Stagehands Referral Service, LLC v. National Labor Relations Board

**Stagehands Union Violated Worker's Rights by Blocking Job Referrals** This case involved Stephen Foti, a stagehand who applied for membership in a theatrical workers union (Local 84) that operated a hiring hall. When the union rejected his membership application, they also refused to refer him for available jobs through their hiring hall system. Foti claimed this was illegal retaliation. The court sided with the National Labor Relations Board, which had ruled against the union. The court found that the union violated federal labor law by denying Foti job referrals based solely on his rejected membership application, rather than using fair, job-related criteria like skills or experience. **What This Means for Workers:** This ruling protects workers who seek jobs through union hiring halls. Unions cannot punish workers by blocking job opportunities simply because they were denied membership or had conflicts with union leadership. When unions control access to employment through hiring halls, they must use objective, work-related standards—not personal grudges or membership status—to decide who gets referred for jobs. This ensures that qualified workers can access employment opportunities even if they have disputes with union officials or are not union members.