Thursday, September 15, 2011

LABOR BOARD ISSUES RULE REQUIRING EMPLOYERS TO POST NOTICES ON UNION RIGHTS

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Washington, D.C., has just issued an advance copy of its final rule requiring nearly every U.S. employer to post a notice in the workplace about the right to organize a union. The rule will take effect in 75 days, or on November 14th. For a fact sheet, visit: http://www.nlrb.gov/

I am on the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce board of directors and earlier this year, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry signed onto comments regarding NLRB's proposed rule, arguing, among other things, that the notice requirement is unnecessary, biased and beyond the authority of the NLRB. It appears the NLRB did make some modest changes to its February draft. For example, it dropped the requirement that employers must "distribute the posting by e-mail, Twitter or other electronic means." NLRB member, Brian Hayes (R) voted against the final rule, while Chair Wilma Liebman (D) and members, Mark Pearce (D) and Craig Becker (D) voted to approve. With NLRB Chair Liebman's term expiring soon, some analysts believe that the NLRB may issue a flurry of decisions over the next few weeks.