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…

Supervisors are excluded from coverage of the National Labor Relations Act under the Section 2 definition of “employee.” Section 14(a) also exempts employers from the duty to consider supervisors as employees under any law relating to collective bargaining. Notably, the Board has overruled a rigid rule that once excluded professionals from supervisory status if they…