The death of unions has been predicted time and again.
Each time a new round of statistics come out, we (me included) try to make some sense
Numbers Game? Latest Statistics Show Further Increase in Union Membership in Connecticut
Ch-Ch-Changes? Mandatory Fees for Public Employees At Issue Before the Supreme Court
First things first. My favorite David Bowie song is “Heroes” (though I remember really being struck by its use in the 2001 movie, Moulin Rouge).
But the Bowie song that comes to mind today for various reasons is “Changes” and how it ties into another big story of the day — an oral argument before
Employer Strikes Out; Facebook Likes Protected by NLRA, Says Second Circuit
On Friday, at my firm’s annual Labor & Employment Law seminar, I’ll be talking about the NLRB and Employee Handbooks with my colleague, Chris Engler. Among the topics we had planned to discuss was the ongoing Triple Play Sports Bar & Grille case that I had previously posted about here and here.
So of course yesterday, the Second Circuit released an long-awaited decision on that very case. And it’s a strikeout for the employer.
The case involves a mix of old and new concepts. Old: Employees have the right to improve the terms and conditions of their workplace — so called “Section 7” rights to protected concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act, even if they are not “unionized”. New: It applies to Facebook and other types of social media.
And now, even to Facebook “likes”.
In the case, Jillian Sanzone and Vincent Spinella, two employees of Triple Play Sports Bar and Grille, located in Watertown, discovered that they owed more in State income taxes than they had originally expected. One of the employees discussed this issue with co-workers, and complaints were made to the employer.
The discussion continued on Facebook, and a former employee, Jamie LaFrance, posted the following “status update” to her Facebook page: “Maybe someone should do the owners of Triple Play a favor and buy it from them. They can’t even do the tax paperwork correctly!!! Now I OWE money . . . W[*]f!!!!”Continue Reading Employer Strikes Out; Facebook Likes Protected by NLRA, Says Second Circuit
BREAKING: Connecticut Department of Labor Commissioner to Retire At End of Year
Sharon Palmer, the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor, will retire at the end of this year, news that was first reported by the CT Mirror website.
According to CT Mirror:
In an interview, she described her decision to retire as driven by age and circumstance, not politics or a consequence of overseeing the
Eight Years Later: Three Big Changes in Employment Law
2007 seems like yesterday.
And yet, eight years after I started this blog and over 1800 posts later (and a Hall of Fame entry), I’m pretty sure 2007 WASN’T yesterday.
So for this year’s anniversary post, I thought I would capture what I think are some of the biggest storylines from the last eight years.
Impact of NLRB’s Joint Employer Decision in Connecticut Still To Be Determined
Quick Hits: Transgender Workplaces; Proving Emotional Harm; “Digital Natives”; Labor History in Schools
With Twitter, I’ve been doing less “recap” posts of late. Why? For the simple reason that you can get all of the posts I’ve read of late on Twitter.
We didn’t have that when I started the blog nearly 8 years ago.
(Side note: It was eight years ago this week that I came up
Cleaning Up Your Employee Handbooks, NLRB-Style
Last month, I had the opportunity to speak to the American Law Institute for a CLE program on the latest guidance from the NLRB on various employee handbook policies.
When I first wrote about it in March, I had expected to followup shortly thereafter with another recap. But in the meantime, I found that much
When Reviewing a Reinstatement Decision by an Arbitrator, Consider Over a Dozen Factors
If you like getting lost on roads with your head spinning on which way to go, this is your post. (Everyone else, well, try to keep up.) I recap a case for companies with unions to pay attention to.
Let’s start with this example:
Employee X is required by law to report suspected abuse in
I’ve Got a Secret: Recordings in the Workplace
I’ve talked before about the use of recordings in the workplace.
But this week, my colleague Jarad Lucan revisits the subject in light of some new decisions and the increasing presence of smartphones in the workplace.
It is a safe bet that most if not all of your employees own a mobile or smart