Northern Michigan Building & Construction Trades Council v. National Labor Relations Board

# Northern Michigan Building & Construction Trades Council v. Zurn/N.E.P.C.O. ## What Happened A labor union challenged Zurn/N.E.P.C.O., a construction company, for allegedly discriminating against union workers during hiring and layoffs. The company refused to hire qualified applicants who were union members and laid off employees who supported unions, the union claimed. ## What the Court Decided The National Labor Relations Board ruled that Zurn violated federal labor law by discriminating against union applicants and workers. The company was ordered to stop these practices and compensate the affected workers. However, the Board determined that the company's general hiring policy (called "policy 303") was not inherently discriminatory on its own—the problem was how the company applied it. ## Why This Matters for Workers This ruling reinforces workers' legal right to support unions without facing retaliation. Employers cannot refuse to hire qualified candidates simply because they're union members, nor can they fire workers for union activities. While companies can maintain neutral hiring policies, they must apply them fairly and cannot use them as a cover for union-busting tactics.