On Friday, NLRB General Counsel Peter B. Robb told regional board officials via an internally distributed memo to consult with his office in any cases involving precedents decided under the Obama-era NLRB.   Such orders are standard for a new general counsel to issue, said former NLRB chairwoman Wilma Liebman.  Still, Liebman described the memo as surprisingly “sweeping.”  In the same internal memo, Robb announced his intention to rescind seven “guidance memos” issued under prior Democratic general counsels.

Thousands of Oakland city workers are planning to strike on Tuesday after six months of contract negotiations between the city and the unions have failed to produce an acceptable result. The unions behind the planned strike, SEIU Local 1021 and International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, represent nearly the entire civilian workforce of the city government.  Police and fire personnel will not take part in the strike.  

While Amazon achieved its greatest daily sales in its history on Cyber Monday, it faced continued resistance from labor groups in Germany, where it is seeking to expand its market.  On Black Friday, 2,000 Amazon workers walked off the job at Amazon’s six German warehouses.  In Berlin, hundreds marched against Amazon’s labor practices. Verdi, a German trade union, led the strike.  A Verdi spokesman stated that the union is seeking better pay and healthier working conditions for the Amazon workers.