NRF applauds latest labor decision

The National Retail Federation welcomed the National Labor Relations Board’s decision to reverse a ruling in Specialty Healthcare that allowed union leaders to gerrymander workplaces through “micro-unions.”

The decision is another in a line of decisions by the board that overturns an Obama-era decision that were widely criticized in business circles as pro-union and anti-business. The board is made up of five members with a Republican majority.

The board’s micro-union decision is expected to make it much easier for companies to challenge the creation of unions made up of sub-sets of employees – drivers or welders, for instance.

“On the heels of the ruling to overturn the expansive joint-employer standard, this is another excellent decision by the new NLRB,” NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said. “The Obama-era board’s move to validate micro-unions created division in workplaces, undermined retail operations and limited opportunities for hardworking employees for the sole purpose of empowering Big Labor. It’s clear this NLRB is serious about restoring common sense to the rules governing America’s workplaces.”

The joint-employer standard rule – or the Browning-Ferris rule -- was reversed earlier this month. According to the NRF, it would have allowed a business to be held accountable for the actions of another business, unfairly exposing them to lawsuits and liability.