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Labor Relations / Unions

Lufkin Industries workers ratify 3-year labor contract

12/04/2008

Members of three unions recently ratified a new three-year contract with Lufkin Industries. The agreement will give 1,200 workers at five Texas plants wage increases totaling 11% over the term of the contract.

Times are changing: HR heads to Vegas to LEAP ahead

12/04/2008

It’s predicted that 2009 will bring more changes in federal employment and labor laws than in the entire eight years of the previous administration. To help HR professionals prepare, The HR Specialist is hosting the 5th annual Labor and Employment Law Advanced Practices (LEAP) Symposium March 18-20 in Las Vegas.

Union sues Fresno, transit agency for blocking ad

11/25/2008

A health care workers’ union has filed a lawsuit against the city of Fresno, claiming it violated the union’s constitutional rights by failing to allow a union advertisement on city buses.

Sparks fly in Camden over layoff procedure

11/25/2008

Camden Chief Operating Officer (COO) Theodore Davis announced plans to cut 31 government jobs in October. Rather than rely on union agreements to decide where to cut, Davis used his own system, which he said was more equitable than established civil service procedures. Unions representing municipal employees say that’s illegal …

‘Sweeping’ changes in store for HR & employers

11/21/2008

Change. America voted for it, and the HR world will certainly receive its fair share next year. The arrival in Washington of President-elect Obama and a firmly Democratic-controlled Congress will spark an array of legislative and regulatory proposals that could rewrite the employment law rule book.

Pregnancy—an ‘off-duty injury’—prompts Detroit Police suit

11/20/2008

Five Detroit police officers have filed a lawsuit challenging a department policy that forces pregnant officers to go on sick leave as soon as their supervisors find out they’re pregnant.

NLRB: Grand Rapids Starbucks worker fired for union organizing

11/20/2008

The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Starbucks, claiming it fired a Grand Rapids, Mich., barista because of his union sympathies.

Union fights Wayne County over health care changes

11/20/2008

The AFSCME secured a court order to prevent Wayne County from changing its retiree health care benefits. A redesign proposed by the county would have tripled prescription drug co-pays for employees who retired under the 2000-2004 contract.

AFSCME files charges against Benton Harbor

11/20/2008

AFSCME Local 1433, the union representing employees of the city of Benton Harbor, has filed five unfair labor-practice charges with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission.

Barista back as Starbucks settles NLRB complaint

11/12/2008

Erik Forman, a barista at a Minneapolis Starbucks who claimed he was fired in July for promoting a union drive, is pouring ventes again after the java giant settled a National Labor Relations Board complaint he filed.