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Labor Relations / Unions

NLRB schedules union vote for 45,000 Kaiser workers

08/23/2010

The National Labor Relations Board in August approved plans for a mail ballot election to begin Sept. 13 for tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees throughout California. The election will determine if the workers at the health care giant will be represented by one of three unions. Kaiser employees also have the option of voting for no union representation.

UC postdoctoral researchers reach tentative agreement

08/23/2010

On Aug. 1, a union representing postdoctoral researchers at the University of California reached a tentative collective-bargaining agreement. The five-year pact between the university system and Postdoctoral Researchers Organize/UAW (PRO/UAW), which represents 6,500 postdoctoral researchers in the UC system, calls for pay increases of at least 3% per year from 2010 to 2015 for researchers earning less than $47,000.

Asked to settle union election challenge, 9th Circuit punts it back to NLRB

08/23/2010

In a recent article, we explain how the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is struggling to clear a backlog of cases after a huge Supreme Court decision invalidating many prior decisions. Now the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has added to the NLRB’s burden by kicking a case back to the board rather than deciding it in court.

Can you prove malice behind union claims?

08/23/2010

These days, unions are using tough tactics, including targeting nonunion employers with postcard campaigns that urge the public to boycott nonunion products and services. Some of those mailings may be misleading—or flat-out lies. You could sue for defamation, but that’s an uphill battle …

Twin Cities nurses sign contract with 14 hospitals

08/12/2010

The Minnesota Nurses Association signed a three-year collective bargaining agreement with 14 Twin Cities hospitals on July 6, just days before a strike deadline set by the union. The hospitals had sought the right to “float” registered nurses to any hospital at any time, but eventually backed off that demand and a proposal to modify nurse pensions.

EFCA is dead, but ‘new’ NLRB could be trouble

08/09/2010
“The big bang theory of labor law reform is behind us,” says employment law attorney Michael Lotito. Meaning: In its current form, the controversial Employee Free Choice Act won’t pass. But it’s not all good news. The five-member NLRB “has changed dramatically” with the addition of three new members named by President Obama.

Former employees take big bite out of Texas Dental Association

08/02/2010
Two former employees of the Texas Dental Association are $900,000 richer after receiving back pay in a settlement agreement brokered by the National Labor Relations Board.

Here’s intel on how the other side approaches union elections

07/20/2010
The Department of Labor has launched a new web-based employment law guide on how to conduct union elections. The purpose: walking union members and officials through the steps necessary to comply with labor-relations law. If you have union workers, you owe it to yourself to learn how they’ll probably conduct their next election.

Case appears headed for court? See if union contract requires arbitration instead

07/15/2010
There’s at least one upside to having a unionized workforce: Employees who have disagreements over pay or benefits generally have to use the arbitration process authorized in the union contract to pursue their claims. Your collective-bargaining agreement can save employers from expensive trips to the federal courts.

Must we rehire strikers when labor dispute ends? We may want to keep replacement workers

07/02/2010
Q. A group of our employees recently voted to strike. To ensure that our operations aren’t disrupted, we would like to hire replacement workers. When the strike ends, will we be required to reinstate the strikers?