The Beltway Buzz™ is a weekly update summarizing labor and employment news from inside the Beltway and clarifying how what’s happening in Washington, D.C., could impact your business....more
On November 13, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a decision in Amazon.com Services LLC, holding that "captive-audience meetings" are unlawful under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This decision...more
In an apparent effort to publish as many worker-friendly opinions as possible before the transition of power from President Joe Biden to President-elect Donald Trump, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) issued...more
On November 13, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”) overturned Babcock & Wilcox, 77 NLRB 577 (1948), which had—for over 75 years—protected employers’ right to hold mandatory meetings on their premises to...more
On November 8, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) handed down its decision in Siren Retail Corp. d/b/a Starbucks, 373 NLRB 135, turning 40-year-old precedent regarding what employers can and cannot...more
The International Longshoremen’s Association (“ILA”) ended a three-day strike at certain East Coast and Gulf Ports until January 15, 2025. If a new contract is not finalized with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (“USMX”) then...more
Parties to the Dispute- The union and management teams reached a settlement agreement that was announced on October 4, 2024 to end the port strike. The settlement does not resolve the issues, but extends the master...more
For the first time in almost 50 years, nearly 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) initiated strikes at ports across the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast ports on October 1, 2024....more
The International Longshoremen’s Association (“ILA”) will have no contract if the current terms expire on September 30, 2024, without a new deal. ILA representatives have indicated that a strike is imminent on October 1,...more
On September 30, 2024, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) labor agreement with U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast port operators ends. With negotiations over the summer unsuccessful, the possibility of a strike...more
On September 6, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation prohibiting employers from disciplining employees who choose not to attend captive audience meetings. Enactment of this legislation comes as no surprise,...more
In recent weeks, both the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “Board”) and U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) have signaled or put into effect several pro-union initiatives. Collectively, these moves will...more
The Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act (MPPAA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act’s (ERISA) progeny, can create significant unexpected liabilities for companies that have agreed to collective bargaining...more
The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO Act) (H.R. 842) is a sweeping effort to amend longstanding labor laws to facilitate union and employee organizing efforts. The union-friendly legislation would make the most...more
On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.1 With the PRO Act, House and Senate Democrats seek to amend the National Labor Relations Act. Here, we outline a...more
In brief: A sharp pivot toward employee- and union-friendly executive actions and legislation. Here’s what we mean. Executive Order 13950 - As we’ve reported, President Biden Revokes Executive Order 13950 | Arent Fox,...more
Labor law, along with other employment-related policy matters, is at the forefront of the political, economic, and oftentimes cultural divide in the nation. With the change in Presidential administrations, some knowledgeable...more
The COVID-19 outbreak has rendered many workplaces dormant, but frontline workers in the grocery, delivery, and medical fields are feeling the effects of the massive influx in demand for their services caused by the pandemic....more
If you use union employees in your projects, you may contribute to a multiemployer pension plan—perhaps a few cents or few dollars per hour worked. However, some employers are surprised to learn they could be assessed with...more
In a case of first impression, a divided panel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) ruled that the stand-alone misclassification of a worker as an independent contractor instead of an employee does not...more
Sales of small businesses have gone “through the roof,” according to a CBS News report released last summer. In many instances, larger businesses are acquiring smaller businesses because it’s the easiest way to obtain skilled...more
From joint employment concerns to questions about email use and employee handbooks, employers today face a host of modern labor law issues amid a continually changing political and legal landscape. In this Expert Analysis...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) moved one step closer to undoing President Obama's permanently enjoined “persuader activity” regulation when, on June 12, the agency issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for reverse...more
Years ago, as a naïve associate at a semi-prestigious law firm, I got the short end of the stick to attend a quarterly Taft-Hartley meeting in Staten Island. If you ever have to drive from Long Island to Staten Island, you...more
Organized labor in the United States has experienced a steady decline in the last several decades, from a peak union membership rate of 35% during the mid-1950s to 10.7% in the year 2016. For the private sector, the decline...more