National Labor Board Prohibits Captive Audience Meetings in New Ruling

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week ruled that an employer cannot require employees to attend meetings in which the employer expresses its views on and the potential impact of unionization.

The 3-1 ruling came in a case against Amazon.com Services LLC.

According to the NLRB, these meetings — known as captive audience meetings — violate the National Labor Relations Act because they have a reasonable tendency to interfere with and coerce employees in the exercise of their rights.

The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace issued a statement in response to the ruling, saying the Board upends more than 75 years of precedent with its decision. Additionally, the NLRB did not seek public input before changing this policy.

NAHB will continue to provide updates on this and other issues coming from the NLRB.