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Labor Relations / Unions

Know the limits of employee free speech—no need to tolerate out-of-line protests

06/26/2009

Employees have the right to voice concerns and complaints about perceived workplace discrimination. But employers have rights, too. Employees don’t have the right to communicate their concerns in ways that are disruptive, insubordinate or that otherwise violate reasonable company policies. You can punish employees who don’t play by the rules.

Can we prohibit employees from sharing salary information with one another?

06/26/2009

Q. Is it illegal for a company to prohibit employees from sharing salary and wage information?

Union pact overlaps with state law? Grievance comes first

06/11/2009

Are you a union employer with a collective-bargaining agreement that touches on labor issues also covered by the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act (MFLSA)? Then employees can’t go directly to court without first pursuing a union grievance.

Organized labor at your doorstep? Don’t grill employees about their union support

06/05/2009

Unions are flourishing during the current economic crisis, slowly emerging after decades of decline. Chances are, more and more of your employees are being courted by unions, whether your organization is currently a union workplace or not. Now’s the time to educate yourself on what you can and cannot do to discourage union membership.

Charitable donation OK in lieu of union dues

06/05/2009

Some employees’ religious beliefs forbid them to belong to labor unions. Because, like employers, unions may not discriminate on the basis of religion, they must make reasonable accommodations for employees who object to any of their pay going to the union.

Dayton gets unlikely help from union when courts try to force settlement

06/05/2009

Sometimes, the HR business makes for strange bedfellows. Consider what happened in one recent case when the U.S. Department of Justice sued the city of Dayton, claiming its rules for hiring police officers and firefighters unfairly screened out black candidates. The police and firefighters union stepped in to intervene in the litigation.

Government employers can limit when employees take flextime

06/05/2009

Some government employers let employees arrange their schedules to allow flexible hours. Changing those terms in a union environment may be an unfair labor practice. However, in one recent case, an Ohio appeals court upheld such a change because the union contract didn’t address the practice.

Chrysler prepares for recovery by offering worker buyouts

06/05/2009

The cost of retirement benefits are one of the flies in the ointment of Chrysler’s plan to close eight plants—including its Twinsburg, Ohio, stamping facility. To help cut long-term expenses, the bankrupt company plans to offer lump-sum buyout payments to some members of the United Auto Workers.

Use TEAM approach to stay union-free in a union-friendly world

06/05/2009

By now, nearly everyone in HR has heard of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), under which unions would have a much easier time becoming certified. Because unions have become more aggressive and more successful at unionization even without the EFCA, I recommend that employers adopt the TEAM approach to keeping their workplaces union-free.

Looking for work? NLRB has openings

06/05/2009

Cushy government jobs, but a lot of headaches await the successful applicants for two key government jobs. Years of political infighting may be coming to an end soon, as President Obama has sent two names to Congress for confirmation to become members of the National Labor Relations Board.