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By Brian P. Smeenk Canadians love hockey like Americans love football or baseball. Maybe more. So the lockout of the players by the league’s owners has left a lot of Canadian hockey fans in withdrawal. It’s also led to much more reporting about labor negotiations than we would normally see in the media.
A recent ruling from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) means employers are no longer automatically exempted when unions ask them to turn over witness statements related to employee discipline. Now, the employer’s confidentiality interest must be balanced with the union’s need for information. The American Baptist Homes of the West d/b/a Piedmont Gardens case […]
Employers can’t be instantly ready for how health reform will transform their health plans in 2014; they have to do all the heavy lifting in 2013 in order to achieve preparedness, an attorney from the Epstein Becker & Green law firm said on Dec. 19. He advised employers to see health reform-driven coverage changes in […]
by Gary Fealk On December 11, Michigan passed Senate Bill 116, commonly known as the right-to-work law. In accordance with the Michigan Constitution (Article IV, Section 27), the law will go into effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session. Under the law, an individual cannot be required to do any of the […]
Long a union stronghold, Michigan has become the latest state to pass right-to-work legislation. The fight, though, likely will rage on. State legislators on December 11 approved legislation that prohibits workplaces from requiring all employees to pay all union dues. The legislation was pushed by the Republican majority in the state legislature. On Tuesday afternoon, […]
Michigan voters will decide the fate of two initiatives in the November 6 election that can change the climate toward collective bargaining and union organization in the state. One initiative–Proposal 2, dubbed the “Protect our Jobs” proposal–is a union-backed measure asking voters to pass a constitutional amendment guaranteeing workers the right to bargain collectively. If […]
by Timothy Edwards In what may likely be a temporary victory for public unions in the state of Wisconsin, a Dane County judge declared that Governor Scott Walker’s restrictions to the collective bargaining rights of specific government employees (Act 10) are unconstitutional. The court’s decision is not the last word on this politically charged topic. […]
On December 21, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced the adoption of a final rule that is expected to allow quicker union representation elections. The rule was published in the Federal Register on December 22. The rule, which is to take effect on April 30, 2012, is a scaled down version of amendments proposed […]
The days when only unionized employers needed to worry about the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) are over, said attorney Charlie Plumb during his presentation at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium (AEIS) in Nashville. Employers should be concerned about two big changes happening in the NLRB and with labor unions that Plumb believes will become […]
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has released the newly mandated poster it says is necessary to inform employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The Board issued the final rule requiring most private-sector employers to display the poster on August 25, and it must be in place by November 14. […]