In December 2012, the Michigan legislature passed legislation making Michigan the 24th state to enact right to work laws. In summary, right to work laws prohibit an employer and a labor organization from entering into an agreement requiring that employees maintain employment or otherwise pay fees...
The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor statistics, has issued its report of Union membership and other employment statistics for 2014. The BLS report shows Michigan’s union membership dropping significantly between 2013 and 2014. The percentage of employed workers who reported being union members in 2013...
The United States Supreme Court recently chastised a public sector union’s attempt to force non-member employees to subsidize its political aspirations. Many public sector employers are parties to collective bargaining agreements which include an agency shop provision. At first blush, these agency shop provisions might appear to...
CLAIM IS PREEMPTED BY THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT Although supervisors generally are not covered by the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”), which protects “employees” from unfair labor practices, there is an exception that exists where a supervisor may bring a claim under the NLRA...
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or “the Board”) continues its assault on basic contractual rights. Its current target is the commonly used at-will disclaimer in employment contracts. The Board has taken the position that employers violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) simply by requiring employees...
An interstate water company is on the hook for millions of dollars after the NLRB held that the employer had declared an impasse in contract negotiations and changed employee benefits without first informing state agencies that there was a labor dispute in progress. The NLRB’s decision...