Successor employers' obligations under the NLRA

Abstract

This article highlights the acute problems employees face in a consolidation, merger or buy-out: what are the successor-employer’s obligations under the National Labor Relation Act? Will the bargaining unit established under the old employer be recognized? The author describes under what conditions must a successor-employer be obligated to bargain with the predecessor’s collective bargaining agreement. The author concludes that while the successor may not be bound to the agreement, it is bound to bargain with the existing bargaining unit.