Labor Relations / Unions

NLRB ready to back broad union organizing and collective activity

04/15/2014

For the first time in a decade, the NLRB is operating at full strength with five members and a confirmed General Counsel. The new board has a union-side majority and appears poised to expedite union organizing and support other collective activity across an increasingly broad spectrum of unionized and nonunionized workplaces.

Court blocks Teamsters’ bid to thwart company sale

04/14/2014

A court has ruled that the Teamsters union can’t scuttle the sale of Will Poultry, a Buffalo food distributor.

Board members may count as employees for Title VII suit

04/14/2014

Some small nonprofit organizations may think they don’t have to follow Title VII anti-discrimination rules because they only have one or two employees. They could be wrong if the board that manages the organization pays officers to attend meetings and generally holds them accountable for assignments and meetings.

Ensure collective bargaining agreements spell out exact wage-and-hour terms

04/03/2014

Here’s a case that illustrates at least one advantage for employers to a union workplace. If your collective bargaining agreement spells out how pay is calculated and excludes time spent donning and doffing work clothes and safety equipment, a contrary state wage-and-hour law doesn’t apply.

Changing hours: Must we talk to the union first?

03/19/2014

Q. Our employees recently voted for a union and we are now negotiating. Our policies say full-time employee status starts at 30 hours per week. All of our full-time employees currently work 40 hours per week. We want to decrease the hours of some employees (about 25% of them) from eight to six per day. Do we have to bargain with the union on this change or can we just notify them?

St. Paul teachers reach contract accord, avert strike

03/17/2014

Days before a scheduled strike vote in late February, St. Paul teachers reached a tentative deal on a new contract. Overall, teachers will receive an 8.6% increase in pay and benefits over two years.

Supreme Court rules on ‘donning & doffing’ in union shops

03/06/2014

The U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous interpretation on Jan. 27 of the meaning of “changing clothes” in the FLSA is significant for unionized employers in industries in which workers must change clothes to begin and end their work shifts.

NLRB orders Pittsburgh club to remit withheld dues

03/06/2014

The NLRB has ordered the Pittsburgh Athletic Association to forward union dues it collected from its employees to UNITE HERE Local 57, the union that represents club workers. The union’s NLRB complaint alleged that the club stopped remitting the dues in November 2012.

NLRB formally issues complaint against Walmart

02/19/2014

The National Labor Relations Board Office of General Counsel concluded in November that Walmart violated the National Labor Relations Act when it threatened and disciplined workers for participating in wage protests and strikes in 14 states, including Minnesota.

NLRB releases ‘quickie union election’ rule

02/17/2014

To the chagrin of U.S. employers, new rules designed to speed up union elections have been finalized by the National Labor Relations Board …