Laws About Buttons at Work Continue to Confound Employers
By Management Labor Lawyer | | NLRB
In-N-Out Burger has a uniform policy that forbids employees from wearing buttons, pins, or stickers on their uniforms because the burger chain wants to create the public image of a “sparkling clean” restaurant. This policy was challenged by workers who were refused to remove a “Fight for Fifteen” button. Let’s get to the law. First,…
Read More Buckeye Fans: Is a Red Shirt, Grey Pants Dress Code an Unlawful Anti-Union Policy?
By Management Labor Lawyer | | NLRB
In the early 2000’s the United Autoworkers (UAW) unions began trying to organize the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi. Nearly 15 years later, it’s still trying. According to the UAW, “many” Nissan employees recently began wearing pro-union t-shirts and hats to work. In response the company changed its almost anything goes dress code to one…
Read More Appellate Court Reins in NLRB’s Dress Code Decision, Finds that AT&T Can Prohibit Employees from Wearing “Inmate” Shirt
By Management Labor Lawyer | | NLRB
In 2009, AT&T and the Communication Workers of America union were involved in contentious contract negotiations. In an effort to make the public aware of the dispute, AT&T employees began wearing a controversial T-shirt when visiting customer homes. The shirt said “Inmate” on the front, and the back of the shirt said “Prisoner of AT$T”…
Read More D.C. Circuit Catches National Labor Relations Board Not Following its Own 2-Step Test on Whether A Handbook Policy Interfered with Employees’ Section 7 Rights
By Management Labor Lawyer | | NLRB
World of Color Corp. prohibits employees from wearing any baseball caps except for caps bearing the company logo, and those caps must be worn with the bill facing forward. The Teamsters took issue with the policy and filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company saying that the policy interfered with workers’ rights under…
Read More Hospital Flunks Labor Law 101, Changes Dress Code Without Bargaining
By Management Labor Lawyer | | NLRB
Wanting to improve the professional image of its employees, a hospital decided to revamp its dress code policy. Included in the revisions was a color-coded uniform system designed to help staff, patients, and visitors more easily identify and distinguish employees. The hospital did not inform the union about these changes. An unlawful change, the NLRB…
Read More Not Negotiating with the Union About Changes to the Dress Code Violated Labor Law
By Management Labor Lawyer | | NLRB
Put this one in the “Duh” category. The National Labor Relations Board found that the Memorial Hospital of Salem County in Salem, New Jersey violated the National Labor Relations Act when it refused to bargain with the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union over changes in the dress code and did not give the union…
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