Employers probably are aware of the “quickie” election rules implemented earlier this year by the National Labor Relations Board (“the Board”), but they may not have considered all of the rules’ consequences. With as little as 15 to 20 days to respond to an organizing drive, employers must be prepared to educate employees about the … Continue Reading
Last week a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit aimed at blocking SB 519, the Oregon law the prohibits employers from requiring employees to attend meeting about, among other things, labor unions. Click here to read the District of Oregon’s opinion in Associated Oregon Industries v. Avakian. SB 519, passed by the Oregon legislature in 2009, … Continue Reading
Labor unions are seeing a rare growth opportunity in green power. Despite the recession, there has been a building boom in green energy, in particular solar and wind projects. As reported recently in the New York Times, labor unions see something in green energy for them as well, and they’re using intense political pressure to get it. When … Continue Reading
If passed in its proposed form, the Employee Free Choice Act ("EFCA") will revolutionize federal labor laws by allowing unions to organize without a secret-ballot election. Other onerous provisions include shortening the time to negotiate a first contract and, if the parties do not agree, allowing an arbitrator (a judge) to decide the terms of … Continue Reading
Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held labor union UNITE HERE liable under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) for accessing the motor vehicle records of Cintas Corp. employees to find their home addresses. The decision is available here: Pichler v. UNITE. As part of a 2002 organizing drive, union organizers … Continue Reading
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that a Spokane hospital could not lawfully prohibit nurses from wearing union buttons in areas where they only "might" encounter patients or family members. Health care employers should review their uniform policies to make sure union insignia and other political buttons and stickers are only prohibited in … Continue Reading
