J.O. Mory, Inc. represents a continuation of the Board’s attack on noncompetition agreements and a notable expansion to now target nonsolicitation covenants. Employers should take particular care to review the language of nonsolicitation agreements with covered employees to ensure that they are not likely to be construed to chill employees’ — and former employees’ — engagement in protected activity.
To view the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.
This decision has largely been cast as a win for Starbucks and a blow for labor. However, as other courts had already recognized, there is no language in the National Labor Relations Act that grants the NLRB special access to the powerful tool of preliminary injunctions. SCOTUS’s decision merely standardized that recognition across the federal circuits.
To view the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.
On April 23, 2024, in a 3-2 vote along party lines, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule that will ban essentially all employment noncompete agreements nationwide. This alert dives into the key takeaways and what to expect next.
To view the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.
The decision held that the basketball players were employees of Dartmouth because the college had the right to control their work by scheduling practice times, strictly managing away-game travel, and issuing a handbook of rules, which players must follow; and because the college compensated the players for their work. The decision dismisses Dartmouth’s contention that athletic clothing and equipment, which the school provides equally to all team members free of charge, is not salary because the college does not provide more of these items to its starters compared to nonstarters. While the Board rejected Dartmouth’s request to stay the election pending appeal, a full appeal of the merits of the regional directors will soon see the Board members weigh in on this extraordinary extension of the agency’s jurisdiction into amateur athletics.
To view the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.
What does it mean if a union makes a “demand for recognition,” or “request for voluntary recognition” to an employer? What does a union mean when it says it has a “showing of interest” or “proof of majority support” or “majority status,” or that it has been “designated as Section 9(a) representative by the majority of employees in an appropriate unit”?
These magic words are now of critical importance to employers and their employees due to a dramatic change the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced on August 25, 2023, in how it interprets the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Continue reading “The New Critical Importance of a Union Request for Recognition”
A recent employer settlement with a National Labor Relations Board Region shows that the General Counsel is not just focused on noncompetition restrictions, but also nonsolicitation restrictions that the General Counsel believes are overbroad.