Labor Relations / Unions

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.

NLRB may soon lack quorum as Obama’s nominees face opposition

05/22/2013

May 16 was a bad day for the NLRB. First, yet another federal circuit court ruled that two current NLRB members had been illegally appointed. Then, Republican senators fired opening salvos in a bid to dump the two current board members and slow down the confirmation of two new NLRB nominees.

Court: Employers don’t have to display NLRB union poster

05/20/2013

A federal appeals court on May 7 struck down a two-year-old National Labor Relations Board rule that would have required private-sector employers to post a notice informing employees of their rights to join or form a union.

St. Paul Chamber musicians, management achieve harmony

05/10/2013

After being locked out since Oct. 21, 2012, musicians with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra are prepared to complete a shortened season with a smaller contingent. A tentative agreement ending the lockout cuts the orchestra from 34 members to 28 and lowers the guaranteed minimum salary to $60,000—19% less than the previous contract that expired last September.