National Labor Relations Board v. Fes, (A Division of Thermo Power)

**What Happened** Nine job applicants who belonged to a union applied for work at FES, a division of Thermo Power. The company refused to hire them, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) investigated whether FES rejected these applicants simply because they were union members. The NLRB found that FES had indeed discriminated against the applicants based on their union membership, violating federal labor law. FES disagreed with this finding and asked a federal court to overturn the NLRB's decision. **What the Court Decided** The court sided with the NLRB and upheld its ruling against FES. The judges found that the company had illegally refused to hire the nine applicants because of their union affiliation. As a result, FES was ordered to hire the applicants and pay them back wages for the time they were wrongfully denied employment. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling reinforces that employers cannot refuse to hire someone simply because they belong to a union. Workers have the legal right to join unions without facing discrimination in hiring. If companies violate this protection, they can be forced to hire the affected workers and compensate them for lost wages.