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Labor Relations / Unions

How to comply with Colorado’s 3 newest workplace laws

09/02/2008
The Colorado Legislature passed several laws during the most recent legislative session that will directly affect Colorado employers, and more changes may be on the way. HR professionals need to update workplace policies and procedures to comply with these new worker rights and employer obligations …

Handling a boorish union rep

08/27/2008
Q. One of our employees serves as a committee member for a labor union that represents some of our employees. He uses his union position to protect himself from our company’s policy on insubordination. Does management have a right to ban this employee from the property when he conducts labor business because of his combative, disrespectful and intimidating manner? What rights does management have under this circumstance? …

Pending legislation would change labor relations landscape

08/19/2008
Presently pending before Congress are two bills that could dramatically change labor relations across the United States. The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish a new system that would enable employees to form and join labor unions. The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007 would bolster unionizing efforts among police officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers nationwide …

Nursing home workers’contract signals start of statewide union push

08/15/2008
An overwhelming majority of nursing home workers at 10 Sava Senior Care facilities in Northern California ratified a new contract in July. It will cover more than 1,000 workers who are members of the Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers-West (UHW) …

SoCal UFCW locals reach agreement with Rite Aid

08/15/2008
Rite Aid drugstores recently reached tentative agreements on two new three-year contracts with seven locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union. The new agreements will cover approximately 7,100 Southern California clerks and pharmacists working at 400 Rite Aid stores …

State court issues restraining order to bar AFSCME strike of UC

08/15/2008
On July 11, a California state court issued a restraining order prohibiting Local 3299 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) from invoking a planned strike against facilities at the University of California …

Can we do anything about employees discussing pay with one another?

08/15/2008

Q. Can we prohibit workers from discussing their pay with each other? This practice appears to be creating workplace conflict and damaging morale in the office …

How can our process elicit more specifics when the union files grievances?

08/08/2008
Q. We have a lot of trouble with our employees’ union in terms of processing grievances. The form the union uses does not provide enough information for my HR office to determine if the grievance has merit or not. We would like the union to identify the contract provision that it believes has been violated, along with sufficient facts to understand the issue. Any thoughts? …

‘You Won’t Work Sundays?!’ EEOC Offers Guidance on Religious Accommodations

08/06/2008
The EEOC recently released guidance to help employers avoid religious discrimination charges. Distilled from the law, regulations and court decisions, the guidance offers both a list of frequently asked questions about religious discrimination and accommodation and a list of best practices. You can download free copies of each here.

Is ‘at-will’ employment at risk in Colorado? Voters will decide

08/05/2008
Colorado (like nearly every other state) historically has been an “at-will” employment state. That means employers are free to fire an employee, and an employee is free to quit, at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. But this fall, that could all change. Ballot Initiative 76 would amend the state constitution to eliminate at-will employment …