On December 12, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) finalized a new rule amending its representation case procedures. Employers should be aware of how the new rule will affect union organization in the workplace. The rule is aimed at “streamlining and modernizing” union election procedures so as to “expeditiously resolv[e] questions of representation.” The
Union Organizing and Collective Bargaining
Article Emphasizes Importance of Anti-Discrimination Policies
Bass, Berry & Sims attorneys Tim Garrett and Dustin Carlton authored the article “Handling Workplace Issues in a Politically Charged Climate” that was published by InsideCounsel on December 17. Citing heightened public interest in an employer’s response to workplace harassment due to recent high profile NFL scandals, the authors remind employers about best practices related…
Analyzing recent NFL scandals: Is some conduct ever ‘off duty’?
Bass, Berry & Sims attorneys Tim Garrett and Dustin Carlton authored the article “Analyzing Recent NFL Scandals: Is Some Conduct Ever ‘Off Duty’?” that was published by InsideCounsel on December 4. In the article, the authors discuss recent allegations involving off-duty behavior of NFL players and how the league responded to the behavior. The authors…
Pro-Union Impact of NLRB Decision in Northwestern University Case
Bass, Berry & Sims attorneys Tim Garrett and Dustin Carlton authored the article “NLRB’s Expansive View: The Northwestern ‘Football’ Ruling and Why Inside Counsel Should Care,” that was published by InsideCounsel on November 13. In the article, the authors discuss how the recent NLRB decision in the Northwestern University case may indicate a broader approach…
NLRB Orders Review of Decision that Northwestern Football Players are Primarily Employees
By Tim K. Garrett on
In a short ruling issued Thursday, April 24, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) granted Northwestern University’s request for review of a regional director’s decision that Northwestern football players are primarily employees and therefore can be represented by a union. Readers will recall the extensive discussion triggered first by a petition for representation filed in…
NLRB Regional Director Sets April 25 as Date for Northwestern Football Players Union
By Tim K. Garrett on
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Regional Director has set April 25 as the date for the union vote for Northwestern University’s scholarship football players. As readers of this blog will recall, that vote will determine whether the scholarship football players elect the College Athletes Players Association (CAPA) as their bargaining representative. It is still not…
Further Reflections on Unions in College Football – Is “student athlete” a misnomer?
By Tim K. Garrett on
Is this the beginning of the end of college football as we know it? Some argue that the end already has begun, with the “big money” of television and the corresponding commercialization prevalent in the sport. Some argue that in today’s major college football and basketball, the phrase “student-athlete” is a misnomer.
Has the end begun? Perhaps, but as predicted below, look for a legislative initiative to be triggered.
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NLRB Regional Director Finds that Scholarship Football Players at Northwestern are Employees, not “Primarily Students” and Orders Union Election
By Tim K. Garrett on
Readers of this blog will recall our post on January 30 of this year, found here, regarding the effort by certain Northwestern University football players to unionize scholarship players on the team. Many pundits (including this one) predicted that even this National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) would not find that the players were employees. Wrong (at least so far)!
Continue Reading NLRB Regional Director Finds that Scholarship Football Players at Northwestern are Employees, not “Primarily Students” and Orders Union Election
VW Aftermath – Factors Still Favor Non-Union South
Much speculation abounds regarding why workers at the Volkswagen (VW) plant in Chattanooga rejected the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) in a recent vote. Factors appeared to be aligning in favor of the UAW, such as
- Statements of support for the union from VW representatives in Germany.
- Access to the plant for union organizers.
- Promise of a “works council” type approach to unionization.
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College Football and Labor Law? Let the Debate Begin
By Tim K. Garrett on
A group of football players at Northwestern University has teamed with the United Steelworkers Union and formed a labor union, the College Athletes Players Association (CAPA). What’s more, the players have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), at its regional office in Chicago, to have CAPA recognized as the players’ exclusive bargaining representative in negotiations with the players’ “employer.”
Continue Reading College Football and Labor Law? Let the Debate Begin