What Your Employer Can’t Do

The law is specific about anti-union activities that your employer is prohibited from engaging in—your employer may still attempt these illegal tactics, but the law is on your side.

Under Section 8 of the National Labor Relations Act, your employer cannot legally punish or discriminate against employees in any way because of union activity, support for the union or union membership:

“It shall be an unfair labor practice for an employer … to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Section 7.”

Your employer may not:

• Threaten to or actually fire, discipline, harass, transfer, reassign or lay off employees for union activities or because they support the union.
• Favor employees because they don’t support the union over those who do in promotions, job assignments, wages, hours, enforcement of rules and policies or any other working conditions.
• Shut down or threaten to shut down the work site, take way or threaten to take away the benefits or privileges employees already enjoy to discourage union activity.
• Promise employees a pay increase, promotion, benefit or special favor if they oppose the union.
• Interrogate employees about their union activities or support for the union
• Spy on union meetings.

Learn more about the right to organize:

• What the law says
• What your employer can’t do
• Protect your rights