceX, Energy Transfer, and Findhelp after a federal appeals court affirmed a lower court’s preliminary injunctions pausing such prosecutions. On August 19, in Space Exploration Technologies Corp. v. NLRB, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found that the injunction is warranted because the agency’s...
|
Category: Labor Relations

Trump Nominates Two NLRB Members; Their Confirmations Would Enable Board To Issue Decisions

President Trump has nominated Scott Mayer and James Murphy to the National Labor Relations Board, the White House announced July 17. If the Senate confirms these nominees, the Board will have a quorum and be able to resume issuing decisions. Mayer, the chief labor counsel at aerospace company Boeing, would serve until December 16, 2029, in the seat vacated by Lauren...
|
Category: Labor Relations

Apple’s Removal of Union Pamphlets and Questions About Union Drive Are Not Unlawful, Court Rules

Apple store managers did not violate the National Labor Relations Act by questioning a worker about a union campaign and confiscating union pamphlets from an employee breakroom, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled July 7 in Apple v. NLRB. Reversing an NLRB decision, the Fifth Circuit found no coercive interrogation at Apple’s World Trade Center store. The...
|
Category: Government Contracts

Federal Court Blocks Attempt To End PLA Mandate for Large Construction Projects

A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction that effectively requires federal contracting agencies to continue to require Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for large-scale construction projects. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia made the ruling May 16 in North America’s Building Trades Unions v. Department of Defense. In January 2024, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council implemented...
|
Category: Agency Enforcement

NLRB Again Reports Big Increase in Unfair Labor Practice Charges in FY 2024

The number of unfair labor practice charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board increased for the fourth consecutive year in fiscal year 2024, NLRB enforcement data show. The 21,300 ULP charges filed from October 1, 2023—September 30, 2024, are the highest number filed since FY 2016. The Board made 259 final administrative determinations in FY 2024, up from 246...
|
Category: Executive Order

Biden’s New “Good Jobs” E.O.: Another Version of Union-Friendly “High Road”

President Biden has issued Executive Order 14126, which will require designated federal agencies to consider an employer’s labor and employment practices when awarding federal financial assistance under several recent laws. The E.O. applies to the selection of projects by “implementing agencies” for entities receiving “federal financial assistance” from the “Investing in America agenda.” By limiting coverage to grants, loans, and...
|
Category: Labor Relations

NLRB Update: August 2024

There have been several important developments recently involving the National Labor Relations Board: (1) On July 26, 2024, the Board issued its Fair Choice–Employee Voice Final Rule, which restored three policies that the Trump-era Board had scuttled— the blocking charge policy, voluntary union recognition, and parity for construction industry unions. (2) The NLRB dropped its appeal of a court ruling that invalidated...
|
Category: Labor Relations

Fifth Circuit Rules NLRB Erred in Changing Employee Misconduct Standard

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) violated an employer’s due process rights by reinstating a worker-friendly misconduct standard without giving the employer an opportunity to express its views. The court’s July 9 ruling in Lion Elastomers, L.L.C. v. NLRB ordered the NLRB to set aside a standard that considered...
|
Category: Labor Relations

Supreme Court Makes It Harder for NLRB To Get Preliminary Injunctions To Correct Alleged ULPs

The National Labor Relations Board has not shown the need for a preliminary injunction ordering Starbucks to rehire employees while the Board proceeds with its administrative complaint alleging an unfair labor practice against the coffeehouse chain, the U.S. Supreme Court decided June 13, 2024, in Starbucks Corporation v. McKinney. The Supreme Court held that courts should analyze the NLRB’s petitions...
|
Category: Biden Administration

Biden Nominates Two for NLRB Seats, Ensuring Pro-Union Tilt Until 2026 If Confirmed by Senate

President Joe Biden has submitted two nominations for seats on the five-member National Labor Relations Board, one a Democrat and the other a Republican. The nominees are current Chair Lauren McFerran, a Democrat, to serve a third five-year term; and Republican Joshua L. Ditelberg, an employment law partner at Seyfarth Shaw, to fill a current Board vacancy. If the U.S. Senate...

Categories