News, advice and common issues regarding negotiation issues in the workplace by The Employee’s Lawyer.
Suffice it to say that many employers are not fond of labor unions, and some businesses will go to extreme (and sometimes illegal) efforts to prevent a union from being organized among their employees. These tactics range from the surprisingly subtle to the absurdly overt. Here are some of the most common tactics employers use to try to keep employees from organizing unions:
Continue reading “How Do Employers Try to Stop Unions From Being Organized?”
By far the most common type of employment in the United States is what is known as at-will employment. In fact, it is estimated that nearly three quarters of all employees in the U.S. are considered to be at-will employees. But what does it mean for someone to be employed at-will, and why might that matter for you?
Continue reading “What is At-Will Employment, and Why Does it Matter?”
It is increasingly common for employers to put arbitration clauses in their employees’ contracts. Unfortunately, many employees sign these contracts without understanding what they mean, unintentionally trapping themselves in a potentially troublesome legal arrangement. So what is an arbitration clause, and how can it affect you when it is in your employment contract?
Continue reading “What is an Arbitration Clause in Your Employment Contract?”
In the past few months, labor unions have seen significant growth, with major employers like Amazon and Starbucks seeing their employees begin to unionize. Though they have worked hard to discourage this trend, the increase in unionization shows just how beneficial organizing a union can be. Here are just some of the potential benefits of unionizing your workplace:
Continue reading “The Benefits of Unionizing Your Workplace”
The CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, has said that his company would not be able to provide expanded benefits to unionized employees, if they were to increase the benefits for workers in the future. This statement has been described as an “indefensible threat” from Schultz by labor organizers who are working to form unions at Starbucks locations around the country. This comes on the heels of several new Starbucks stores having voted to form unions, with as many as 216 stores now being targeted by labor organizers.
Continue reading “Starbucks CEO Threatens to Withhold Benefits From Unionized Workers”
In a first for the company, an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island has voted to unionize their workplace, beginning the formal process that would lead to collective bargaining and a union contract. The union election was held on Friday, April 1, where a majority of the employees at the warehouse voted to unionize. This is seen as a major victory for organizers, who had spent years trying to form a union at the location, despite serious efforts by Amazon to impede the process.
Continue reading “Amazon Warehouse on Staten Island First to Unionize in Nation”
The tactic of going on strike is one of the oldest, and most famous, strategies used by the labor movement. Through careful organization, strikes have been used to secure better wages and working conditions for workers across the United States. However, striking is not always legal, and it is important to know when a strike is protected by the law, and when it is not. Continue reading “When Can Employees Legally Go on Strike?”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has begun the process of reviewing a potential change to federal regulations about the use of restrictive covenants in employment contracts. The goal of these changes is, ostensibly, to allow employees a greater degree of freedom to change employment without fear of legal retribution. Employers, however, are wary of these potential changes, which they say may make it easier for employees to personally benefit from trade secrets or other confidential information. Continue reading “FTC Begins Review of Rule on Restrictive Covenants”
A critical part of the process of unionizing is holding what is known as a union election. Without it, you cannot legally form a union in the United States, and you cannot move forward with negotiating with your employer collectively. But what exactly is a union election, and how do you go about holding one in your workplace?
Continue reading “What is a Union Election, and How Can You Hold One?”
The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects individuals engaged in “protected concerted activity,” allowing them to legally fight for increased pay, better benefits, and improved working conditions. This concerted activity is essential for labor organizing, and thus these protections are a cornerstone of labor law. Here are five common examples of protected concerted activity, as defined by the NLRA: Continue reading “Four Types of Concerted Activity Protected Under the NLRA”
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