NLRB Requires Video Hearings for Union Cases Involving Witnesses

The National Labor Relations Board will require videoconferencing for all union-election hearings conducted during the pandemic that involve witness testimony.

The policy change came in a ruling late Monday in a case where a hospital food-services provider, Morrison Healthcare, challenged the decision of an NLRB regional official who had scheduled a telephonic hearing in a petition to unionize a group of the company’s employees.

The decision means that for the duration of the public-health emergency, the agency likely will rely largely on videoconference hearings in cases involving unionization petitions or where an unfair labor practice is alleged against an employer ...