A South Carolina company had a tiered management system. At the bottom, employee groups were guided by team leads who reported to supervisors who oversaw between 20 and 40 employees. The supervisors reported to managers who in turn reported to the company’s vice president of operations. The issue was whether the supervisors could vote in…

This case is interesting not because it involves the captain of a tugboat. Rather, its interest lies in that the NLRB has concluded that the highest-ranking person at a worksite, and the “person in charge,” is not necessarily a supervisor. In this case, it is clear that six person crews on tugboats must obey commands…

Whether front line supervisors and working foremen are exempt from bargaining units is always a contentious issue during union election campaigns. They perform much the same work as rank-and-file employees, but have some managerial functions. Whether they meet the National Labor Relations Act’s Section 2(11) definition of a supervisor is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.…