Posts tagged NLRA
The Fast and the Spurious: Teamster allies push Faster Labor Contracts Act
April 30, 2026 // For union leaders, the important part is just getting the contract signed. The fact that it is flawed or potentially unworkable is secondary to generating union dues. Unions typically demand that contracts contain so-called security clauses, provisions that require management to automatically deduct union dues from workers’ paychecks and route them into the labor organization’s account. That’s the real reason for the urgency to get the contract.
Brown’s graduate union wants to make history. Labor experts say the journey may be strenuous.
April 23, 2026 // The union has not yet brought the case to the state labor board. But in an interview with The Herald, Michael Ziegler GS, the president of GLO’s parent group RIFT-AFT Local 6516, said the union was prepared to do so if they feel it is needed. Fellows must be considered employees by law in order to unionize, Herbert explained. “The fundamental question is whether or not the employer pays specifically for work being performed and has control over that work.”
Nurses file unfair labor charges against Teamsters Local 332 amid ongoing strike
April 22, 2026 // According to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), some nurses have filed unfair labor charges against their union, Teamsters Local 332. Charges were filed on March 31, April 10, and April 14. They claim the Union violated the National Labor Relations Act, and they claim a violation of employee rights specific to a picketing or strike action as well as allegations of related harassment and coercion.
Brown declines to voluntarily recognize graduate fellow unionization
April 16, 2026 // In an email sent to GLO on Monday and obtained by The Herald, Brown’s Director of Employee and Labor Relations Benjamin Trachman claimed that the National Labor Relations Act, which governs private employers, preempts Rhode Island legislation passed in August codifying graduate student employees’ right to unionize. As such, Trachman wrote, the provisions of the Rhode Island legislation GLO has cited “do not govern the determination of employee status or collective bargaining obligations for fellows at Brown.
Spring Hill Wells Fargo Staff Set To Vote On Ousting Union Following ‘Broken Promises’
March 24, 2026 // The federal agency has scheduled a “decertification” election for Monday, March 30, which will determine whether the union loses its authority to represent the branch’s employees. The push for the vote was led by employee Virginia Fenton, who received legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation to navigate the filing process. The move comes after Fenton successfully gathered enough signatures from her colleagues to meet the federal threshold required to trigger a secret-ballot election.
Editorial Board: In defense of the secret ballot
March 15, 2026 // In the case decided by the 6th Circuit, Brown-Forman challenged the basis for the NLRB’s Cemex ruling and won. The supposedly unfair labor practice committed at its Woodford Reserve bourbon distillery was giving workers a $4-per-hour raise, expanding merit-based salary increases, offering more vacation time and providing free bottles of bourbon. The employees voted 45-14 against unionizing, but the NLRB ordered the company to bargain with that union anyway. The advantage of secret-ballot elections is that workers are free of coercion by unions or employers when deciding whether they wish to unionize. It also ensures that their decisions are anonymous, so they won’t fear retaliation or harassment by aggressive union organizers or the people who pay their salaries. A secret ballot is far more likely to reflect their true views.
Letter to NLRB General Counsel Crystal Carey: Refocusing Federal Labor Policy on Worker Choice and Due Process
March 11, 2026 // The Coalition to Protect American Workers (CPAW) and the Institute for the American Worker (I4AW) today sent a joint letter to NLRB General Counsel Crystal Carey urging swift action to reverse Biden-era labor policies that erode worker choice, restrict employer free speech, and weaponize procedural tools to block workers from voting on their own representation. The letter urges General Counsel Carey to prioritize three reforms: cementing secret-ballot elections as the foundation of representation decisions; restoring Employer Meetings on Unionization so workers hear both sides before they vote; and ending blocking charges that freeze elections while investigations proceed.
Sixth Circuit Dumps NLRB’s Cemex Ruling to Police Elections
March 9, 2026 // Beyond negating Cemex in the Sixth Circuit, the court’s decision strikes a blow at the NLRB’s fundamental authority to set national labor policy through individual case rulings. While the board is expected to overturn Cemex after its Republican majority gets a crucial third member, the current members recently emphasized their preference for setting policy through case adjudication rather than rarely used rulemaking power. Under Cemex, the NLRB can impose a bargaining order when an employer that was presented with a valid demand for union recognition commits unfair labor practices in the runup to a vote.
21st Century Worker Act Aims to End Worker Classification Confusion
March 6, 2026 // Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the 21st Century Worker Act, a much needed practical step to clear up persistent confusion surrounding worker classification under federal law. The bill would replace the current patchwork of conflicting standards under the Fair Labor Standards Act, National Labor Relations Act, and Internal Revenue Code with a single, clear bright line test for determining independent contractor status across federal labor and tax statutes. It also directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the impact of these new standards and allows workers and businesses freedom to mutually elect worker status in cases where conventional classifications do not apply clearly.
Stacked Deck: How the NLRA Favors Organized Labor and Fails Workers
March 4, 2026 // Today we find a law of unintended consequences. The interests of the workers are often buried under legal precedents and arcane labor rules that make it hard, if not impossible, to make informed decisions regarding unionization. Moreover, the NLRA’s legal landscape is unpredictable and so complex that only the largest employers have a chance of successfully navigating it.