NLRB Throws Out Ruling in Conflict-of-Interest Controversy
As fury grew on Capitol Hill, the agency heeded its own inspector general, who said a Trump appointee tainted a pro-company vote.
Photographer: Ariana Lindquist/Bloomberg
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The National Labor Relations Board threw out its most important ruling of 2017—a 3-2 victory for major U.S. corporations—following an internal agency report that found that a potential conflict-of-interest had tainted the vote.
The December ruling, called Hy-Brand, had reversed a controversial Obama-era “joint employer” decision empowering workers to pursue claims against, or seek collective bargaining with, major corporations that don’t sign their paychecks, such as franchisors or clients of contractors. The vote overturning that 2015 case included support from Trump-appointed William Emanuel, whose former law firm had represented one of the companies in the original case, Browning-Ferris.