John Ring served as chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from April 12, 2018, to Jan. 20, 2021. On Dec. 16, 2022, he finished his tenure as a member of the NLRB, and he is now a lawyer at Morgan Lewis in Washington, D.C.
While chairman, Ring addressed many issues that are important to employers, such as the joint employer doctrine, the independent contractor standard under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA),
and union election procedures. He began a rulemaking initiative to provide greater clarity in NLRB enforcement and oversaw a review of the agency's ethics programs. In addition, Ring led efforts to streamline the NLRB's case-handling procedures, reducing its backlog to a historic low.
In an interview with SHRM Online, Ring gave an overview of the NLRB's priorities in 2023.
SHRM Online: Following your departure from the NLRB, what significant decisions has the board made in the past few weeks?
John Ring: Since I left the board on Dec. 16, there haven't been any major decisions. But leading up to the end of my term, the board issued several decisions that will have a significant impact on employers. One involves union organizing for smaller groups and brings back the so-called micro-units standard that will make it easier for unions to organize.
The board also issued a decision that adds new monetary liability for labor law violations. This could add significant additional financial risk for employers.
In addition, the board issued decisions that...
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