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Labor Relations / Unions

The HR I.Q. Test: April ’11

04/04/2011
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

Somerset prison guard union talks headed to arbitration

03/29/2011
Forty Somerset County prison guards will continue to work under the terms of a contract that expired at the end of 2010 while they and the county take contract negotiations to arbitration. The county has asked the guards to accept concessions on either wages or health benefits.

Comparing paychecks: Can we prohibit it?

03/25/2011
Q. You recently wrote that the National Labor Relations Act gives employees the legal right to discuss their pay with one another. Our office policy has always been that we do not allow this. Are we within our legal rights to prohibit it? We are a private medical practice with 88 employees and four offices.

NLRB names new Oakland regional director

03/22/2011
The National Labor Relations Board has appointed William A. Baudler as the regional director to its regional office in Oakland, where he is responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act in northern California and northern Nevada.

Retailer asks for NLRB ruling on union access to property

03/14/2011
The Roundy’s supermarket chain faces a unique situation. Union members are handing out leaflets in front of stores, but they’re not disgruntled Roundy’s employees. They’re not even trying to organize Roundy’s employees. Now the grocery chain has asked the National Labor Relations Board to intervene.

NLRB: Pre-emptive firing to prevent employees from discussing pay and benefits is illegal

03/09/2011
In a recent case, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that employers unlawfully interfere with an employee’s rights if they terminate the person in anticipation that he might discuss working conditions with his co-workers in the future.

Wisconsin fight: End of labor unions or a new beginning?

03/08/2011
The stand-off between Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and state Senate Democrats over state employees’ collective bargaining rights has HR professionals and employment law attorneys watching with interest. Will it spell the end of organized labor or give a shot in the arm for an institution that has been fading fast in recent years?

Union membership below 12%, lowest in 70 years

03/07/2011
While unions have shown a resurgence in certain sectors, the overall percentage of U.S. workers who are members of a union dipped to 11.9% last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unions have no separate duty to ferret out discrimination

03/04/2011
Employers are obligated to make sure their employees don’t discriminate. However, unions have no similar duty to investigate and expose bias.

Unions in the spotlight: What employers can and can’t do

03/01/2011
The labor relations tug-of-war in Wisconsin—pitting state government against unionized public employees—could go either way. It might sound the death knell of organized labor. Or it could spur renewed organizing by labor unions in all employment sectors. If your workers suddenly expressed an interest in union representation, would you know how to react?