Company Forced to Pay Union Negotiating Expenses

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 overturned the Administrative Law Judge’s order refusing to force the hospital pay the union’s negotiating expenses and ordered the hospital to pay the expenses as punishment for six months of unproductive negotiations. Ordering a company to pay a union’s negotiating expenses is an extreme remedy, but unfortunately not surprising from the current extreme NLRB.