The outcome of this case surprised me because the NLRB has previously found less egregious activity to be protected by the National Labor Relations Act. A union represented nurses at a hospital. The hospital and nurses’ union were negotiating a collective bargaining agreement. Negotiations became somewhat ugly. This caused the employer to cancel a bargaining…

Several employees at a meat packing plant had begun supporting efforts by the Laborers’ Union to organize employees. One employee joined in on lunchroom talks about the benefits of a union and voiced his support for the Union. About a month later, the Company laid off several employees, including the employee just mentioned. The Company…

A drama teacher became upset when the school instructed him to rewrite some passages of a student play. The teacher emailed coworkers complaining and requested that they seek an apology from the school administration for conduct that the teacher described as dishonest, immoral, and unintelligent. When confronted by the school, he initially denied its existence…

A decertification vote for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 445 was on the horizon when three union newsletters appeared in the employee break room. All of the letters included anonymous handwritten comments such as “Dear P—ies, Please Read,” “Hey cat food lovers, how is your income doing?,” and “Warehouse workers, RIP.” Several female employees…