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Labor Relations / Unions

Using subcontractors during a strike

07/11/2008
Q. We are putting together a strike contingency plan. One option we have considered is subcontracting out certain jobs for the duration of a strike. Are we obligated to bargain with the union over subcontracting during a strike? Do we have to raise this issue with the union before the union goes out on strike? …

Union claims Big Sky broke contract when it flew the coop

07/08/2008
A group of former employees has filed suit against Big Sky Airlines and its parent company, Minneapolis-based MAIR Holdings, alleging wrongful termination and breach of contract …

During union drive, don’t unfairly target pro-Union employees

07/07/2008
Nothing will escalate an already tense workplace during a union-organizing drive and subsequent election than punishing pro-union employees. While you can certainly continue with any evaluations or disciplinary actions that are warranted, beware of targeting anyone involved in the union push …

Be careful with doctor certifications: Union contract may trump FMLA rules

07/07/2008
Employers can insist that employees submit medical certification of their need for FMLA leave within 15 days. But what happens if a union member is denied FMLA leave because the employer didn’t get the certification within the 15-day limit? …

Union-Free and eager to stay that way

07/07/2008
Q. Our company has operated union-free for many years. How can we best protect ourselves against future union-organizing activities? …

Using GPS tracking devices without violating employee privacy

07/02/2008
Global Positioning System devices make it easy for employers to keep track of the location of company vehicles. But for all the pluses of GPS, there are minuses. Because GPS devices also can pinpoint where employees who use company vehicles are and where they have been, the technology has raised new worker privacy concerns that HR professionals need to know about …

In hospitals, have evidence union messages upset patients

07/01/2008
Generally, employees have the right to wear union insignia in the workplace. But in some limited circumstances in health care settings, employers can restrict that right if the restriction is “necessary to avoid disruption of health care operations or disturbance of patients” …

Inter-Con security guards strike at Kaiser Permanente facilities

07/01/2008

Building security officers employed by Inter-Con Security Systems and seeking representation by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) staged a series of one-day strikes in May at 23 California Kaiser Permanente medical facilities …

Civil rights groups seek union representation for gov’t workers

07/01/2008
The NAACP and other civil rights groups urged lawmakers to give government employees collective bargaining rights during the organization’s “People of Color Justice and Unity Legislative Day” on May 28 in Raleigh …

Political shift could heighten your union risk

07/01/2008
“If you’ve not dealt with unions before, I cannot overemphasize how quickly the world could change this fall,” said Mike Fox, a Texas-based attorney with Ogletree Deakins. “This would be the first time in my life we’d really have a president aligned with organized labor.”