NLRB Division of Judges Releases 2022 Bench Book
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Washington, D.C - The Judges Division of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued an updated Bench Book, which replaces the last update issued in March 2021. The Bench Book serves as an NLRB trial manual and is designed to provide NLRB administrative law judges (ALJs) with a reference guide during hearings. It is also a useful tool for practitioners before the Board because it sets forth Board precedent and other rulings and authorities on certain recurring procedural and evidentiary issues that may arise during hearings.
The January 2022 edition updates last year’s edition with citations to numerous additional Board and court decisions. It also includes substantial additional discussion of various matters, including evidentiary issues relating to electronically stored information (ESI).
The 2022 edition was edited by ALJ Jeffrey Wedekind, who has served as editor since 2010, and ALJs Sharon Steckler and Mara-Louise Anzalone, as associate editors. It also includes a foreword by Chief ALJ Robert Giannasi describing the Bench Book’s history and purpose.
Established in 1935, the National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that protects employees 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.