A recent report from the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions underscores the dramatic increase in unionization across higher education—particularly in the private...more
Last week, a coalition of 11 international unions, such as the SEIU, AFT, UAW, and CWA, representing faculty, staff, and graduate workers across college and university campuses around the country issued a “Statement of Unity”...more
In a recent case involving the application of the Board’s standard for the employee status of graduate students, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “Board”) denied a request for review of a Regional Director’s...more
Earlier this week, the National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo issued Memorandum GC 24-06 seeking to clarify the obligations imposed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) on academic institutions...more
8/8/2024
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Department of Education ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Educational Institutions ,
FERPA ,
New Guidance ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Privacy Laws ,
Unions ,
Written Consent
A growing trend of union organizing among undergraduate student workers reached a crescendo last week when a unit of 20,000 student assistants at California State University voted in favor of unionization.
California...more
With Congress failing to make the organizing process easier for unions, the NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo is now asking the Board to require employers to recognize unions without a secret ballot election.
As...more
4/14/2022
/ Collective Bargaining ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Rights ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Secret Ballot ,
Union Elections ,
Unions
As we discussed here, members of the House Education and Labor Committee have been attempting to end-run the procedural hurdles that have prevented the Protect the Right to Organize Act (“PRO Act”) legislation from becoming...more
10/29/2021
/ Budget Reconciliation ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NLRA ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions
The NLRB’s “contract coverage” standard for determining whether a collective bargaining agreement privileges an employer to unilaterally change terms and conditions of employment received support last week from a federal...more
8/18/2021
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
General Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRB ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
A split Board concluded this week that a union did not engage in unlawful secondary activity under the NLRA when it stationed a 12-foot-tall inflatable rat—known all too well by employers as “Scabby the Rat”—and two 8-foot...more
As we enter the second year of the pandemic, it has become increasingly apparent the various vaccinations approved for safeguarding against COVID-19 are a key element to returning to normal business operations. Employers...more
The Coronavirus pandemic has spawned a lot of questions—and a lot of headaches—for employers, who within the past year have needed to adapt to rapidly changing health, regulatory, and technological landscapes. With the...more
After publishing the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking over a year ago, followed by tens of thousands of public comments and many months of anticipating the final rule, the NLRB announced today that it will publish a Notice of...more
Recently, adjunct professors at Elon University and Ithaca College won victories before the NLRB and an American Arbitration Association arbitrator, respectively, that further bolster the position that adjunct, or contingent,...more
2/26/2021
/ Adjunct Faculty ,
Bargaining Units ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Professors ,
Unions ,
Universities
When an employee is disciplined and then claims the employer acted on account of union animus in violation of Section 8(a)(3) of the Act, evidence to support such a claim either can be proffered through direct evidence, such...more
12/16/2020
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Adverse Employment Action ,
Charging Party ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Failure to Investigate ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Unions ,
Wright Line Test
After a brief delay where the NLRB suspended all representation elections from March 19 through April 6, 2020, NLRB Regional Directors have since largely required elections to be held via mail ballot to curb the spread of...more
We have often reported about how an employer’s failure to adequately respond to an information request made by a union can lead to unfair labor practice charges and litigation. Sometimes a union makes an information request...more
As the NLRB continues to navigate the uncertainty in the work landscape during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it seems to have stayed largely on course, regularly issuing decisions touching on a number of important topics...more
Due to the sudden economic turbulence resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have been exploring ways to temporarily reduce operating costs. Many employers are seeking alternatives to layoffs. Such alternatives may...more
4/22/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Furloughs ,
Layoffs ,
NLRA ,
Pay Reductions ,
Reduction in Hours ,
Shared Work Program ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Unions ,
WARN Act