US Labor Board Protects Unionizing Rights by Restricting Work Rules

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has made it harder for businesses to defend workplace rules that could impede employees' rights to join unions. The NLRB's decision states that routine work rules, such as those banning disparagement or solicitation, are illegal if they could reasonably be interpreted as prohibiting protected activity related to discussing working conditions or distributing union literature. This ruling could benefit unions amid a rise in labor organizing efforts, including campaigns at Starbucks, Amazon, Apple, and other major companies. The NLRB overturned a 2017 ruling by the Trump administration, stating that workplace policies were valid as long as they served legitimate business reasons. The case involving waste disposal company Stericycle's policies was sent back to an administrative judge to apply the new standard.