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…

In 2012, the National Labor Relations Board issued the Alan Ritchey decision that changed the landscape of disciplining employees while negotiating with a union for an initial collective bargaining agreement. Until Alan Ritchey, companies that lost a union election were free to continue operating as non-union until a union contract was signed. Under Alan Ritchey,…