The National Labor Relations Board recently outlined its intention to to give “priority action” and a “speedy remedy” to cases where employees have been fired for union organizing.
Such incidents are known in labor circles as “nip in the bud” cases — because when somebody’s fired for union organizing, their co-workers begin to fear for their own jobs. And the union push is nipped in the bud.
Short time frame
Lafe Solomon, the acting general counsel for the NRLB, recently outlined a streamlined process for acting on unlawful-discharge claims in a memo to the Labor Board’s regional directors.
He directed NLRB officials to attempt to obtain all of the complainant’s evidence within 14 days of the filing of a “nip in the bud” case, and make a decision on whether to take court action against the employer within 49 days of the filing.
Continuing program
What’s it mean to you? Directly, probably not much, especially if you’re not looking at a movement to organize your company.
But the move is yet another reminder of the pro-employee stance of the Obama administration.
Combine the new aggressiveness of the NRLB with the DOL’s crackdown on wage-and-hour issues, the expanded definition of disability under the ADA and the feds’ targeting employers for I-9 audits, and the picture’s pretty clear.
If there was ever a time to get your policies and procedures in airtight shape, it’s now.
