The National Labor Relations Board ruled that the Longshoreman’s Union (ILWU) violated federal law with slowdowns and work stoppages at the Port of Portland in 2012 and 2013. The Union is now on the hook for millions of dollars of damages as they are being sued by the Port and the Company that runs Terminal…

Minnesota Home Healthcare workers are permitted to unionize. While this ruling does not have much impact for most of our readers, the backstory should resonate with you. Minnesota passed a law that allowed collective bargaining for home care providers for Medicaid recipients. The 2013 law called the Individual Providers of Direct Support Services Representation Act…

By now, if you’re remotely interested in what happening at the NLRB, you are familiar with the McDonald’s joint employer case. If you’ve just crawled out from under a rock, this case will determine whether McDonald’s and its franchisees are joint employers. Currently they are not, which benefits companies, but this Board is not shy…

In the early 2000’s the United Autoworkers (UAW) unions began trying to organize the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi. Nearly 15 years later, it’s still trying. According to the UAW, “many” Nissan employees recently began wearing pro-union t-shirts and hats to work. In response the company changed its almost anything goes dress code to one…

The 1959 Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) focused primarily on union corruption. The most prevalent part of the LMRDA is an LM-2 form that details union expenses. A lesser- known part of the LMRDA deals with payments to consultants called “persuaders.” Companies must report payments for services like communicating with workers about their…

Victor and Josephine Laracca owned and operated a Foodtown supermarket for ten years. Foodtown employees were represented by the UFCW. Shortly after Foodtown closed, Laracca’s son Roberto opened a supermarket named Fantastic a few miles from the shuttered Foodtown. While Roberto is sole owner of Fantastic, a $400,000 loan was guaranteed by Victor and Josephine…