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Labor Relations / Unions

Florida union membership rate falls in 2009

05/11/2010
According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida lost 71,000 union jobs in 2009, and now just 5.8% of Floridians belong to unions, compared to 6.4% in 2008.

New York labor union membership fell in 2009

05/11/2010

According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, New York lost 10,000 union jobs in 2009, but greater contraction in the rest of the state’s economy actually raised the percentage of New Yorkers who belong to a union. Private- and public-sector union jobs in New York fell from 2,029,000 in 2008 to 2,019,000 in 2009.

Obama appoints pro-union attorney to NLRB

05/07/2010
In a move that will tilt the balance of labor power in Washington more in favor of unions, President Obama last month appointed controversial labor attorney Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board. In February, the Senate had voted down Becker’s nomination.

Labor on the rise: Review your solicitation & distribution rules

05/06/2010

Unions are stepping up their organizing activity, and smart employers are preparing by making sure their rules on solicitation, distribution and access to private property meet legal requirements. If you don’t have a “no solicitation/no distribution” policy, adopt one now. It can help regulate two types of conduct that unions depend on when trying to organize a workplace.

Rate of union membership jumped in Texas in 2009

05/06/2010
According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas gained almost 60,000 union jobs last year, and the rate of union membership grew from 4.5% in 2008 to 5.1% in 2009.

Rate of union membership fell in Pennsylvania in 2009

04/28/2010

According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pennsylvania lost 65,000 union jobs last year, and the rate of union membership declined from 15.4% to 15%. The number of union jobs in Pennsylvania fell from 847,000 to 782,000.

Rate of union membership fell in Minnesota in 2009

04/19/2010
According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Minnesota lost 30,000 union jobs last year, and the rate of union membership statewide declined a full percentage point from 16.1% to 15.1%.

Labor on the rise: Review your solicitation & distribution rules

04/19/2010

Unions are stepping up their organizing activity, and smart employers are preparing by making sure their rules on solicitation, distribution and access to private property meet legal requirements. If you don’t have a “no solicitation/no distribution” policy, adopt one now. It can help regulate two types of conduct that unions depend on when trying to organize a workplace.

SEIU spearheads move to protest Jackson Health cuts

04/15/2010
Carrying signs that read, “Some cuts don’t heal,” Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1991 members along with an estimated 200 doctors and nurses in March protested proposed cuts to Miami-Dade County’s public health services.

With Obama’s appointments, a new course for NLRB?

04/13/2010
President Obama in late March announced the recess appointments of attorneys Craig Becker and Mark Gaston Pearce to fill two vacancies on the National Labor Relations Board. That broke a more than two-year-old NLRB logjam—and reignited worries that the board will now tilt heavily in favor of unions.