Labor Relations / Unions

Punish employees who ‘occupy’ in their spare time?

11/01/2011

Q. What recourse do employers have against employees involved in ‘Occupy [Wherever]’ protests during off-time?

Expect union reps to aggressively push grievances

10/31/2011

Is your workforce unionized? Then expect union reps to push grievances aggressively, especially if they involve possible racial issues. That’s because more employees are suing unions over timid representation.

What’s the background on the NLRB’s rule requiring a new union-rights poster?

10/18/2011

Q. What is the new National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule regarding notifying employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act?

New for New York employers: union posters, NYC religious accommodation

10/07/2011

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that private-sector employers must post a notice advising employees of their right to join a union. And a new amendment to the New York City Human Rights Law imposes a higher burden on employers that assert that accommodating an employee’s or prospective employee’s religious observance or practice would constitute an “undue hardship.”

3 new NLRB decisions keep recent pro-union streak alive

10/04/2011

The NLRB has issued three significant decisions that affect the relationship between unions, employers and employees. These include new rules for determining what is an appropriate bargaining unit and when employees can vote a union out as their representative. Together, they add to the NLRB’s recent record of ruling in favor of unions and against employers.

Feds sue Northbrook union fund for improper lending

10/03/2011

The Dol has sued the United Employee Benefit Fund in Northbrook and its trustees, following an investigation by the Employee Benefits Security Administration that found the defendants violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by making improper loans.

Know union rules on probationary employees

10/03/2011

You won’t find many employers extolling the upsides of having a unionized workforce, but there is one advantage. If your union contract provides for a probationary period before an employee becomes a permanent part of your workforce, you may have more discretion in how you discipline the new employee.

Which online comments are protected? NLRB helps explain

09/30/2011

Confusion reigns over when employers are legally allowed to discipline employees for bashing the company on Facebook or other social media sites. Now the NLRB has published a report that summarizes the outcomes and reasoning behind 14 cases it decided in the past year involving employees’ use of social media and the legality of employers’ social media policies.

Cincinnati union leader faces jail time, fines for fraud

09/23/2011

Former Cincinnati city employees’ union president Diana Frey has pleaded guilty to federal charges of embezzling more than $750,000 from the Cincinnati Organized and Dedicated Employees (CODE) union.

What’s the NLRB’s real stance on employees’ social media criticism of employers?

09/21/2011

Q. We’ve heard about the National Labor Relations Board’s focus on an employee’s right to post critical work-related comments on Facebook. However, we also heard that the NLRB has started to limit its view on whether such comments are protected concerted activity. What’s going on?