22. Other Regulatory /Legal

22. Other Regulatory/Legal

22.1 Are there other specific regulatory agencies that govern this company (such as the NRC in the nuclear industry or health care regulations in hospitals and nursing homes)?
22.2 List any incidents or violations.
22.3 List any legal actions taken or pending against the company.
22.4 List any NLRB charges or findings.

Firms are often gov­erned by a vari­ety of reg­u­la­tory agen­cies, depend­ing on their busi­ness. In addi­tion to inves­ti­gat­ing if they are in com­pli­ance with the law, many of these reg­u­la­tory agen­cies gather a vari­ety of infor­ma­tion that may be use­ful to researchers. During the Ravenswood campaign, the Steelworker discovered that the company had let its permit to dump arsenic in the Ohio River expire.

It is also important to know the overall legal issues that your target firm is facing.  These could be just routine legal matters, when someone falls in the parking lot.  They could, however, be more significant issues such as employee discrimination or price fixing.

Use industry publications to identify if there are regulatory agencies that govern your target employers. Workers may also know about specific regulators. A general news search may also provide insights.

Underwriters Laboratories (UL)  develop many industry standards in the U.S.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) maintains a database where you can investigate recent NLRB activity. It is a free site but you must first register. You can search by company to identify if there has been recent NLRB activity at your firm.

The Stanford Law School’s Securities Class Action Clearing House provides a variety of information on firms gathered under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act.

Good Jobs First’s Violation Tracker may provide information on a company’s environmental violations and their COVID Stimulus Watch provides detailed information on which firms received COVID-19 subsidies.

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