In labor law, a “contract bar” generally states that no petition to get rid of a union may be filed during the existence of a valid collective bargaining agreement. Sounds straight forward. There must be an actual contract, signed by both parties. But what happens if there is a signed, valid contract but the effective dates of the…

The New England Teamsters’ pension fund is $5.1 billion dollars underfunded, according to the Boston Globe. The New England Teamsters’ pension plan covers more than 72,000 truck drivers and warehouse workers represented by the New England Teamsters Union across many employers. Only one other United States multi-employer pension plan is more underfunded than the New England…

Hourly employees working for AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) who are represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) are being treated unfairly. Richard Trumka (head of AFL-CIO) and Mary Kay Henry (president of SEIU) are hypocritical. While these union leaders accuse companies of not sharing their wealth with employees,…

Employers waiting for the National Labor Relation Board’s revisions to union election rules will have to wait a bit longer. According to the Board, that item is a “long term” action item.  It has been downgraded from a prior ranking. This is a possible indication that revisions to the rules have become a less important…

The Board will issue a proposed rule sometime this winter that will address the NLRB’s “Blocking Charge” policy to pause elections if workers or unions file complaints alleging employers interfered with the elections. The proposal will also take up the NLRB’s rule that workers must wait at least six months before they can file petitions seeking to oust…

National Labor Relations Board leaders faced a rare agency staff protest on November 8, the second such employee action in the current Board’s first year. Career staffers at the NLRB protested and handed out leaflets outside an American Bar Association conference attended by Board Chairman John Ring. They say the agency is trying to make more…