Tag Archives: National Labor Relations Act

by | November 21, 2012 · 7:15 am

Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: Hotel "Off-Duty Access Policies" Cannot Be At "Management Unlimited Discretion" According To National Labor Relations Board (NRLB) Decision

In a 2-1 decision, the (National Labor Relations Board) struck down a Marriott property’s policy prohibiting off-duty employees from accessing the hotel property without a manager’s approval. In doing so, the board evaluated Marriott’s rule in light of well-established case law dating back four decades.

Many hotels maintain off-duty access policies that limit but do not prohibit employees from accessing the hotel property during off-duty hours. The policy might require an employee to obtain advance permission from management and/or limit access to employer-sponsored events. Such a policy seems reasonable.

The hotel or resort might want to grant access to employees as an employee benefit. Employee discounts, access to restaurants, golf courses, spa facilities and ski slopes, for example, are valuable employee benefits. Of course, the hotel needs to balance legitimate business concerns, such as maintaining the security of its premises and guests, as well as assuring its guests have ready access to facilities.

Under that 1976 case, the NLRB established a three-part test for whether off-duty access restrictions are legal. For an off-duty access rule to be valid under that test, the policy must:

1) limit access only to the interior of the facility and other working areas;

2) be clearly disseminated to employees; and

3) apply to any off-duty employee seeking access for any reason and not just those engaging in union activity.

In the Marriott case, issued 28 September, the board held that because the rule was not a uniform ban on access but instead gave management unlimited discretion to determine when to permit access, it could lead employees to believe they could not engage in union organizing or other protected activity without a manager’s approval. The board struck down the rule as unlawful and said a “narrow, extremely specific” off-duty access rule might be deemed valid. However, it provided no guidance as to what type of rule is acceptable.

This decision puts hospitality employers in an untenable position. The hotel has one of three options:

1) adopt a policy limiting all off-duty access, even for legitimate reasons such as picking up a paycheck or attending special events;

2) grant employees access to the property without any restrictions; or

3) prepare a policy with narrow exceptions for special circumstances and hope the policy survives legal scrutiny.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/9417/NLRBs-decisions-impacts-hotel-policies

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by | May 29, 2012 · 7:13 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Hotel Management Must Review Social Media Policy For Employees To Ensure Restrictions Do Not Violate "NLRB Section 7 Rights"

“…in late February 2012, the NLRB filed a complaint against a group of Hyatt Hotels alleging, among other things, that the restrictions placed on the use of social media, such as admonitions not to comment on hotel properties or locations, or to use the Hyatt brand/logo or photos of the properties, were overboard and discriminatory…”

The NLRB reports expressed concerns regarding attempts by an employer to block — for example — employees from using a company’s trademarked logo in social media. That was considered, generally, to be in violation of an employee’s Section 7 rights.

“Interests protected by trademark laws — such as the trademark holder’s interests in protecting the good reputation associated with the mark from the possibility of being tarnished by inferior merchandise sold by another entity using the trademark and in being able to enter a related commercial field and use its well-established trademark, and the public’s interest in not being misled as to the source of products using confusingly similar marks — are not remotely implicated by employees’ non-commercial use of a name, logo, or other trademark to identify the Employer in the course of engaging in Section 7 activity” (2012 Report).

Yet, such disclaimers are sometimes required by the Federal Trade Commission. In fact, under the revised regulations published by the FTC in 2009, if anyone other than a company or the brand owner itself advertises or talks about the company’s product or service, the FTC requires the disclosure of the relationship between the “talkee” and the “brand,” so that potential consumers understand that the recommendation or information contained in the social-media posting could be biased (See generally 16 C.F.R. §255.)

For more:  http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=533347702

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