Earlier this year the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued proposed rules prohibiting the use of non-compete agreements with most employees. Non-compete agreements restrict an employee from leaving an employer and taking another job – usually but not always – in the same business, for a specific period of time and within a limited geographic area. Historically the purpose of non-compete agreements was to protect confidential information about a business from being poached by a...

Last week the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its long-anticipated decision in Cemex Construction Materials Pacific LLC and also issued a new rule changing union election procedures.

With less than a month to go before the Big Three and the UAW labor contracts expire (September 14), the UAW is ratcheting up its negotiation rhetoric and posturing.

Not unexpectedly, last week the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) changed its work rule test. The NLRB’s work rule test assesses whether particular employer policies (rules) illegally restrict workers’ rights. The Biden labor Board, now comprised of his appointees, and its General Counsel stated that since this Administration came into office, it would be reviewing many Trump-era labor rules and this rule in particular.

Readers may recall a previous article in the EPTW earlier this year talking about the incredible amount of money (billions) the government has provided to union pension funds in the way of special financial assistance provided through the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) as provided by the American Rescue Plan Act passed under the current administration in 2021.

With the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) currently stretching union rights in every direction, earlier this month the U.S. Supreme Court put up a block against unlawful strike behavior. In an 8-1 decision the high Court said an employer may sue a union if they allowed their striking members to intentionally damage company property during a strike. This would seem to be a no-brainer but not in the world of labor.

Every three years Detroit’s auto industry faces the “Auto Talks.” The Big Three and the United Auto Workers (UAW) will re-negotiate their contracts that are set to expire this September 14^th.  This event not only impacts General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis NV but also impacts the suppliers and vendors that support auto production.

Most employer handbooks have a policy addressing solicitations at work. One major purpose of a no solicitation policy is to prevent union organizing on an employer’s premises. Union organizers want easy access to employees and where better to reach them?

Michigan’s Legislature moved quickly to repeal Michigan’s 10-year-old Right to Work law. Right to Work allows private sector union members to opt out of union dues payment should they disagree with the services rendered, the political position their union takes, or any other reason the union member may have for deciding the union has not earned their support. Right to Work gives thousands of Michigan union workers leverage to hold their unions accountable.

Fans of mafia cinema know the movie Casino follows the mob’s latter-day activities in Las Vegas and how they funded their Las Vegas investments through loans from various unions in the 1960’s and 70’s – a fact used by the moviemakers to show the mafia-labor union corruption back in the day. The Teamsters' connections to the mafia include Teamsters Presidents Frank Fitzimmons and of course Jimmy Hoffa leading the way. One subplot in the movie Casino was based on...

Affinity Groups, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and the like are hallmarks of diversity programs.  Specifically, ERGs could consist of a variety of identities from African American, Hispanic, disabled, women, LGBTQ, and more.  90% of Fortune 500 companies have been reported to have at least one.  Those who participate in ERGs believe they help move the needle with equality and inclusion in their workplaces.  

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that union membership continues its over 40-year decline. Union membership in 2022 declined to 10.1% of U.S. workforce down from 10.3% in 2021. That said, total union membership rose by 273,000 to about 14.3 million workers. But, because of the number of U.S. wage and salary workers (most non-union) grew by 5.3 million workers the reported union membership as a percentage of that total workforce continued to show a decline.

With the Michigan Democratic party taking control of both sides of the Michigan Legislature this past fall, Democrat Legislators began calling for repeal of Michigan’s Right to Work law.

Employers can use a number of different methods of electronic monitoring in the workplace ostensibly to improve productivity and ensure security of the business. These methods can be:

Imagine, if you will, an employee calling the owner of the employing company a derogatory term to their face. The employer understandably fires the employee only to have the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) order the employer to reinstate the employee.