During a union organizing drive, a company employee asked the human resource director of Liberty Toyota if low-paid technicians could see the changes in the company’s pay plan without selecting a union. The HR director responded, “I think it’s absolutely possible,” and asked for the opportunity to address pay issues “before you pay [a union]…

The United Autoworkers Union lost a close, extremely important election at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee a few months ago. Had the UAW won, its victory would have marked the first time a union represents employees of an auto manufacturer in the southern United States. Riding the momentum from the close election, the UAW…

The typical union worker now is more likely to be an educator, office worker, or food or service industry employee rather than a construction worker, autoworker, or electrical mechanic. Until recently, the unionization rate was far higher in the private sector than in the public sector. “The basic structure of the labor union movement has…

An Illinois telephone company suspended a worker after he grabbed his crotch in a move obviously intended for a female non-union employee to see. According to the company, the female employee was upset by the incident, and the act was a form of sexual harassment, an implied threat of violence, and an indicator of future…

A Domino’s Pizza franchisee violated the National Labor Relations Act by maintaining an arbitration agreement barring workers from bringing class claims, despite the argument that an opt-out provision set the agreement apart from the one in D.R. Horton that did not have opt-out option. According to the NLRB Administrative Law Judge, the agreement that required…

Personnel expenses account for $200 million of the Metropolitan Opera’s $327 million budget. The Met wants to reduce labor costs by 16% by getting the union to accept modern-day, common sense work rules and less generous pension and health benefits. Orchestra members reportedly make $200,000 per year on average and get 16 weeks off with…