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Every year, April brings surprises for the unwary — typically in the form of an April fool’s joke.
When unions seek to organize a group of employees, they often prefer to target a particular group or groups of employees in job classifications that they are confident will vote in favor of unionizing, as opposed to trying to persuade a much larger group.
Proponents of organized labor were presumably pleased when Joe Biden was elected to be the 46th President of the United States, and with good reason.
Even a week removed from Thanksgiving, I can’t stop thinking about my Gramma’s Watergate Salad, an unusual (but somehow traditional) green gelatinous holiday dish that features a mixture of pistachio pudding, canned pineapple, whipped topping, crushed pecans, and marshmallows.
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.