DC Circuit enjoins NLRB Notice requirement

A federal court of appeals in Washington has issued an emergency injunction against the NLRB's employer notice posting requirements which were scheduled to go into effect on April 30th. Previous posts here.

Strike enters 7th year

Workers at Chicago's Congress Hotel have been on strike for seven years with no end in sight. Workers were told in 2003, there would be no raises until 2010. The employer has not budged on its wage proposal during the 7 year strike. Members of UNITE HERE gathered with local politicians and clergy to "celebrate the anniversary with speechifying and solidarity. Details here and here. We have previously posted about the injunction the hotel sought against the City to prevent the City from interfering in the labor dispute.

First Amendment and the NLRA

On March 11, the NLRB requested en banc consideration of a divided 9th Circuit panel opinion in McDermott v. Ampersand Publ'g LLC d/b/a Santa Barbara News-Press, 9th Cir., No. 08-56202. In that case the majority found a 10(j) injunction in favor of reporters asserting a violation of the NLRA would run afoul of the employer's First Amendment rights. Our previous post on the panel decision is here.

Public officials enjoined from dissin' UAW

A state court in Kentucky has issued a permanent injunction barring local officials from interference in any unionization efforts that may take place in the county in the future. A mayor, another county official and the Boyle County Industrial Foundation wrote a letter encouraging employees of a company in bankruptcy to reject a United Auto Worker's [UAW] attempt to organize them. According to this news report, the culprits wrote a letter to employees claiming that unions might cause a company to be unprofitable, and employees might lose their jobs if the union made the company unprofitable. Thats pretty pedestrian stuff. Employers have defended similar comments in NLRB proceedings. The union argued the conduct violated the UAW and its supporters right to freedom of speech and association under the Kentucky Constitution. The court found the statements constituted a threat justifying an injunction. Wow! An ironic result. Hope there is a written opinion.