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Labor Relations / Unions

Union setback as court finds Smithfield didn’t abuse workers

02/01/2008

A federal appeals court has overturned a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision and ruled that security personnel at the Tar Heel plant of Smithfield Foods did not mistreat employees who worked for a cleaning contractor during a November 2003 protest …

Indianapolis Navistar employees return to work after strike

02/01/2008

A seven-week strike by United Auto Workers (UAW) against Warrenville, IL-based truck and engine maker Navistar International Inc. ended in December. The union’s contract expired on Oct. 1, but employees worked through Oct. 23 before walking out on the company’s engine plants in Illinois and Indianapolis …

Former union treasurer sentenced to prison for embezzlement

02/01/2008

A former treasurer of Local 900 of the Federal Independent Texas Union (FITU) was recently ordered to serve a 21-month prison sentence for embezzling $164,268 in union funds. The FITU represents employees at Lockheed Aerospace Corp. in Fort Worth …

May we forbid employees to talk about how much they get paid?

02/01/2008
Q. My company has a policy prohibiting all workers from discussing their pay with other employees. Is this legal?

Washington Update: News from the NLRB, EEOC and USCIS

01/15/2008

The New Year often brings a flurry of activity from the many federal government agencies that address employment issues, and 2008 is no exception. We’ve got good news on employers’ control over workplace e-mail, bad news for employers who discriminate and mixed news for those who want to hire foreign workers.

Judge denies TWU bid to regain dues check-Off rights

01/01/2008

Brooklyn State Supreme Court Justice Bruce Balter flatly denied the Transport Workers Union of America’s (TWU) request to resume automatic dues deductions after the union failed to renounce its right to strike …

Steelworkers sue over WARN Act violations

01/01/2008

The United Steelworkers union filed a complaint against Meridian Automotive Systems Inc., claiming the company violated the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act when it permanently laid off workers at its Jackson, OH, plant in August of 2007 …

Right to have a witness during discipline

01/01/2008

Q. We have a nonunion shop. It is not uncommon for our employees to insist that they have the right to have a witness present during investigatory interviews and disciplinary action meetings. I have heard conflicting answers to whether employees in a nonunion facility have the right to have a witness present during investigatory and disciplinary interviews. Can you clear up the confusion for me? …

After United gives workers the bird, some give it back

01/01/2008

Five United Airlines workers needed medical attention for nausea and vomiting after partaking in the airline’s holiday peace offering—a full Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. The feast was supposed to be United’s way of restoring goodwill after the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association criticized the airline …

Union security clauses are enforceable in Michigan—Non-Dues payer can be fired

01/01/2008

Q. I run a small warehouse facility where the employees are represented by a union. The labor contract requires all employees to pay union dues or an equivalent fee. The union has contacted me and indicated that one of my laid-off employees is not in good standing for failing to pay union dues, and has requested that the employee be discharged. Even though he is laid off, the union still requires him to pay union dues. This is a good employee, and I do not want to terminate him. Am I required to do so? …