American Society of Employers
NLRB’s Joint Employer Rule Stayed

12 March 2024

NLRB’s Joint Employer Rule Stayed

Author: Michael Burns

Last Friday a federal judge struck down the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regulations expanding its control over the job terms and conditions it uses to determine whether two employers are in fact one for the purposes of labor law application. The Joint Employer rule was supposed to take effect Monday (March 11th) from a previous court stay, but the Texas federal judge hearing the case vacated that decision and held the regulations were too far reaching in their scope for a federal...
NLRB Board Overrules its Administrative Judges to Hold in Favor of Over-riding Dress Rules for Worker BLM-Wear

27 February 2024

NLRB Board Overrules its Administrative Judges to Hold in Favor of Over-riding Dress Rules for Worker BLM-Wear

Author: Michael Burns

Should workers violating a company dress code policy be protected under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) if they are wearing or displaying political slogans on their uniforms protesting for an issue unrelated to their work?

NLRB Holds That Union Engaged in Union Busting Against Its Own Workers

20 February 2024

NLRB Holds That Union Engaged in Union Busting Against Its Own Workers

Author: Michael Burns

In the category of what’s good for the goose is good for the gander we have the pro-union National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently finding the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union engaged in a myriad of unfair labor practices with its own unionized staff who are members of FAIR. (Yes, unions have unions.)

NLRB’s Cemex Pro-union Standard Challenged in Court

13 February 2024

NLRB’s Cemex Pro-union Standard Challenged in Court

Author: Michael Burns

Cemex Construction is challenging the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) “radical change” which would allow the NLRB to bypass an organizing election and order bargaining if it finds the employer engaged in an unfair labor practice during the campaign. It also extended the rules for requiring union election if the union demands recognition. Before this decision, an employer was not required to recognize a union and the union was the one that had to demand an election....
BLS Reports 2023 Union Membership Down… Again

30 January 2024

BLS Reports 2023 Union Membership Down… Again

Author: Michael Burns

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported union membership continued to decline in 2023. The BLS reported that private sector union membership increased by 191,000 members during the year. Union representation was 11.2% of workers in 2023 down from 11.3% in 2022.

Non-union Employers Should Be Preparing for 2024

2 January 2024

Non-union Employers Should Be Preparing for 2024

Author: Michael Burns

As we closed out 2023, unions continued to win recognition elections at a rate of almost 75%. In 2023 this percentage is from 1,316 certification elections run nationally. This included an overall win rate in September, 2023 of 91%. This win rate was for recognition certification elections – also called RC elections.

Expect Union Organizing to be Speedy in 2024

2 January 2024

Expect Union Organizing to be Speedy in 2024

Author: Anthony Kaylin

On December 26, 2023, representation case procedures changed under a rule published in August 2023 by the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”).  Essentially, the rule is reimplementing the 2014 Obama era “Quickie Election” rules.  

Employers Brace for Impact After UAW Wins

19 December 2023

Employers Brace for Impact After UAW Wins

Author: Kevin Marrs

Labor contracts of large employers can significantly impact smaller related employers through a series of economic forces. One primary mechanism is the influence of wage and benefit standards set by major corporations within a specific industry. When large companies establish high standards in their labor contracts, it creates a benchmark that smaller employers often feel compelled to meet to attract and retain skilled and experienced workers.

UAW President Vows Increased Organizing Push on Non-union Auto and Supplier Companies

28 November 2023

UAW President Vows Increased Organizing Push on Non-union Auto and Supplier Companies

Author: Michael Burns

Shaun Fain, UAW President, is not only taking a victory lap around the recent contract settlements with the Detroit Three, but he has also repeatedly vowed to organize the other non-union auto manufacturers and their suppliers so that in 2028 he will be bargaining against the Big Five or Six.

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Knocks One of the Biden NLRB’s First Pro- Labor Rule Changes

21 November 2023

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Knocks One of the Biden NLRB’s First Pro- Labor Rule Changes

Author: Michael Burns

What the National Labor Relations Board seeks to give unions, the Courts taketh away. Since the beginning of the Biden era, the NLRB has issued ruling after ruling challenging employers’ policies as anti-union. Many policies that have been acceptable for years are now being cast as anti-union and in turn, an unfair labor practice.

Ford, GM, and Stellantis Start Settlement of UAW Strike with Tentative Agreements

31 October 2023

Ford, GM, and Stellantis Start Settlement of UAW Strike with Tentative Agreements

Author: Michael Burns

Last Wednesday Ford Motor Company reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers. Though it remains to be seen what else was agreed to, the tentative deal increases wages 25% over the life of the contract. Top wage jobs will see cumulative wages rise 30% to over $40/hr. Starting wages will increase 68% to over $28/hr.  Stellantis agreed to a similar deal last Saturday that mirrors the Ford deal.

UAW Continues to Press Its Demands and Call for More Strikes

17 October 2023

UAW Continues to Press Its Demands and Call for More Strikes

Author: Michael Burns

As the UAW strike enters its 5th week, Shawn Fain, UAW President, continues to call on more plants to strike and continues to increase pressure on the Detroit Three. Last week, Fain called on Ford’s Kentucky plant’s 8700 union workers to walk off the job having received Ford’s latest proposal at a meeting that Fain took just ten minutes to leave saying, “You just lost Kentucky Truck Plant.”

Could Responding to an Employee Feedback Program Create a Union?

3 October 2023

Could Responding to an Employee Feedback Program Create a Union?

Author: Anthony Kaylin

In a case before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C., the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is claiming a program that solicits employee feedback created a union because the company discussed the issues with the employees (T-Mobile v. NLRB, Nos. 22-1310 and 23-1002). 

UAW Labor Strike Fall-Out Concerns and Actions

26 September 2023

UAW Labor Strike Fall-Out Concerns and Actions

Author: Michael Burns

Businesses that may face their own fallout from the UAW strike against the Detroit Three should be cognizant of some resources and obligations. During ASE’s bi-weekly Conversations with Mike & Tony webinar, we asked the participants if they foresaw a direct impact from the strike in the next 30 days. 26% said they did, and the biggest percentage of those indicated the impact would be employee layoffs.

NLRB Joins Non-compete and Training Repayment Fray

19 September 2023

NLRB Joins Non-compete and Training Repayment Fray

Author: Michael Burns

Earlier this year the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued proposed rules prohibiting the use of non-compete agreements with most employees. Non-compete agreements restrict an employee from leaving an employer and taking another job – usually but not always – in the same business, for a specific period of time and within a limited geographic area. Historically the purpose of non-compete agreements was to protect confidential information about a business from being poached by a...
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