According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percent of American workers belonging to labor unions in 2013 was the same as in 2012 – 11.3%. Pretty amazing that the number remained steady considering all the people in the workforce. By peeling back the numbers, we get a better look at what is…

A fair amount of work is referred to me from business lawyers who need help navigating the complex world of traditional labor law when structuring a merger or acquisition of a unionized company. A few recent examples of how this happens this include:  A real estate development company that purchased a building where the janitors,…

Last week I published one of my most popular blog posts: Remote Text Sender Now Liable for Distracted Driver’s Crash. Most people who read that post probably thought about employment laws – since that seems to be the thought process of most of my readers. But distracted driving also implicates other areas of law, too. …

Last fall the Illinois Supreme Court decided to not review an appellate court’s decision holding that (absent other conditions) two years of employment is required for a restrictive covenant to be deemed supported by adequate consideration – even where the employee signed the restrictive covenant as a condition of his employment offer and even where…

A union seeking to organize a construction employer’s drywall workers did not violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) by following the employer’s supervisors and managers aggressively in cars – including running red lights to maintain pace – from the employer’s main office to various jobsites. Section 8(b)(1)(A) of the NLRA prohibits unions from restraining…

To be honest, I was a monkee for not thinking there was much to this target. But now, I’m a believer. A few months ago, OSHA directed its inspectors to scrutinize whether employers provide and maintain adequate means of egress, i.e. unlocked, unobstructed, and clearly marked exit doors and exit routes. Those inspectors have taken…