Labor Relations / Unions

Courts reluctant to make losing employees pay for employers’ legal fees

01/05/2015

It can be frustrating to have to defend your organization against what you consider frivolous claims. 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.

NLRB pushes ahead on joint employer cases

12/23/2014

A Dec. 19 statement from the NLRB’s Office of the General Counsel said it found merit in 78 unfair labor practices charges filed against various McDonald’s franchise holders and McDonald’s USA. That means McDonald’s USA could be found liable for any illegal employment practices committed by its franchisees.

NLRB clears way for ‘ambush’ union elections

12/16/2014

The National Labor Relations Board says a new final rule issued Dec. 12 will “streamline” union elections. Critics say the result will be “ambush elections” where voting happens so fast that employers stand little chance of persuading employees to reject union representation.

Obama order requires contractors to disclose past labor violations

08/05/2014

President Obama has signed an executive order that will force companies seeking to do business with Uncle Sam to reveal whether they have violated any labor laws within the last three years. The order comes on the heels of other administration actions designed to compel federal contractors to adopt more worker-friendly policies.

NLRB shakes up joint-employer landscape

08/04/2014

The National Labor Relations Board’s lead attorney has determined that franchisors and franchisees—in this case, of the McDonald’s fast-food chain—can be named joint employers when workers file unfair labor practices charges. The decision could reverberate far beyond franchise businesses, aiding organized labor’s efforts to unionize low-wage workers and raise their pay.

Trucking firm pays $262,000 to settle labor charges

07/23/2014

Yuba City, Ca.-based Dispatch Transportation has settled an unfair labor practice charge with the Teamsters Local 137 and the NLRB.

Single act of disobedience doesn’t always rule out unemployment compensation

07/23/2014

The California Supreme Court has decided that a single act of employee disobedience may not always constitute misconduct within the meaning of section 1256 of California’s Unemployment Insurance Code.

Teachers win right to union vote at charter school

07/02/2014

The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PCCS) has lost in its bid to stop a union election among its teachers. The Pennsylvania Cyber School Education Association, an arm of the Pennsylvania School Education Association and the National Education Association, sought an election to represent the teachers working for the PCCS.

In Allentown, who says one vote doesn’t matter?

07/02/2014

A union election at an Allentown company that provides home health care services may have turned on the vote of one person, who arrived too late to cast a ballot.

Supreme Court ruling could slow NLRB’s aggressive agenda

06/26/2014

Good news for employers: The Supreme Court today said President Obama overstepped his executive powers when he used “recess appointments” to name three members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). As a result, the NLRB will likely have to rehear more than 100 cases from 2012. This could create a procedural logjam at the NLRB, an agency that has been aggressively pursuing expansion of employee rights on the job.