International Employment Lawyer Quotes Sam Schwartz-Fenwick on NLRB Filing Practices

International Employment Lawyer quoted Sam Schwartz-Fenwick, co-chair of Seyfarth's Cultural Flashpoints task force, in its article, “Wizards of the Coast in hot water after using deadnames in NLRB filings.” The piece, published on June 9, 2026, examines legal and employee relations risks tied to the use of legal names rather than preferred names in union election filings.

Schwartz-Fenwick explained, “The NLRB does not require that an employee’s legal name appear on the voting list for a representation election. The [regional branch of the NLRB] should encourage the employer to produce the list using the names that the employees use at work, which may not be their legal name.”

He further noted the potential exposure for employers, adding: “It could give rise to a hostile workplace claim under state law in those states that expressly protect gender identity and/or expression. In addition, it could be the basis of a federal hostile workplace claim under Title VII.”

The full article is available here.