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Labor Relations / Unions

NLRB releases rules for recently enacted ‘ambush’ elections

04/14/2015
The National Labor Relations Board has released guidance on how its new, controversial “ambush” election rules will work, and the procedures are as bad as many employers feared.

Waste company can’t make workers pay for truck damage

04/06/2015
Three Middletown-based trash hauling businesses have settled with a labor union that says its members were wrongly made to pay for damage to garbage trucks.

Can I refuse to hire union members?

03/10/2015
Q. I am considering hiring an applicant to work at my steel refinery. The only problem is that he is affiliated with a local trade union, and I am doing everything I can to keep my business union-free. Can I refuse to hire him for this reason?

‘No’ vote on ambush union elections

03/10/2015
The Senate voted March 4 to spike a new National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule that critics say promotes “quickie” union elections.

Appeal of firing doesn’t give worker more time to sue

03/03/2015
Employees who use a post-­termination appeal process don’t have a pass to miss EEOC filing deadlines. The clock doesn’t wait to start ticking until the appeal process is finished. They still have to file their agency complaints within 300 days of discharge.

NLRB piles on joint-employer charges against McDonald’s

02/18/2015
The National Labor Relations Board has upped the ante in its ongoing effort to brand McDonald’s USA a joint employer along with its franchisees in a series of claims that the fast-food giant engages in unfair labor practices.

NLRB: Workers get to decide on locations to be unionized

02/18/2015
If you are in the health care industry and have several facilities, it might be convenient to have one union represent all your employees. Just don’t expect the National Labor Relations Board to buy that argument.

BLS report: Union membership continues its slow decline

02/16/2015
The percentage of U.S. workers who belong to a labor union fell again in 2014, dropping to 11.1%, down 0.2 percentage points from 2013.

Union-Organizing Efforts

01/20/2015

HR Law 101: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) applies strict rules of conduct to employers during union-organizing campaigns. But whether you choose to accept the union or resist it, you can still exercise your rights effectively. Or, if a union has already won a representation election in your organization, you need to know how to prevent the union from encroaching on your management rights … 

Won a lawsuit? Courts still reluctant to make losing worker pay your legal fees

01/19/2015

It can be frustrating to have to defend your organization against what you consider frivolous legal claims by employees. Unfortunately, that’s just another cost of doing business. As the following case shows, even when you win the case and thought it should never have been filed, you probably won’t persuade a court to penalize the employee by having him pay your legal fees.