For much of the last decade, a legal and regulatory storm at the state and federal level has surrounded classification of workers as “independent contractors” or “employees.” The dramatic growth of the gig economy has contributed to the upheaval.
It appears that in the case of most employees, agreement with the concept of unions in principle does not translate into a willingness to vote a union into their workplaces.
Do you hire other companies to complete jobs in your workplace? Did you realize that you could be liable for labor violations that the company commits while working there? There are two pending and one recently decided case that will alter how franchisees, general and sub-contractors, and other companies operate. These cases will impact whether employers are responsible as joint employers for violations that other companies may commit.
With the election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, the business community can almost certainly look forward to a new era. Although many of Trump’s policies on labor and employment-related laws and regulations have yet to be fully developed, there are many Obama-era initiatives that could face significant changes under the new Republican administration.
For employers with a union workforce — or a workforce that could unionize — complying with the National Labor Relations Act is an ongoing headache. That headache will only intensify thanks to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency responsible for regulating labor law.
Elections often stir up passionate feelings — and that seems to be particularly true this year. As politicians and voters gear up for Tuesday, Nov. 8, employers may not know that their workers have certain rights when it comes to elections, and corporations even have rights of their own.
In the first part of this two-part series, we looked at upcoming regulatory changes that will definitely affect many organizations. Here, we look at court rulings and state laws that promise more expenses, paperwork, and headaches for many more companies.
The NLRB has regularly ruled that employees have the right to complain and even insult their employers online, as long as doing so constitutes “protected activity.” When developing policies around how workers can talk about their workplaces on social media, companies must be careful that they don’t violate federal laws.