The Judges Division of the National Labor Relations Board has issued a new edition of the NLRB Bench Book (https://www.nlrb.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/basic-page/node-1727/NLRB%20Bench%20Book%202015.pdf) which replaces an earlier version issued in 2010.

The Bench Book sets forth Board precedent and other rulings and authorities on recurring procedural and evidentiary issues that arise during NLRB trials.  It is designed to provide NLRB judges with a reference guide during trials when other resources may not be readily accessible.  

This edition of the Bench Book was edited by NLRB Judge Jeffrey Wedekind and substantially revises the previous edition.  It not only cites and summarizes numerous additional Board and court decisions through September 2015, but also includes several additional chapters or sections.  It also includes a number of organizational changes from the previous edition. The most significant change is to the chapter on Evidence. The chapter now includes the relevant Federal Rules of Evidence, as amended effective December 1, 2014, and is organized to follow the same numbering system, so that both the rules and treatises on evidence can be cross-referenced more easily.

The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency vested with the power to safeguard employees’ rights to organize and to determine whether to have unions as their bargaining representative. The agency also acts to prevent and remedy unfair labor practices committed by private sector employers and unions.