According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pennsylvania lost 65,000 union jobs last year, and the rate of union membership declined from 15.4% to 15%. The number of union jobs in Pennsylvania fell from 847,000 to 782,000.

Unions are stepping up their organizing activity, and smart employers are preparing by making sure their rules on solicitation, distribution and access to private property meet legal requirements. If you don’t have a “no solicitation/no distribution” policy, adopt one now. It can help regulate two types of conduct that unions depend on when trying to organize a workplace.

Companies that use freelancers, consultants, per diems, long-term temps and other contingent workers are under assault. The federal government is poised to take a leading role in cracking down on employers it suspects of misclassifying employees as independent contractors. The feds aren’t alone ...

Here’s a bit of bad news for employers with union-represented employees who are considering going out on strike: A recent 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling has struck down a number of picketing permit restrictions passed by local ordinance. The decision’s basis: unions’ right to free speech. The result may be some very public protests by labor unions when disputes spill over.

Three trial court orders have called for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to end three-days-per-month furloughs of state workers who are not paid with general-fund money. Schwarzenegger implemented the furloughs last year as one way to handle the state’s ongoing budget crisis.

For the first time in history, the number of unionized public-sector workers exceeds the number of private-sector union members, despite the fact that there are five times more workers in the private sector, according to a new U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

In an attempt to close a gaping state deficit, New York Budget Director Robert Megna has told government agencies to offer early-retirement packages to state employees. The state made a similar offer earlier in 2009, and 1,100 workers took that option before it expired in early November.

Sometimes unions engage in “ambulatory picketing” and other practices aimed at publicly exposing allegedly bad employers. This can include following your company vehicles to work sites and picketing outside your business locations. The NLRA permits all these practices. However, union reps can’t trespass on your property.

The Senate on Feb. 9 failed to confirm labor lawyer Craig Becker’s appointment to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), but employer organizations fear it’s only a matter of time before Becker takes his board seat anyway. That could have an even greater effect on labor relations than the controversial Employee Free Choice Act. If Becker becomes a member of the NLRB, could your employees be forced to unionize against their will?

With Republican Scott Brown’s stunning victory in a January special election, Democrats lost their filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate. That shift has cast doubt on organized labor’s top legislative priority—the so-called Employee Free Choice Act. So is this the end of the EFCA? Probably yes—at least as it's currently written, but it’s too soon to celebrate.

The current legislative debate brewing over the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) has spotlighted a fact many employers don’t realize: Nonunion employers must comply with requirements of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Employers that aren’t in the know run the risk that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will file unfair labor charges for alleged violations of federal laws.

Gay marriage proponents suffered a major setback when the New Jersey Senate rejected a gay marriage bill in a 20-14 vote. Supporters had hoped to get the bill passed before Gov. Jon Corzine left office on Jan. 19. Newly sworn-in Gov. Christopher Christie opposes it.

HR Law 101: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) applies strict rules of conduct to employers during union-organizing campaigns. But whether you choose to accept the union or resist it, you can still exercise your rights effectively. Or, if a union has already won a representation election in your organization, you need to know how to prevent the union from encroaching on your management rights ... 

Two employees ask their boss to ax the company Christmas tree. A worker refuses to trim his dreadlocks, saying they are essential to his practice of Rastafari. A cashier insists she has a right to tell customers, “Have a blessed day.” Those cases have all wound up being tried in court. Employers can't treat employees differently because of their religion, but that doesn't mean religious accommodation is easy.

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) has changed its enforcement policy regarding the rounding of employees’ time for wage payment purposes. A recent letter from Theodore Easton, chief of enforcement for the NJDOL, confirmed that if a New Jersey employer rounds off any increment of time an employee has worked, it must now be done in the employee’s favor.

With EFCA on the march in Congress and unions staging a big push to add new members, it's up to enlightened managers to show employees they don't need organized labor. These 14 steps will get bosses talking to employees ... and keep unions from gaining a toehold in your company.

Leaders possess an unconscious, gut-level idea of where they are and where they’re likely to go—a “default future,” say two close observers of business. Your default future is deeply rooted in your assumptions, hopes, fears and experiences ...

Several cases on the U.S. Supreme Court's docket this term involve employment and labor-related issues. One of the most notable of these will decide how much time plaintiffs have to file a lawsuit when they believe they have been unfairly penalized by hiring tests. Other cases will resolve issues involving an alleged whistle-blower, pension benefits, race discrimination and labor arbitration.

Here’s a bit of good news from the Supreme Court of California: The court has ruled that labor unions can’t intercede for union members to sue employers for missed meal and rest breaks under the state’s unfair competition law or the private attorney general statute.

Imagine this nightmare scenario: You’ve contracted with a vendor to enter personnel data into a new computer system, including employees' Social Security numbers, addresses, names of dependents, health records and bank account routing numbers. Then the vendor notifies you that employee data was somehow stolen or lost. What do you do?

With news from Capitol Hill that the “card-check” provision has been dropped from the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), employers need to be concerned that passage of the controversial pro-union legislation is now more likely than ever. In exchange for dropping card checks, EFCA backers gained three incredibly powerful proposals that will dramatically increase union ability to win elections.

As Congress returns from its August recess, look for a renewed push to pass a compromise version of the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that’s been dubbed “the most sweeping pro-union legislation in the past 50 years.” The EFCA landscape is changing fast. Keep up with the latest by registering for our Aug. 27 webinar, Beyond EFCA: Preparing for the New Era of Union Organizing.

Some employees’ religious beliefs forbid them to belong to labor unions. Because, like employers, unions may not discriminate on the basis of religion, they must make reasonable accommodations for employees who object to any of their pay going to the union.

By now, nearly everyone in HR has heard of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), under which unions would have a much easier time becoming certified. Because unions have become more aggressive and more successful at unionization even without the EFCA, I recommend that employers adopt the TEAM approach to keeping their workplaces union-free.

Heavy criticism of the so-called “card check” has led supporters to step back from that most controversial piece of the Employee Free Choice Act. But you can still expect passage of some version of the law that could, among other things, speed up union elections, impose stiffer penalties on labor violations and allow workers to campaign at the work site without retaliation.

On April 1, the U.S. Supreme Court held that arbitration provisions in collective-bargaining agreements that clearly and unmistakably require arbitration of Age Discrimination in Employment (ADEA) claims are enforceable.

Employees have the right to voice concerns and complaints about perceived workplace discrimination. But employers have rights, too. Employees don’t have the right to communicate their concerns in ways that are disruptive, insubordinate or that otherwise violate reasonable company policies. You can punish employees who don’t play by the rules.

Unions are flourishing during the current economic crisis, slowly emerging after decades of decline. Chances are, more and more of your employees are being courted by unions, whether your organization is currently a union workplace or not. Now's the time to educate yourself on what you can and cannot do to discourage union membership.

Let the battle begin. On March 10, The Employee Free Choice Act, commonly referred to as the “card check” bill, was introduced in Congress. It's the top legislative priority of labor unions. If passed, EFCA would streamline the process of union organizing, tilting it substantially in favor of workplace unionization. Union-free employers should consider acting now to keep their operations union-free. Here are the action steps to take today ...

Lately, the least able CEOs are getting all the attention. But what about the CEOs who have starred in the best turnaround stories of recent years? What can we learn from them? Consider Fiat, Hewlett-Packard and Boeing.

A bill before the Minnesota Legislature would allow the state to suspend prevailing wage requirements on state-funded construction projects if November budget projections show a 1% or greater deficit. State prevailing wage legislation is patterned after the federal Davis-Bacon Act, which requires federally funded construction projects to pay the “prevailing wage” for specific job classifications.

Sunday’s Washington Post ran a front page feature article reviewing the first two years of Michelle Rhee’s tenure as the chancellor of Washington, D.C.’s public school system.  Thanks in part to extensive national coverage like the Time magazine cover to the right, Rhee has become the face of education reform in the United States.  As the article notes, what’s playing well nationally isn’t playing so well at home.  In fact, it begins by recounting the story of D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray asking Rhee when the Time cover came out, "Michelle, why would you agree to be photographed with a broom on the cover of Time magazine?" He had a couple of follow up questions for her including "What does it get you, to constantly bash those you're trying to get to help you?" and "Why did you let the picture be taken in the first place?”

Those are some pretty good questions the Chairman asked. Rhee herself acknowledges that she has made some missteps in her first two years in the job and that the grade for the DC public school system thus far is an incomplete at best. Reporter Bill Turque does a nice job of summarizing Rhee’s lessons learned thus far as:

Lesson 1: Fame Can Backfire – Rhee’s national celebrity has alienated some of her key constituencies like DC teachers and parents.

Lesson 2: Money Doesn't Always Talk – A potential 61% increase in base pay for teachers won’t get you very far if they don’t trust you.

Lesson 3: Politics Matters – As Willy Loman’s wife, Linda, said in Death of a Salesman, “Attention must be paid.”  If you’re working in a political environment as Rhee is, you have to pay attention to the politicians.

Lesson 4: Beware Unintended Consequences – It’s called a school system for a reason.  As is the case with any system, when you change one variable (e.g. closing schools, reducing central staff, adjusting pay plans), the entire system changes, sometimes in unexpected ways.

Being a smart and talented person,  Rhee has adjusted her approach in some ways perhaps most notably in paying more attention to the City Council and teachers’ unions. Still, in reading between the lines of Turque’s article, I think I see some indicators of potential future trouble for Rhee.  These add up to caveats for any leader charged with securing radically different results. Not that she’s asked, but here’s my advice for Rhee and leaders in comparable situations:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry last week signed a safety law long sought by unions to protect train crews who are transported by vans between job sites. The law requires contract carriers to screen van drivers for drug and alcohol use and to maintain at least $1.5 million in liability insurance.

A federal appeals court in Washington has upheld a government rule that requires railroad and other transportation workers who have been treated for drug abuse to be observed while they urinate for drug tests. Any workers who refuse to be watched by a same-sex observer could lose their jobs.

After years of setbacks, the labor movement is enjoying a renaissance. More employers will find themselves with a unionized workforce. If you suspect your employees will seek union representation, hire an attorney who is an expert on organized labor unionization right away. Otherwise, you may find yourself facing unfair labor practice charges.

Employees are suing everyone these days—even their own unions. William Miron, a 17-year employee of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, recently won a lawsuit against the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents the bus company’s employees.

President Obama has issued four executive orders that fundamentally change the government’s policy on federal contracting—in ways that dramatically favor organized labor. Obama signed the four new orders less than 30 days after taking office.

By now, most employers have heard of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), the proposed legislation that would make it dramatically easier for unions to organize workers and obtain favorable terms in the initial collective-bargaining agreement. Is it time to panic? Of course not, but it is time to take action.

Major policy issues being debated in Washington will likely change the face of HR this year, according to speakers at the SHRM's 2009 Employment Law and Legislative Conference. As a new Democratic Congress gains legislative traction and the Obama administration begins making policy, those issues could also be key to reversing the fiscal meltdown.

Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz ...

Following through on his promises to labor unions—strong financial supporters of his presidential campaign—President Obama recently signed a trio of pro-employee executive orders that undo Bush administration policies.

Q. Our company is heading into union contract negotiations early this year, and I have been asked to organize the bargaining sessions. I know in the past we have bargained at a local hotel, but we always get stuck with the bill. Does the company have to pay for hotel conference rooms and the refreshments? This cost adds up over a period of weeks. What are the realistic options?

Faced with California’s ongoing budget crisis, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger announced that all state workers must take two unpaid days off every month beginning in February. The austerity measure didn’t sit very well with two labor unions ...

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that cruise lines and the unions who negotiate labor contracts on behalf of the “seamen” who work on cruise ships can agree that all disputes go to arbitration, and that employment contracts that include arbitration clauses are enforceable.

Q. Our employee relations manager received a charge of an unfair labor practice (ULP) filed by the union with the National Labor Relations Board. In the ULP charge, the union alleges that when the secretary for our attorneys contacted a former employee—who had been discharged for misconduct—to schedule his deposition in his unemployment compensation proceeding, our company engaged in coercive interrogation in violation of the National Labor Relations Act and the Johnnie’s Poultry standard. There were no unfair labor practice proceedings pending before we received this ULP charge. What is Johnnie’s Poultry, and how is scheduling a deposition in a proceeding about a former employee’s unemployment compensation claim an unlawful labor practice?

Are you in an industry affected by Illinois’ prevailing-wage laws? If so, note that the courts are beginning to recognize cracks in the way the Illinois Department of Labor sets those wages.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that President Obama signed into law last week is just the beginning of what's shaping up to be a wave of new pro-employee legislation from the current Congress and administration. Next up on the Congressional front-burner: the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would make it far easier for unions to gain certification. In this Congressional climate, organized labor is poised for rapid expansion.

Q. My company asks employees who receive raises or discretionary bonuses not to discuss them with other employees. An employee recently took issue with this request and told me the company’s practice is illegal. Is that true?

Union-free employers should consider acting now to keep their operations union-free, given the nature of the changes that are likely to come with enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act. The law would make it more difficult for employers to oppose union organizing, and would limit employers’ bargaining power if they do become unionized.

Change. America voted for it, and small businesses will certainly receive their fair share in 2009. Here are the five most important workplace issues on President Barack Obama’s agenda.

Camden Chief Operating Officer (COO) Theodore Davis announced plans to cut 31 government jobs in October. Rather than rely on union agreements to decide where to cut, Davis used his own system, which he said was more equitable than established civil service procedures. Unions representing municipal employees say that’s illegal ...

Members of three unions recently ratified a new three-year contract with Lufkin Industries. The agreement will give 1,200 workers at five Texas plants wage increases totaling 11% over the term of the contract.

Advances in medical research have resulted in the early detection and treatment of illnesses. One of the most significant advancements is testing that can identify genetic differences that could increase an individual’s chance of developing a particular disease. But there’s a downside to such progress ...

Change. America voted for it, and the HR world will certainly receive its fair share next year. The arrival in Washington of President-elect Obama and a firmly Democratic-controlled Congress will spark an array of legislative and regulatory proposals that could rewrite the employment law rule book.

During this term, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider employment cases concerning arbitration, pregnancy discrimination, protected activity and union fee use.

With the Employee Free Choice Act on the Congressional front-burner, organized labor is poised for rapid expansion. Now is the time to audit your vulnerability to union organizing. How can you tell if workers might be eager to become union members? Ask yourself these questions.

It’s predicted that 2009 will bring more changes in federal employment and labor laws than in the entire eight years of the previous administration. To help HR professionals prepare, The HR Specialist is hosting the 5th annual Labor and Employment Law Advanced Practices (LEAP) Symposium March 18-20 in Las Vegas.

No federal or state law requires employers to use job applications. But if you do require applicants to fill them out, know the legal do’s and don’ts of what questions to ask. Here's the topic-by-topic guidance you need, along with relevant records-retention rules.

President Obama has put forth a significant employment and labor agenda. If he and the Democratic-controlled Congress succeed in passing proposed legislation, the next several years will see the creation of new protected classes, more family leave rights and the re-emergence of labor unions.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction in North Carolina, recently ruled that an employer could withdraw recognition of a union if it can present “substantial objective evidence” that most employees no longer support the union. The decision gives employers a road map for handling situations where a union has lost the backing of the employees ...

With a Democratic-controlled Congress, President-elect Barack Obama will likely push for these employment law priorities ...

Col. Mike Hamm, head of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Enforcement Division, retired in September amid speculation that he was about to be fired ...

Employers must prepare themselves for the very real possibility that the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) will become a reality next year. If passed and signed into law, the EFCA would dramatically change the way unions organize workers and how unions and employers negotiate initial collective bargaining agreements.

You’d never discuss how much money you make, right? Dude, that attitude is so 20th century! The 20-somethings you work with eagerly dish about salaries, bonuses and other work topics you might consider taboo. Managers tempted to forbid such talk? Don’t let them! Here's why.

When Barack Obama takes office in January, get ready for the most sweeping employment-law changes the HR world has seen in years. Attorney Mike Fox walks you through the legislation likely to reshape HR, possibly even in the first 100 days of the Obama administration. Here’s how to prepare.

More than 60% of corporate counsels expect the election to have an impact on employment laws at their companies, according to a survey by The Association of Corporate Counsel.

November’s election has special implications for Colorado employers because a number of ballot issues involve employment law. The ballot features dueling initiatives: four measures brought by organized labor in response to three measures sponsored by business interests ...

By one vote, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the state’s law requiring same-sex couples to enter into civil unions rather than marriages was unconstitutional. Connecticut now becomes the third state—after Massachusetts and California—to recognize same-sex marriages. Connecticut employers must now alter their employment policies and benefits to match the patchwork of federal and state laws that this decision creates.

With health care costs on the rise, most state governments are cutting back on their share of employees’ health insurance premiums. Oregon is not one of them. State employees and their families still receive fully paid health insurance ...

Your baby boomer employees—those born between 1946 and 1964—are more likely to demand paper paychecks than younger workers and those older than 61. The main reason: They don’t trust direct deposit, says a survey by the U.S. Treasury Department ...

In an era when so few things are certain, it must have been heartening to state labor unions when the New York Legislature and Gov. David Paterson granted them permanent access to state workers’ paychecks. In July, Paterson signed into law a bill that requires all public employees in the state to pay dues ...

No federal law mandates that employees who are in state-sanctioned same-sex unions must receive the same employee benefits that heterosexual married couples receive. But the writing is on the wall. And even employers in states that ban same-sex unions may find themselves targeted by advocates for greater benefits ... 

The alphabet soup of federal HR laws—ADA, ADEA, FMLA and so forth—comes with a side order of compliance headaches. But some of those laws apply only to some organizations. Don't waste your time worrying about compliance if you don't have to. Here's the skinny on which laws you might be able to ignore—and which you absolutely must not ...

The California Supreme Court has ruled that unions and their supporters generally are free to urge customers shopping in private malls to boycott retailers at that mall. The ruling builds on earlier decisions that held that free-speech rights granted to California citizens in the state constitution are broader than those in the U.S. Constitution ...

The National Labor Relations Board dealt a big defeat to unions recently by ruling that employers can ban their employees from using company e-mail for union-related business ...

The New Year often brings a flurry of activity from the many federal government agencies that address employment issues, and 2008 is no exception. We’ve got good news on employers’ control over workplace e-mail, bad news for employers who discriminate and mixed news for those who want to hire foreign workers.

The Michigan Civil Service Commission voted 3-1 in December to allow state workers to have political donations deducted from their paychecks, despite warnings from the attorney general’s office that the commission lacks the authority to grant that right ...

Businesses must stay abreast of an alphabet soup of federal laws—ADA, ADEA, FMLA and so forth—each with its own requirements. Further complicating matters, most states have their own laws that override the federal requirements. To comply, you first must know which laws apply to your business, based on the number of people you employ ...

Employers must stay abreast of an alphabet soup of federal laws—ADA, ADEA, FMLA and so forth—each with its own requirements. To comply, you first must know which laws apply to your business, based on the number of people you employ. Here's how to tell which laws affect your workplace ... and which ones you can safely ignore.

HDG Mansur, a multinational property company based in Indianapolis, is poised to launch the first global real estate investment fund compliant with Islamic sharia law. But the firm has drawn complaints from a U.S. imam, Indiana clergy and unions ...

Unions should think twice before inflating menacing rat balloons in New Jersey. The inflatable rat, long known as a symbol of protest against nonunion labor, has received a serious blow from New Jersey courts. In two recent cases, courts concluded rat balloons are not always protected speech under the First Amendment, nor are municipal ordinances banning sign balloons preempted by the National Labor Relations Act ...

Q. I run a small warehouse facility where the employees are represented by a union. The labor contract requires all employees to pay union dues or an equivalent fee. The union has contacted me and indicated that one of my laid-off employees is not in good standing for failing to pay union dues, and has requested that the employee be discharged. Even though he is laid off, the union still requires him to pay union dues. This is a good employee, and I do not want to terminate him. Am I required to do so? ...

Bucks County contracting firm Worth & Co. says the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) has charged it with wage violations in an attempt to shut the company down because it is a nonunion shop. Worth won Pennsylvania’s “Best Places to Work Award” five years running, thanks to nominations from its employees ...

Hard times make for strange bedfellows. United Parcel Service, based in Sandy Springs, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters teamed up to cut ties with the beleaguered Central States Fund pension plan before the federal government intervenes in January and likely makes things worse for them ...

When union-organizing efforts target a business, managers usually sit on the sidelines. But managers may have sympathies with either side, and their actions could cause problems for either the employer or the union. Your best bet is to rely on professional negotiators and labor counsel ...

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced injunctions barring two employers from enforcing “closed-shop” clauses in agreements with the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America. In July, the state sued Deco-Akal JV, of El Paso, and Asset Protections & Security Services, LP, of Corpus Christi, for suspending or threatening to suspend employees who refused to pay union dues ...

Q. How do I prevent employees from talking to a union or going to the National Labor Relations Board?

When a new position is created, HR professionals typically make a snap decision on a vital issue: whether the person filling it should be deemed exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act—i.e., they’re not eligible for overtime pay—or whether they’re nonexempt—i.e., eligible for time-and-a-half overtime pay. In many cases, that’s the last time the exempt versus nonexempt decision is ever reviewed for that employee. Not smart ...

Atlanta-based UPS announced it will extend health care benefits to the civil-union partners of hourly employees in New Jersey, saying it has “received clear guidance that at least in New Jersey, the state truly views civil-union partners as married,” a company spokesman said ...

Indiana employers that want to hire foreign workers for specific temporary jobs must jump several hurdles. You must show that no qualified American workers are available for the position. Before advertising a position, you must obtain a prevailing wage statement from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development ...

An Ohio public employee collective-bargaining law exemption that allows workers to forgo paying union dues because of religious beliefs has been applied too narrowly, the U.S. District Court, Southern District, has decided ...

A California jury has awarded more than $300,000 to a former Sonoma State University softball coach who claimed that she was wrongfully fired ...

Family reunions are on the rise, even though demanding jobs and full family schedules make them tough to coordinate. As a result, reunion planners are trying new strategies, including some you may recognize from on-the-job planning experiences.

Contrary to popular belief, credit unions aren’t just for unions, governments or Fortune 500 companies. Laws do place some limits on the people credit unions may serve, but thanks to an expansion of the definitions in recent years, the financial institutions’ reach is wider today ...

New Hampshire last month voted to give same-sex couples the same legal rights as other couples, making New England the first region in which every state provides some sort of protection for the civil unions of same-sex partners ...

Q. In November 2006, Michigan passed a constitutional amendment that prohibits the state from recognizing non-marital unions. We have employees who are seeking health insurance benefits for their domestic partners, who are of the same sex. Does the Michigan constitution preclude us from agreeing to provide health insurance for our employees and their domestic partners?—L.S.

Infighting among union groups has the labor movement cranking up its organizing efforts to prove a point. Many employers panic when they become union targets, tripping over costly labor relations rules. Follow these steps to avoid becoming a union target ...

It may be the Year of the Dog on the Chinese calendar, but it's shaping up to be the year of the "living wage" in many states. Already, 17 states and the District of Columbia have legislated higher minimums than the federal $5.15 per hour rate ...

Union membership has fallen dramatically in recent decades, but the labor movement is far from dead. The biggest change: In 2005, the breakaway "Change to Win" movement seized control over one-third of the powerful AFL-CIO's unions. Change to Win lured the unions away by promising to shift the focus from political activism to organizing as many U.S. employers as possible. Is your business next? ...

Courts, the NLRB and state labor relations boards are becoming more open to employee's claims that they were disciplined in response to their union activities, even when no connection exists. For that reason, it's important to be cognizant of your timing when taking action against a union worker ...

Work/life professionals who staff the Workplace Options UnionSelect call center in Michigan have a special understanding of the unionized employees on the other end of the phone who are seeking help with child and elder care. Reason: They both belong to the same union ...

Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in 1935 largely as a way of raising depression-era wages. The law gives employees basic rights to participate in unions, bargain collectively about compensation/ work conditions and engage in other protected "concerted activities" ...

Like most organizations, your organization probably needs to squeeze more productivity out of fewer employees these days. That may mean requiring some hourly employees to work overtime, even if they don't want to. But, if handled incorrectly, mandatory overtime can smother morale, create management-employee tensions and spark legal disputes ... 

Same work, fewer expenses and less hassle. That’s the perceived advantage of using independent contractors. And the mantra has its appeal. But many employers have opted for freelancers only to find a new set of problems: lack of control, unreliable workers and, in some cases, litigation ...

After 23 years, New York-based Davis Vision has lost its contract to provide vision benefits to state employees ...

Now that New Jersey has become the third state to allow civil union among same-sex couples, employers need to rethink some of their HR policies and practices, particularly with employee benefits ...

The ACLU, AFL-CIO and other groups have filed a petition accusing the United States, New Jersey and several other state governments of human rights violations by refusing to grant equal rights to illegal immigrant workers ...

Same-sex unions are now a reality in New Jersey, and employers will have to change the way they deal with employees as a result. It’s too early to tell exactly what steps employers will need to take, but it’s important to understand what led to the decision and legislation ...

Your organization may soon need to revamp some of its employee benefits in light of an important ruling Oct. 25 by the New Jersey Supreme Court. The ruling granted committed same-sex couples the same statutory rights and benefits as married heterosexual couples ...

HR Law 101: In 1935 Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), giving workers the right to organize, to bargain collectively and to strike. By the late 1940s unions had become politically and economically powerful, and Congress decided to amend the act to develop a more balanced national labor policy ...

HR Law 101: If your organization becomes the target of a union-organizing effort, keep your head. Some activities can spell disaster. Both the NLRA and the Taft-Hartley Act prohibit employers from discriminating against employees for participating in union activities ...

For Texas employers, the long-range forecast shows an unstable union atmosphere over the next several years, with pressure building from health care costs, outsourcing and immigration reform. As the united front of the AFL-CIO and the new Change to Win union blow through the state, damage may be significant ...

Unions, trying to regain the luster they lost over several decades, have embarked on aggressive organizational campaigns. But that doesn't mean you have to put up with their disruptive, harassing attempts to contact and organize your employees ...

Make sure your managers and supervisors know that politics and religion are individual choices and don't belong in the workplace. Otherwise, you could face stiff fines or penalties under New Jersey's new Worker Freedom from Intimidation Law ...

Wal-Mart won a major victory this summer in the continuing battle against state lawmakers who want to impose benefit mandates on U.S. employers. Only time will tell whether that victory discourages other state legislatures from pursuing similar actions ...

In recent years, unions have pushed to organize well-compensated professionals. In response, employers have argued that those professionals form part of the management team and, therefore, are not eligible for union representation. Last month, the employers' view won out ...

Unions are dead. You may have been hearing that for years. But radical reforms by the labor movement have added new energy to its organizing efforts ...

Unions are making headway in Florida, a state that the national unions once considered “unwinnable” ...

The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act seems like it should be rather simple, but it’s perhaps the most complicated employment law in the state. Full of traps for the unwary, the law can spell big trouble for even innocent mistakes. The law covers all Illinois private employers, even those with only one employee ...

Under Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA), it’s illegal to subject people to differential treatment based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status or marital status ...

Question: I am the office manager for an HVAC (heating, ventilation & air conditioning) company, We need field people, mechanics and helpers, that type of thing.  The type of workers we are looking for really don’t attend job fairs much.

I have tried advertising for help everywhere: small newspapers, large newspapers, the Web and tech schools.   Does anyone out there have any scathingly brilliant ideas on how to reach this type of worker to recruit them?  I would appreciate ANY suggestions.

Thanks so much.  -- Kelly Hogue, Warminster, PA

Chances are you've used the float—the time it takes banks to process checks—at least once during difficult cash-flow moments. But take note: A new law will eliminate this age-old practice, possibly forcing you to change your cash-flow practices.

Bright and ambitious young people don't need Donald Trump for a great apprenticeship. Your company or industry group can climb into the act, as well.

While debate on the current same-sex marriage controversy centers on "Is it legal/moral?," your business faces a different question: How do gay couples fit into workplace policies involving everything from family leave to medical benefits?

An administrative judge for the NLRB ordered Prudential Insurance to hold a new union election because the company distributed anti-union e-mails but didn't allow organizers to access the system.