Readers of a certain vintage, will remember Gilda Radner’s character Emily Litella who often said “Never Mind”.  (If you’ve never heard of Gilda Ratner or this, then I’ll pause while you watch this classic video.)  Readers of a later vintage will think of Nirvana’s “Nevermind”. If you just want the dictionary definition, here it is.

My work colleague, Jarad Lucan (vintage: timeless), has an informative post today updating us the status of a certain notice being advanced by the National Labor Relations Board and why “Never Mind” comes to mind.

Despite twice requesting extensions of time within which to file petitions for a writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court, the NLRB officially announced this week that it will not seek review of two U.S. Court of Appeals decisions invalidating its Notice Posting Rule.

That rule would have required most private sector employers to post a notice of employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

As many of you may recall, back in May of 2013, the D.C. Court of Appeals, in National Association of Manufacturers v. NLRB (which Dan discussed here), struck down the notice posting rule on the grounds that it violated an employer’s right to speak (or more accurately, right to remain silent) as protected by Section 8(c) of the NLRA.

One month later, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Chamber of Commerce of the United States v. NLRB likewise struck down the notice posting rule on the grounds that the NLRB was not empowered to promulgate such a rule.

What does this all mean for private employers in CT?

Well, at the 30,000 foot level, both Court of Appeals decisions now set binding precedent that may prove (it is far too early to tell) to restrain what has been viewed as the NLRB’s attempts to expand its powers, particularly in the nonunion context.

At the ground level, employers can stop asking “when do we need to post this thing?” You don’t need to.  A big “Never Mind”. 

It should be noted, that while the NLRB has decided not to seek Supreme Court review, in a recent press release, the NLRB stated that it will “continue its national outreach program to educate the American public about the statute.”

As part of that program, the NLRB has decided to post the same message that was to be printed on the notice on its website here. Some of you may find it interesting that the NLRB has taken it upon itself to translate that message into 26 different languages and promises to provide additional translations as they become available.

Of course, nothing prevents an employer from putting up such a poster; as the NLRB suggests on its website now, “Important note: Appellate courts have enjoined the NLRB’s rule requiring the posting of employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act. However, employers are free to voluntarily post the notice, if they wish.”  But employers who thought they needed to add this one to their poster arsenal can put those worries aside for now.