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Labor Relations / Unions

NLRB nominees set for confirmation

07/26/2013
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on July 24 voted 13-9 to send President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) nominees to the floor for confirmation by the full Senate.

Perez confirmed as Labor Secretary

07/24/2013
The U.S. Senate on July 18 confirmed Thomas Perez to become the next Secretary of Labor. The 54-46 party-line vote followed a four-month standoff between the Senate Republicans and the White House during which Perez’s nomination languished, along with those of other Obama administration appointees awaiting confirmation.

Must contractors still display union poster?

07/17/2013
Q. I understand that the rule requiring private employers to post a notice about employees’ union rights is dead and won’t become law. I may be considered a federal contractor and there is a provision in my contract about posting a notice of union-related rights. Am I free to ignore that?

What are the pitfalls of ‘double-breasting’ to win nonunion contracts?

07/17/2013
Q. We are a construction contractor. We work union, but increasingly find ourselves losing bids because we can’t compete with nonunion companies in certain industry segments. Can we just set up a separate operation to bid the nonunion work? I’ve heard that such “double-breasting” is common practice.

NLRB orders reinstatement of Facebooking tour guide

07/09/2013
The NLRB has ordered a New York City tour bus company to reinstate a tour guide who was fired because of what he wrote on Face­­book. The board ruled that his postings were protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act.

5 arrested in Philadelphia protest over ‘wage thefts’

07/05/2013
Five Philadelphia University security guards sat down in traffic to protest what they call wage theft by their employer, McGinn Security. The guards claim McGinn has failed to pay proper over­­time and illegally requires officers to commute to company offices on their own time to complete citations.

Court: Unions entitled to info about nonunion employees

06/27/2013
In a significant win for organized labor, the Supreme Court of California has ruled that a union is entitled to the home addresses and telephone numbers of employees who aren’t union members.

When terminating or laying off employees, be sure to pay out accrued leave

06/27/2013
California wage-and-hour law requires employers that provide vacation benefits to pay out unused vacation immediately upon termination. However, there’s an exception for union workplaces if the employer and union clearly and unmistakably agree to waive that payment.

Plastic surgery practice can’t put a pretty face on this case

06/26/2013
A Dallas plastic surgery center has agreed to pay $315,000 to settle charges that it unlawfully fired two employees and then sued one of them in state court after she sought help from the NLRB.

Court: Vague EEOC complaint isn’t protected

06/26/2013
By now, you no doubt understand the dangers of retaliating against someone who has filed an EEOC discrimination complaint. Some workers think all it takes to stop legitimate discipline is to file with the agency. But courts are losing patience with workers who use this tactic.