The National Labor Relations Board is busy -- the Board came out late last week with a decision saying that employees can have access to their employers' email systems for organizing activities under most circumstances. David Phippen has the full story here.

Also, on Friday, the Board issued its final rule on "quickie elections." David is reviewing the new rule and will have a ...

Last spring, I was in the Detroit area for a deposition. I'm originally from that area, so I stayed over the weekend to visit family, and we made a trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts. In honor of Labor Day, here are some photos I took of Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals. If you've never seen these in person, you really should - the scale and detail is much more than I can capture.

The ...

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, found today that the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act, to the extent that it applies to closely-held corporations, violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. And in another 5-4 decision, the Court found that the First Amendment does not allow home healthcare workers to be compelled to pay agency fees to the Service Employees ...

An article by Lauren Weber and Rachel Feintzeig in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal caught a lot of attention -- it was about companies that have made the decision to do without a Human Resources function.

The idea drew some positive response on Twitter:

HR stifles innovation and bogs down businesses with inefficient policies and processes. http://t.co/5cGRIwHaxR

— Mike Brice ...

The National Labor Relations Board has taken the position that many garden-variety employment policies violate the law. These rulings place employers in a “Catch 22”—if employers rescind the policies, they could have trouble defending themselves in unemployment cases, wrongful termination lawsuits, or before government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity ...

Following up on my Tuesday morning post on how the labor and employment agencies are affected by the government shutdown, I spoke with Colin O'Keefe of LXBN on the topic. In the brief interview, I explained what private employers should know about the shutdown and the effects on employees of the federal government.

One thing we did not discuss in the video or in my Tuesday post -- the ...

Five quick takes this week (and I do mean quick) because my family reunion is this weekend.

I never thought deep-frying macaroni and cheese demonstrated particularly good judgment . . .  Paula Deen needs to button her lip. Here is the National Enquirer blurb that broke the story. And here is the full transcript of her actual deposition testimony.

Should customer bullying be a component of ...

By David Phippen, Fairfax Office

UPDATE: David's client bulletin analyzing the D.C. Circuit's Noel Canning decision is available here.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down today the "recess appointments" of Sharon Block and Richard Griffin to the National Labor Relations Board. Without Members Block and Griffin, most of the Board decisions ...

We're already into the seventh day of Chanaukkah, and Christmas is only eight short shopping days away ("I've gotta get that football helmet!"), so it must be time for a post on how employers should handle the holidays in the workplace.

Suzanne Lucas of The Evil HR Lady has a depressing-but-funny post about the lamest employee Christmas gifts ever.

And, only slightly off-topic, you may ...

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! I know we have plenty to be miserable concerned about, but that is not my role today. Here, in no particular order, are five labor-and-employment-related things for which I am thankful. (Crabbiness returns next week.)

"Please, sir, may I have some more gruel? Amazing how tasty it is when you're starving!"

1. OK, I am completely serious now. You, my clients, and ...