Insights Search

We all know that April showers bring May flowers, but this year April showers might have also brought more unions. Last week, President Biden, through an executive order, created the Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment (the “Task Force”).

On February 4, 2021, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (the “PRO Act”) was reintroduced by Democrats in the United States House of Representatives. If enacted, the PRO Act would dramatically transform American labor relations by giving unions much more power.

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) will likely be singing a different tune in the not too distant future, thanks in part to new leadership and a game or two of musical chairs.

At 5:00 p.m. EST on January 20th, President Biden fired the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. This has never happened before in the history of the NLRB. It is a big deal.

President-elect Joe Biden has laid out a range of employment-related initiatives, including goals that could significantly impact labor law, immigration, government contracting, employee safety, wage and hour, and other matters that affect the workplace.

As the presidential election draws closer and while remote work arrangements continue, employers may find that they have more opportunities to apply their social media policies in response to emotionally charged posts by employees.

The National Labor Relations Act generally requires employers to furnish information to unions if the unions’ requests are relevant to the administration or negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement.

In recent weeks, because of the remoteness of our work forces, we have seen an increased incidence of abusive written communications between employees.

Suppose a union asks their bargaining unit’s employer for a list of names of all employees who have been exposed to or tested positive for COVID-19: Must the employer provide the requested medical information?

Recent National Labor Relations Board efforts to reverse portions of union election reforms implemented by the Obama administration have seen a major setback following the rejection of several core amendments to those reforms in the recent AFL-CIO v. NLRB decision from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Even with the economy starting to re-open, many businesses are still struggling to get back on track in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.