It took quite a bit of time for newly installed General Counsel at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Jennifer Abruzzo to win final Senate confirmation to the post, but she’s not wasting any time in setting a new tone for the agency now that she’s in the position.  Shortly after she was sworn into her position as General Counsel, Abruzzo issued a memorandum (21-04) to all NLRB Regional Offices identifying a broad host of issues that should be sent to her office for further consideration – and likely reversal of Trump era decisions. In the memorandum, Abruzzo, who previously served as the special counsel for one of the nation’s largest unions, the Communication Workers of America (CWA), identifies some 40 decisions up for reconsideration that she believes overruled legal precedent and are inconsistent with the purpose of the National Labor Relations Act to foster unionization. Among the issues identified are standards for the legality of employee handbooks, confidentiality agreements, and standards for determining protected Section 7 (union organizing) activities. In addition, her memo seems to also indicate she is considering modification of existing card check rules. And, as we advised a few weeks ago, official rescission of the Trump-era joint employer standard – reverting it back to the Obama-era standard – will become effective on September 28, 2021. There is very clearly a new sheriff in town at the National Labor Relations Board!