Employee Benefits

A new federal rule was proposed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Dec. 21, 2010, that is bound to please unions and trouble employers.  Under the new rule, most private employers would be required to display posters informing workers about their right to form a union, to bargain with their employers, to distribute union literature and to engage in other union activity.  In addition to "posting" the union rights information on bulletin boards and in other prominent locations, the rule would also require employers who communicate by e-mail or other electronic means to post the notice electronically.

The proposed rule comes on the heels of the recess appointment of former union lawyer Craig Becker to the NLRB.  The new rule also comes as unions continue to struggle to reverse a long trend of declining union membership in the private sector.  The latest figures show that just 7.2 percent of private sector employees belong to a union.

The proposed rule could take effect after a 60 day comment period.