NLRB's Captive Audience Ban Opens Door to Organizing, but Locals Urged to Act Fast

https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/24Daily/2412/241217_NLRBs-Captive-Audience

December 17, 2024

Employers lost one of their favorite union-busting weapons in November when the National Labor Relations Board ruled that captive audience meetings are illegal, reversing a precedent set in 1948.

The decision applies nationwide, building on laws enacted in a dozen states to protect workers from being forced to listen to coercive anti-union rhetoric from their bosses.

The catch is that local unions are being advised to act quickly to take advantage of the rule, which is expected to be overturned at some point after incoming Trump administration appointees take majority control of the five-member board.

“The national ban on captive audience meetings will likely survive for most of 2025, giving the labor movement a brief but incredibly important window to organize more freely,” said Bob Funk, executive director of LaborLab, which studies and combats union busting. “We must rise to meet the occasion."

The law doesn’t prohibit employers from holding anti-union meetings, but it bars mandatory attendance. Companies that discipline, demote, fire or otherwise punish workers who don’t go can face unfair labor practice charges and penalties.

FULL story at link above.