National Labor Relations Board Update: Board Reverses or "Clarifies" Several of Its Prior Decisions

October 2011
Employment Law Notes
The National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) has issued a number of recent noteworthy opinions either overturning prior Board decisions or clarifying longstanding Board rules. Specifically, in recent months, the Board has: (1) allowed the formation of so-called “micro-units”; (2) revived the successor bar doctrine; (3) eliminated the early opportunity for employees to decertify a voluntarily-recognized union; and (4) limited an employer’s ability to unilaterally enact workplace rules without first engaging in bargaining. These developments are a major victories for organized labor and are likely not the last ones labor will receive from the Obama Board.