Labor Relations / Unions

2 Bensalem facilities closed after labor talks break down

12/13/2010

Express Scripts will close a second Bensalem facility on Feb. 1 following a union rejection of the company’s final contract offer to employees at the mail order pharmacy. Added to a Dec. 16 closing of another prescription-processing plant in Bensalem, the second shutdown means Express Scripts has shed 992 jobs in Pennsylvania.

Union says Honeywell’s lockout costs more than concessions

12/09/2010

United Steel Workers union members picketing Honeywell’s Metropolis uranium-enrichment facility claim the company is spending more to lock out workers than it would cost to wrap up contract negotiations.

Unions suffer another setback in a string of losses at Delta

12/09/2010

Union-organizing efforts have consistently failed since Delta Air Lines merged with Eagan-based Northwest Airlines. That trend continued last fall when 53% of baggage handlers voted to reject representation by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Firing worker for Facebook rant: Is it illegal?

11/22/2010

In what could be a groundbreaking case, the National Labor Relations Board filed an unfair labor practice complaint last month against a Connecticut company that fired a worker who complained about her supervisor on Facebook. This is the first case in which the NLRB has argued that workers’ criticisms on social networking sites are protected activity.

Contract talks stuck? Put health care on the table

11/19/2010

News to note if you work in a unionized workplace: Health benefits are still a legitimate bargaining chip. Members of the University Professional & Technical Employees Union recently agreed to shoulder more of the health insurance burden in exchange for better performance-based pay.

California Supreme Court upholds state furloughs

11/19/2010

For a while, there was some doubt that outgoing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could legally force unionized state employees to accept furloughs ordered to ease California’s budget crisis. Now the California Supreme Court has ruled that the furloughs were legal.

NLRB: Hair salon must cut out anti-union activities

11/12/2010

The National Labor Relations Board has filed unfair labor practices charges against Edina-based Regis Corp., which operates hair salons nationwide under the Regis Salons, Cost Cutters, Supercuts, MasterCuts and other brands. The NLRB alleges that the company’s CEO intimidated employees into signing a pledge not to join a union.

Know the NLRA: Unionized or not, labor law applies to you

11/11/2010

The federal labor law can be a trap for the unwary—even for nonunion employers. Even if your employees don’t belong to a union, the National Labor Relations Act applies to you. For example, the National Labor Relations Board recently announced that a nonunionized employer will pay $900,000 to two fired employees to settle charges that it violated the NLRA.

HR after the mid-terms: What’s Washington going to do?

11/09/2010

Republicans captured control of the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections, while Democrats retained a slim majority in the Senate. With a Democrat in the White House and a divided Congress, what does that mean for the HR-related issues that have dominated the headlines for the last two years? Here’s our rundown of the likely legislative scenarios.

West Palm Beach labor dispute becomes election issue

11/01/2010

An ongoing dispute between West Palm Beach’s Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and trade unions became an election issue this fall, forcing candidates to cancel political events they had scheduled there rather than cross picket lines.