2nd appeals court strikes down union poster rule

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A second federal appeals court has struck down a rule that would have required millions of businesses to put up posters informing workers of their right to form a union.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled Friday that the National Labor Relations Board exceeded its authority when it ordered businesses to display an 11-by-17-inch notice in a prominent location explaining the rights of workers to join a union and bargain collectively to improve wages and working conditions. The Chamber of Commerce of the United States and South Carolina Chamber of Commerce challenged the rule.

Another federal appeals court ruled last month that the poster rule violated businesses' free speech rights.

The labor board did not immediately have a comment on the ruling.