The material on this website is provided by Beeson, Tayer & Bodine for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult with their own legal counsel before acting on any of the information presented. Some of the articles are updated periodically, and are marked with the date of the last update. Again, readers should consult with their own legal counsel for the most current information and to obtain professional advice before acting on any of the information presented.
Labor Law (Private Sector)
NLRB Decision Will Significantly Help Organizing Temporary/Agency Employees
July 15, 2016 by
Sheila Sexton
It has become more and more common over the last 25 years: An employer contracts with an agency for temporary workers to work alongside its regular employees, performing the exact same work. Often the only difference between… Read More
Expanding Income Inequality: More Evidence That We Need Unions Now More Than Ever
June 28, 2016 by
Andrew Baker
A new study by the Urban Institute has found that the upper middle class is at its largest and richest. The study defines upper middle class as a household of three earning between $100,000 and… Read More
Court Strikes Down Class Action Arbitration Waivers
June 1, 2016 by
Christopher Hammer
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on May 26 issued a watershed decision banning mandatory employment arbitration agreements that bar employees from bringing class-action claims. (Lewis v. Epic Systems Corp.) The court’s decision aligns it… Read More
Can You Tell the Difference Between Protected & Unprotected Activity?
April 13, 2016 by
Sheila Sexton
Unions and their advocates have been fighting nationwide for paid sick leave, with California implementing a new leave law in 2014. In Minnesota, there is no paid sick leave law – yet – but one group of… Read More
New DOL Rule Demands the Curtain Be Pulled Aside on Union Busting Consultants
April 6, 2016 by
Andrew Baker
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. The great Oz has spoken,” the actor Frank Morgan thundered in the famous 1939 movie. If you believe in what an outside expert drafted for you… Read More
NLRB Bars Blanket Workplace Recording Bans
March 23, 2016 by
Andrew Baker
The UFCW scored a victory for Whole Foods Market employees who complained about a company rule prohibiting the recording of all workplace conversations. The UFCW challenged the rule in an unfair labor practice charge filed… Read More
“A crisis from which we bleed” –Martin Luther King, labor and wealth inequality
January 18, 2016 by
Teague Paterson
Throughout his life Dr. King recognized the dangers of economic inequality, both because its sting is disproportionately felt by African-Americans and as a barrier to democratic participation. Dr. King was as concerned with wealth inequality… Read More
DC Circuit Approves NLRB Decision Striking Down Handbook Rules
December 30, 2015 by
Andrew Baker
The NLRB in recent years has aggressively reviewed employee handbook rules to determine whether the rules unlawfully interfere with employee rights to act collectively about their working conditions and to form and join unions. If… Read More
Court Affirms NLRB’s Protection of Employee Facebook Postings Slamming Employer
October 28, 2015 by
Andrew Baker
A federal court of appeal has affirmed an NLRB decision that held that an employee’s complaints about the workplace posted to social media could constitute protected action under Section 7 of the NLRA, even if… Read More
Unions Are Good For Kids!
October 21, 2015 by
Andrew Baker
Intergenerational income mobility is relatively low in the U.S. For example, a U.S. child born in the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution has a 7.5 percent probability of reaching the top 20 percent… Read More
NLRB Decision Will Significantly Help Organizing Temporary/Agency Employees
July 15, 2016 by Sheila Sexton
It has become more and more common over the last 25 years: An employer contracts with an agency for temporary workers to work alongside its regular employees, performing the exact same work. Often the only difference between… Read More
Expanding Income Inequality: More Evidence That We Need Unions Now More Than Ever
June 28, 2016 by Andrew Baker
A new study by the Urban Institute has found that the upper middle class is at its largest and richest. The study defines upper middle class as a household of three earning between $100,000 and… Read More
Court Strikes Down Class Action Arbitration Waivers
June 1, 2016 by Christopher Hammer
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on May 26 issued a watershed decision banning mandatory employment arbitration agreements that bar employees from bringing class-action claims. (Lewis v. Epic Systems Corp.) The court’s decision aligns it… Read More
Can You Tell the Difference Between Protected & Unprotected Activity?
April 13, 2016 by Sheila Sexton
Unions and their advocates have been fighting nationwide for paid sick leave, with California implementing a new leave law in 2014. In Minnesota, there is no paid sick leave law – yet – but one group of… Read More
New DOL Rule Demands the Curtain Be Pulled Aside on Union Busting Consultants
April 6, 2016 by Andrew Baker
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. The great Oz has spoken,” the actor Frank Morgan thundered in the famous 1939 movie. If you believe in what an outside expert drafted for you… Read More
NLRB Bars Blanket Workplace Recording Bans
March 23, 2016 by Andrew Baker
The UFCW scored a victory for Whole Foods Market employees who complained about a company rule prohibiting the recording of all workplace conversations. The UFCW challenged the rule in an unfair labor practice charge filed… Read More
“A crisis from which we bleed” –Martin Luther King, labor and wealth inequality
January 18, 2016 by Teague Paterson
Throughout his life Dr. King recognized the dangers of economic inequality, both because its sting is disproportionately felt by African-Americans and as a barrier to democratic participation. Dr. King was as concerned with wealth inequality… Read More
DC Circuit Approves NLRB Decision Striking Down Handbook Rules
December 30, 2015 by Andrew Baker
The NLRB in recent years has aggressively reviewed employee handbook rules to determine whether the rules unlawfully interfere with employee rights to act collectively about their working conditions and to form and join unions. If… Read More
Court Affirms NLRB’s Protection of Employee Facebook Postings Slamming Employer
October 28, 2015 by Andrew Baker
A federal court of appeal has affirmed an NLRB decision that held that an employee’s complaints about the workplace posted to social media could constitute protected action under Section 7 of the NLRA, even if… Read More
Unions Are Good For Kids!
October 21, 2015 by Andrew Baker
Intergenerational income mobility is relatively low in the U.S. For example, a U.S. child born in the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution has a 7.5 percent probability of reaching the top 20 percent… Read More
