The NLRB's quality committee formed by the General Counsel has recently issued a 54 page report on best practices for handling unfair labor practices and representation hearings. The committee was formed originally in February 2004 and issued a report after each fiscal year detailing lessons learned from the review process and litigation. It decided to consolidate those earlier reports in this large report for training and guidance purposes. Three areas are also covered that were not in earlier reports: the importance of maintaining the appearance of neutrality, interviewing witnesses of a charged party that refuses to give Board affidavits, and improper retention of a showing of interest in the represenation case file after it has been closed. The General Counsel has encouraged managers and supervisors to use this report and provide a copy to new agents, so this is definitely worth a review if you have any Board practice and are wondering how the Board may approach various issues.
And...Happy MLK Day!
