Labor Relations / Unions

Employment law update: FMLA & ADA, FLSA & higher education

06/14/2018

Here are updates on the interaction between the FMLA and the ADA, and on the U. S. Department of Labor’s new guidance on the FLSA and higher educational institutions.

Department of Labor opinion letters are back

06/14/2018

As part of fulfilling its mission to enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act, the FMLA and other laws—and in recognition of their complexity—the DOL allows employers to ask specific questions about how to comply.

NLRB: Withholding Disney bonuses wasn’t an unfair labor practice

06/05/2018

The NLRB has ruled that Walt Disney World in Florida did not violate the National Labor Relations Act when it withheld $1,000 bonuses from union members unless they ratified a new union contract.

Unions win more elections during Trump administration

05/21/2018

Unions won 1,013 organizing elections in 2017, the first year of the Trump presidency. That’s up from 998 elections in 2016.

NLRB wants to settle troublesome joint employer issue with new rule

05/15/2018

The National Labor Relations Board is considering enacting a rule to address the standard for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act.

Trump nominates Gustafson to be EEOC’s top lawyer

04/30/2018

President Trump has nominated Washington, D.C.-area attorney Sharon Fast Gustafson to be the new general counsel to the EEOC. The general counsel is the commission’s top litigator.

Lowry tapped for DOL post overseeing veterans employment

04/24/2018

The Trump administration has nominated John Lowry to become assistant labor secretary for veterans employment and training.

Ring confirmed for NLRB, is immediately appointed chair

04/17/2018

The Senate confirmed employment lawyer John Ring to fill the last remaining vacancy on the National labor Relations Board. The next morning, President Trump announced Ring would become chair of the NLRB. Republicans again hold a 3-2 majority on the board.

Unfair labor practices can result in union win even if employees voted union down

04/09/2018

Facing a push for unionization? Be careful! If you aggressively resist efforts to unionize and end up committing an unfair labor practice in the process, you may end up with a union workplace, even if employees vote down the union.

Spending bill makes it illegal to confiscate employees’ tips

03/27/2018

Employers won’t be allowed to pocket employees’ tips under the Department of Labor’s controversial proposed tip pooling rule now that President Trump has signed stop-gap spending legislation.