The United Auto Workers union has an aggressive new President, a lot of cash, and friends at the National Labor Relations Board; a perfect storm to strong-arm companies into yielding to the UAW’s demands. Just as the UAW membership declines, its desire and ability for confrontation increases. New UAW President Dennis Williams recently vowed, “No…

There is a fine line between hard bargaining and bargaining in bad faith. This hospital crossed that line. A California hospital did not bargain in good faith with the union representing its registered nurses. The hospital delayed negotiations, made false statements, and refused to furnish relevant information to the union. The National Labor Relations Board…

Companies frequently stop workers from wearing union buttons to show support for a union. This is permissible under the right circumstances. However, most companies, including this one, do not know when those circumstances are. The Union representing workers at a Health Bridge care center posted fliers and wore stickers on their clothes that said “Busted”…

If there is a “Golden Rule” of labor relations, it is that companies cannot prohibit employees from discussing wages. But, companies can stop workers from discussing other financial aspects of a business. Flex Frac Logistics had a confidentiality rule that, among other things, prohibited employees from discussing rates and margins charged by Flex Frac to…

Over the past few years, the Port of Portland grew concerned with the slow pace of workers who were members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). These slowdowns forced ships to reroute, delayed delivery of goods received from that port, and sought to force companies to cease using the port as a shipping…

After years of unsuccessfully trying to increase revenue by organizing additional dues-paying members, the UAW recently voted to increase union dues by a whopping 25%. A veteran autoworker making $28 an hour will be out an additional $168 per year. Of course, this decision was met with resistance from rank and file UAW members. Some…