In 1987, the NLRB held that a newspaper did not have to bargain with a union over its ethics policy, on the grounds that ensuring public confidence in its news reporting was a “core function” of the paper. Peerless Publications, 283 NLRB 334 (1987). In 2006, Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle unilaterally implemented an
Labor Management Relations
Term of Chairman Liebman ends; Member Mark Gaston Pearce Named as new Chairman
Chairman Wilma Liebman’s term on the National Labor Relations Board ended last Saturday, August 27th. She was first named to the Board by President Bill Clinton in 1997, and was reappointed in both 2002 and 2006 by President George W. Bush. President Obama named her Chairman on January 21, 2009, his first full day in…
Latest from NLRB on Social Media Posts as Concerted, Protected Activity
Like most every other business and agency today, the NLRB is staying on top of social media. Today, the Board’s acting general counsel issued a summary memo describing recent Board cases dealing with employee postings on Facebook and Twitter, as well as employers’ social media policies. A copy of the summary is attached here.…
Labor Department, Supreme Court Make Monday News
June 20, 2011 is a busy Monday…
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Update on Boeing–NLRB Feeling Heat?
Acting NLRB General Counsel Lafe Solomon took the highly unusual step on May 9, 2011, of issuing a formal press release asserting that the Boeing Complaint was nothing unusual, and requesting interested parties to let the NLRB’s processes run their course and not to attempt to try the case in the media. As noted in…
Is the NLRB Going to Second-Guess Management Moves After Boeing?
This latest effort of the General Counsel to expand the influence of the Board on corporate decisions as to where to place new facilities inside the United States is likely to have a serious backlash. Employers should not change their current plans.
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Labor Department Threat to Attorney-Client Confidentiality
The Department of Labor has been taking aggressive steps to prevent employers from exercising their rights to provide information to their employees during union campaigns. Under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, employers must disclose the amounts they spend on consultants either attempting to influence their employees about the choice of unionization or providing information…
NLRB Settles Facebook Complaint – Should Employers Revise Their Electronic Communication Policies?
The NLRB has now settled the “Facebook” complaint that has gained great attention. See Cleveland.com Article. In NLRB v. American Medical Response of Connecticut, Inc., the Board took the position that the employer violated the National Labor Relations Act when it terminated an employee for making nasty statements about her supervisor on Facebook. The NLRB’s rationale…
