Judge Rules in Favor of NLRB Region 19 Against Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.

Seattle, WA — On June 11, 2021, Region 19 of the National Labor Relations Board won an Administrative Law Judge decision on a consolidated complaint against Nexstar Broadcasting Inc., d/b/a KOIN-TV, based on charges filed by the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communication Workers of America Local 51. 

Administrative Law Judge Amita Baman Tracy found that Nexstar committed numerous violations of the National Labor Relations Act, including: defaming and denigrating the Union in written communications with its employees, failing and refusing to bargain in good faith with the Union about health insurance, and withdrawing recognition from the Union absent an actual loss of the Union’s majority status. 

Judge Tracy also found Nexstar committed additional violations of the Act by prohibiting employees from discussing wages and wage increases and threatening employees that if they discussed wage increases their wage increases could be revoked. 

As sought by the Seattle Regional Director Ronald Hooks, Judge Tracy ordered Nexstar to read the Notice to Employees of the violations found, to rescind any unlawful unilateral changes at the Union’s request within 15 days of the Board’s Order, to meet for a minimum of 15 hours per week at the Union’s request, to submit bargaining progress reports to the Region and the Union every 15 days, and to make whole employee negotiators for any earnings lost while attending negotiations. 

“I’m pleased that Judge Tracy found merit to the Region’s complaint and ordered appropriate remedies in response to the egregious violations of the Act,” said Regional Director Ronald Hooks. “Workers have the right to advocate for better working conditions and employers have an obligation to bargain in good faith with the Union.”  

Regional Director Hooks had previously obtained temporary injunctive relief on March 29, 2021 from the Federal District Court in Oregon requiring Nexstar to recognize and bargain with the Union, to cease the assignment of unit work to non-unit employees, and to rescind the unilateral changes at the Union’s request based on the Region’s likelihood of success in the underlying administrative Board litigation. 

Established in 1935, the National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that protects employees, employers, and unions from unfair labor practices and protects the right of private sector employees to join together, with or without a union, to improve wages, benefits and working conditions. The NLRB conducts hundreds of workplace elections and investigates thousands of unfair labor practice charges each year. Region 19 serves Alaska, Washington, Oregon and parts of Idaho and Montana from its Regional Office in Seattle and Subregional Office in Portland.