Our Troutman Sanders LLP Labor & Employment Group just sent out an Advisory on the NLRB’s Union Rights Poster Rule. In a nutshell, the Rule — which requires employers to put up posters informing employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act — was supposed to go into effect on April 30, 2012. However, a federal district court last week found the rule to be invalid.
Batter Up! Will Baseball’s Social Media Policy Strike Out?
By Evan Pontz on
Posted in Labor, Trade Secrets/Data Privacy
With baseball season underway, minds have turned to “America’s Pastime.” Major League Baseball, like every employer should, has issued a social media policy. A quick review raises questions about whether portions of the policy will “strike out” if reviewed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which has been very active in reviewing employer policies and actions relating to social media use by employees. The NLRB is concerned by social media policies it views as unfairly restricting employees — including those not even working in a unionized workplace — from engaging in “protected concerted activity” as defined by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Simply put, restricting employees from freely discussing their “conditions of work” is considered a violation of Section 7.
So, will Major League Baseball’s social media policy be “safe” at home? Let’s play umpire…
The NLRB Wants Your Attention
By Evan Pontz on
There are plenty of HR professionals who do not deal with a unionized workforce. Certainly some of them have an understandable tendency to gloss over matters concerning the National Labor Relations Board and similar topics. The current NLRB (with three recent appointees of President Obama) wants you to pay attention to them, and is taking steps to make themselves and potential unionization issues relevant to every workforce.
Below is an Advisory that was issued this afternoon by Troutman Sanders’ Labor & Employment Group that shows how the NLRB intends to exert its influence onto every employer. All HR professionals need to stay alert, pay attention, and tune in to these issues, even (and perhaps especially) if you do not have unionized employees.