The Employment Lawyers

The newly Republican-majority National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been busy — just yesterday  overturning two employee-friendly standards.

First, the Board overturned its decision in Browning-Ferris, which said that “indirect control” or the ability to exert such control over another company’s workers is sufficient to make a you a joint employer. With this ruling, the Board returned to its more employer-friendly joint employer standard, which looks to “direct and immediate” control.

Second, the Board reversed its aggressive position on employee handbook policies and provisions. Previously, the Board had held that a policy is illegal if employees could “reasonably construe” it to prohibit them from exercising their rights to come together (or collectively bargain) under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This standard had been used by the board to find many employer policies (such as social media and confidentiality policies) illegal. However, per yesterday’s decision, the Board will instead be focusing on the “nature and extent” of a challenged policy’s “potential impact on NLRA rights” and the “legitimate justifications associated with the rule” — which together make for a far more pro-employer approach.

Employers now find themselves in a far better position when it comes to joint employer claims and handbook policy challenges. We expect to see additional employer-friendly decisions soon, so stay tuned.