Labor

Expert Analysis

• To Avoid A Rail Strike, Congress Tread A Well-Worn Path

  

  While the congressional legislation President Joe Biden signed this week to avoid a national rail shutdown may seem extraordinary, interventions of this sort have been used a dozen times since the passage of the Railway Labor Act in 1926, making them far from unprecedented, says Charles Shewmake at Holland & Knight.

• IRS Starts Clock On Energy Projects' Labor Rule Exemption

  

  A U.S. Department of the Treasury notice published this week started the 60-day clock for clean energy projects seeking to be grandfathered from having to meet new labor requirements to qualify for enhanced tax credits, and uncertainty about how the provisions will apply should be incentive for some investors to begin construction soon, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

• Top 10 Labor And Employment Issues In M&A Transactions

  

  In order to ensure that M&A transactions come to fruition in the current uncertain environment, companies should keep several labor and employment issues in mind during the due diligence process to minimize risk, says Cassidy Mara at Akerman.

• Does NLRA Preempt Suits Against Unions For Strike Damage?

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court is taking up Glacier v. Teamsters Local 174, whose central issue is whether the National Labor Relations Act preempts state lawsuits brought against unions for causing property damage while conducting strikes, which will affect the balance of power between unions and employers during labor disputes, say Michael Warner and Jenny Lee at Franczek.

• How Employers Can Prevent And Remedy Antisemitism

  

  The Brooklyn Nets' recent suspension of Kyrie Irving for espousing antisemitism is a reminder that employers must not tolerate discrimination in the workplace, and should should take steps to stop and abate the effects of the antisemitism, says Amy Epstein Gluck at FisherBroyles.

• Steps For 'Boys Markets' Relief For Unlawful Union Strikes

  Excerpt from Practical Guidance

  

  Tony Torain at Polsinelli offers employers a practical guide to applying for injunctive relief when faced with unlawful union strikes, using principles based on the 1970 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Boys Markets v. Retail Clerks Union.

• Employers Should Note Post-Midterms State Law Changes

  

  State ballot measures in the recent midterm elections could require employers to update policies related to drug use, wages, collective bargaining and benefit plans that offer access to abortion care — a reminder of the challenges in complying with the ever-changing patchwork of state workplace laws, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

• Weighing Workplace Surveillance For Remote Workers

  

  Workers who opt to continue working remotely after the COVID-19 pandemic remain under the watchful eye of their employers even from their own homes, but given the potential legal risks and adverse impacts on employee well-being, employers must create transparent policies and should reconsider their use of monitoring technologies at all, says Melissa Tribble at Sanford Heisler.

• Don't Ignore NLRA When Using Employee Resource Groups

  

  Companies often celebrate the benefits of employee resource groups when recruiting in a tight labor market, and while it’s not common to associate National Labor Relations Act protections with ERGs, employers should assess the potential for labor claims when using this worker engagement tool, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O’Connor.

• My Favorite Law Prof: How I Learned Education Never Ends

  

  D.C. Circuit Judge David Tatel reflects on what made Bernard Meltzer a brilliant teacher and one of his favorite professors at the University of Chicago Law School, and how Meltzer’s teachings extended well past graduation and guided Judge Tatel through some complicated opinions.

• How The NLRA May Slow Down The FAST Act

  

  California's Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act takes on many of the activities already managed by the National Labor Relations Act and may give rise to arguments that the new law is federally preempted, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

• Cos. Must Consider Union Vs. Nonunion Employee Treatment

  

  The National Labor Relations Board’s recent actions challenging Starbucks' exclusion of union employees from new benefits may guide employers on the treatment of union-represented employees versus others that are not, but companies should still beware of the NLRB’s tendency to shift positions with different administrations, says Hugh Murray at McCarter & English.

• How NLRB Status Quo Rule Change Affects Employers

  

  In its recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette decision, the National Labor Relations Board changed the application of the corollary to a rule that requires maintaining the status quo after a bargaining agreement expires, which could negatively affect employers by complicating operational decisions, says James Redeker at Duane Morris.