NLRB and Friends Publish Anti-Retaliation Joint Fact Sheet

“Retaliation Based on the Exercise of Workplace Rights is Unlawful” is a collaborative effort of the National Labor Relations Board, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The Fact Sheet reminds employers that it is unlawful to retaliate against employees for exercising their workplace rights, regardless of the workers’ immigration status. Although workers are “always entitled to pay for work actually performed, regardless of immigration status,” remedies may be limited for undocumented workers. For example, under the National Labor Relations Act, “reinstatement and back pay are not available as legal remedies for employees who do not have work authorization.”

The Fact Sheet, curiously released a few days before the inauguration of President Trump, underscores what some may view as a tension between Trump’s immigration stance and the legal protections afforded to all workers. Given Trump’s focus on immigration reform, it should come as no surprise that the key federal agency players in the workplace law arena have united to remind employers that the anti-retaliation protections apply all regardless of immigration status.

Matt Austin who owns Austin Legal, LLC, a boutique law firm based in Ohio that limits its representation to employers dealing with labor, employment, and OSHA matters. You can call Matt at (614) 285-5342 or email him at Matt@MattAustinLaborLaw.com.