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Labor Relations / Unions

NLRB sets date for new Kaiser Permanente election

03/20/2013
Forty-five thousand Kaiser Permanente employees in California will start receiving new union ballots April 5 following a National Labor Relations Board ruling that a 2010 election was invalid.

Percentage of union workers continues its long slide

03/15/2013

Unions represent an ever-shrinking slice of U.S. employees, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only 11.3% of workers were unionized in 2012, down from 11.8% in 2011. In 1981, 20.1% of American workers belonged to a union. Several factors have contributed to the decline.

NLRB clarifies position on handbooks, at-will employment

02/28/2013
Late in 2012, the NLRB left many employers scratching their heads—and pulling their employee handbooks off the shelf. Until recently, the NLRB pretty much limited itself to dealing with labor unions and the right to organize, leaving employers alone as long as no union activity was involved. That’s all changed in the past year.

NLRB requires Oakland employer to release confidential docs

02/20/2013
In a potentially far-reaching decision, the National Labor Relations Board has ruled an employer must turn over confidential employee witness statements to a union as part of a grievance procedure.

Twin Cities concert halls silent as musician lockouts continue

02/20/2013
Minnesota’s quiet winter may become a silent spring if labor disputes continue for two of the state’s premier orchestras. Management teams at both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra have locked out musicians after the parties failed to agree on new contracts.

Appeals court rules Obama’s NLRB appointments were illegal

01/25/2013
In a decision that could invalidate more than a year’s worth of National Labor Relations Board rulings, a federal appeals court said President Obama exceeded his constitutional authority when he made three recess appointments to the five-member board. If the Supreme Court upholds the verdict, hundreds of NLRB rulings will be tossed out.

Does the NLRA apply to nonunion employers?

01/25/2013
Q. If an employer is nonunion, must it abide by the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) rules and regulations?

Good news for employers: Moonlighting, noncompetes and the NLRA

01/25/2013
The National Labor Relations Board’s Division of Advice recently released a memorandum that should hearten ­­employers. It concluded that requiring employees to sign an agreement that contains a noncompete clause or a “moonlighting” provision would not unlawfully interfere with an employee’s exercise of rights under Section 7 of National Labor Relations Act.

Sands Casino rolls dice, loses all in NLRB ruling

01/25/2013
The National Labor Relations Board has ruled against the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, holding that the casino violated the National Labor Relations Act when it refused to bar­­gain in good faith with the casino guards’ duly-elected union.

NLRB: Don’t fire staff for online gripe sessions

01/21/2013

More employees these days are taking their grumblings about work (and their co-workers) from the office to the virtual watercoolers of Facebook, Twitter and other online outposts. But as a new ruling shows, it’s best to avoid punishing workers for discussing workplace issues online.