Resources

Client Alerts, News Articles, Blog Posts, & Multimedia

Everything you need to know about BMD and the industry.

NLRB Ruling re: Private University Labor Update

Client Alert
August 23, 2016

Private University Labor Update

Graduate students employed by private universities are permitted to unionize under federal law.

On Tuesday, August 23, 2016, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “Board”) issued a 3-1 decision in Columbia University that student assistants working a private colleges and universities are statutory employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act. The decision reverses the NLRB’s decision in Brown University 342 NLRB 483.

The NLRB had long held that students who teach at private universities were not employees. In 2000, a Democrat laden Board altered the NLRB’s principle in New York University, 332 NLRB 1205 (NYU) when it held that graduate assistants were employees. In 2004, a Republican led Board in Brown University reconsidered NYU and concluded that the 25-year precedent was correct, and that NYU should be overruled.

The NLRB has swung back to a Democrat majority. That majority reversed Brown University saying it “deprived an entire category of workers of the protections of the Act without a convincing justification.”

What does it mean for Private Universities?

The authority to define the term “employee” rests primarily with the NLRB absent an exception within the National Labor Relations Act. For as long as the Board maintains a Democrat majority, graduate assistants will be employees under the NLRA and eligible for all collective bargaining rights.

Being recognized as “employees” gives graduate students the right to organize and collectively bargain the terms and conditions of employment. The main terms and conditions will likely be wages/stipends, health coverage (including family coverage), hours of work, holidays, and paid/unpaid leaves of absence.

The main concern that private university employers may face is an overreaching organizational campaign. All graduate students are not equal, and an employer can challenge the appropriateness of a collective bargaining unit under a “community of interest” evaluation. In determining the community of interest, the similarity in hours, wages, benefits, skills, supervision, terms of employment are the most indicative of mutual interest.

For additional information, please contact the Labor and Employment team.  John N. Childs at (330) 253-1946, Jeffrey C. Miller, at (216) 287-5265.

National Labor Relations BoardNational Labor Relations ActLabor Law
Client Alert

DEA and HHS Issue its Third Extension of Telemedicine Flexibilities through 2025

December 2, 2024The DEA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have extended telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled medications through December 31, 2025. This extension builds on temporary exceptions made in 2020 due to COVID-19, allowing providers to prescribe Schedule II-V controlled substances based on a telemedicine evaluation alone. The extension ensures continued patient access to necessary prescriptions and provides time for providers to comply with future regulations.Client Alert

Medicare Making Changes to Improve Behavioral Health Care Access

November 26, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced changes to Medicare’s behavioral health coverage, including allowing Marriage and Family Therapists and Mental Health Counselors to enroll independently, increasing reimbursements for crisis psychotherapy and substance use treatment, and expanding services via community health workers. These updates address gaps in care and improve access to mental health services for Medicare beneficiaries.Client Alert

The Ohio Department of Medicaid Announces Four Next Generation MyCare Plans

November 11, 2024On November 1, 2024, the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) announced four managed care organizations that will become ODM’s Next Generation MyCare plans starting January 2026. MyCare Ohio is a managed care program that supports Ohioans across 29 counties enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.Client Alert

Corporate Transparency Act Reporting Deadline: December 31

November 4, 2024The Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”), which became effective January 1, 2024, imposes strict reporting guidelines on small business owners throughout the country.  The deadline for non-exempt businesses to submit reporting is December 31, 2024.Client Alert

Permanent Injunction of “Heartbeat” Abortion Ban in Ohio

October 28, 2024Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins has ruled Ohio’s six-week abortion ban unconstitutional, citing the state’s new reproductive rights amendment. This ruling emphasizes that Ohio law must fully reflect the will of voters, offering clarity for medical providers and safeguarding women's health care rights.
Older posts
Newer posts