By Alex Meier

Seyfarth Synopsis: The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) sent shockwaves through the employment landscape when General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo took the position that the “proffer, maintenance, and enforcement” of restrictive covenants could violate Section 7 and Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”).

As we previously blogged, the NLRB seemingly took the position

Continue Reading Is the NLRB’s New Stance on Restrictive Covenants Mostly Bark With a Little Bite?

By Alex Meier and Cary Reid Burke 

Seyfarth Synopsis: The National Labor Relations Board moved from theory to practice in this administration’s battle against restrictive covenants. Recently, the Regional Director of Region 9 of the National Labor Relations Board filed a consolidated complaint alleging that certain restrictive covenants contained in offer letters and policies in an employee handbook violated

Continue Reading We’ve Got a Test Case: The NLRB Files its First Complaint Challenging the Validity of Restrictive Covenants

By Molly Gabel and Rachael Reed

Seyfarth Synopsis: On August 31, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board’s Democratic majority issued a decision in American Federation for Children, Inc. The ruling expands the scope of activities protected by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to include statutory employees’ efforts to advocate for nonemployees. To reach this outcome, the

Continue Reading NLRB Expands Section 7 Protections to Workers Who Advocate for Nonemployees

By Jamie RichLisa Nichols, and Joe Vento

Seyfarth Synopsis: On August 25, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) issued its much-anticipated Cemex decision, which has broad implications for union organizing. It handed unions a win with a partial return to the Joy Silk standard.

Now, if a union demands recognition from an employer because it claims that it

Continue Reading Board Wipes Out Decades of Precedent with Card Check Requirements, Punts on Issuing “Captive Audience” Ban or New Rules About Employer Speech

By Sul Ah Kim and Cary R. Burke

Seyfarth Synopsis: Earlier this week, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) overturned established precedent and held that a facially neutral work rule is presumptively unlawful if a “reasonable” employee predisposed to engaging in protected concerted activity could interpret the rule to have a “coercive meaning.” Stericycle, Inc., 372 NLRB

Continue Reading The NLRB’s “Reasonable Employee” Definition Defies Common Sense: Time to Review Your Work Rules and Policies…Again

By Elliot Fink and Cary Burke

Seyfarth Synopsis: In The Atlanta Opera, 372 NLRB 95 (2023), the National Labor Relations Board overturned Trump-era precedent by modifying its independent contractor test and returning to the test announced by the Obama Board. The NLRB now will review a multitude of enumerated and non-enumerated factors when determining independent contractor status, with no

Continue Reading Dressing Up the Standard In a New Wardrobe: NLRB Decision Spells Curtains for Trump Board Independent Contractor Test

By A. Scott HeckerAdam R. YoungPatrick D. JoyceJames L. Curtis, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: On April 14, 2023, we attended a webinar presented by U.S. DOL Solicitor Seema Nanda, DOL Wage and Hour Division Principal Deputy Jessica Looman, DOL Occupational Safety and Health Administration Assistant Secretary Doug Parker, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo

Continue Reading Looking to Prevent and Address Workplace Retaliation, Government Leaders from DOL, NLRB, and EEOC Present Employers with “Best Practices”

By Jennifer L. Mora and Jeffrey A. Berman

Seyfarth Synopsis: With a new President comes a shift in the balance of power at the National Labor Relations Board. To start, shortly after President Biden took office in January, the NLRB’s sole Democrat, Chairman McFerran, issued several dissents that provided a window into what the future would look like  under
Continue Reading Don’t Let the Pendulum Hit You as it Swings: NLRB General Counsel Previews a Pro-Labor Agenda

By: Jennifer L. Mora and Jeffrey A. Berman

The National Labor Relations Board’s sole Democrat, Chairman Lauren McFerran, has issued two new dissents that portend how a Biden Board likely will reverse precedent established by the Trump Board. This update is our fourth in a multi-part series discussing how Chairman McFerran’s dissents are likely to become the law once President
Continue Reading Back To The Future, Part Four: The Possible Reinstatement Of Obama-Board Rules

By Chuck Guzak

Seyfarth Synopsis: On May 4, 2021, Seyfarth attorneys convened a webinar entitled “The Biden Administration: Actions on Labor & Employment in the First 100 Days.”  A panel composed of Leon Rodriguez, Tracy Billows, Scott Mallery, Scott Hecker,, and Kyllan Kershaw addressed a number of labor, employment and immigration related actions
Continue Reading The Biden Administration: Actions on Labor & Employment in the First 100 Days