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18 Sep 2012 NLRB’s Inspector General Finds that NLRB’s Head Attorney Violated Ethical Rules

Uncategorized | Steve Hernandez

In a report issued on Sept. 13, 2012 but made public on Sept. 17, the NLRB’s Office of the Inspector General (the “IG”), found that the NLRB’s Acting General Counsel, Lafe Solomon, violated ethics rules by “personally and substantially” participating in an official capacity in a matter in which he had a financial interest. The IG’s report explained that in spite of knowing that he may not have been properly permitted to participate in deciding…

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12 Sep 2012 NLRB Weekly Summary of Decisions for September 3-7, 2012

Uncategorized | btlabor

The National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) weekly summary of decisions for September 3-7, 2012, is now available on the Board’s website. The summary of NLRB decisions can be accessed by visiting the NLRB’s website here or clicking on the link below.  NLRB Weekly Summary of Decisions for September 3-7, 2012. btlaborBT Labor Relations is managed by the labor law attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg. The blog aims to be a source for news, analysis, and commentary on traditional labor legal…

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11 Sep 2012 Republican Committees Continue Critical Look at NLRB

Uncategorized | John Koenig

On Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012, the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, and the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training , will hold a joint hearing they have entitled “Expanding the Power of Big Labor: The NLRB’s Growing Intrusion into Higher Education.” The hearing can be viewed via live stream by clicking here. The Subcommittees’ press release announcing the hearing reads, “President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board has taken a number of actions in recent years that…

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11 Sep 2012 NHLPA Seeks to Block Lockout Under Provincial Labour Law

Uncategorized | Gerald Lutkus

With the clock ticking towards an 11:59 p.m. contract expiration this Saturday night, a fascinating international labor law issue has suddenly emerged and it threatens the apparent unified strategy of the NHL owners to lockout the players. There are 30 NHL teams. Seven of those teams are in Canada with two teams in the Province of Alberta (the Oilers and the Flames) and one in the Province of Quebec (the Canadiens). Under the law of Alberta, before…

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06 Sep 2012 Arizona District Court Upholds State Secret Ballot Law for Union Elections

Uncategorized | btlabor

In a long-awaited opinion, the Arizona federal district court dismissed a lawsuit brought by the NLRB challenging an Arizona constitutional provision which requires that union elections be conducted by secret ballot.  The opinion, dated yesterday, is a blow to the NLRB, which had taken the position that the state’s secret ballot constitutional provision was facially invalid because it was preempted by federal labor law.  The district court found that the constitutional provision did not on its…

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06 Sep 2012 Follow Us On Twitter!

Uncategorized | Scott Witlin

Because sometimes 140 characters is all you have time to read or if you want to have a notification of when we post, we have established a Twitter account for the Barnes & Thornburg Labor Department. The feed is focused on topical and timely information including notifications of postings to the Department’s two blogs, BTLaborRelations and BTCurrents, as well as other breaking labor and employment law news.  You can follow us @BTLawLE. Hope to see you there! Scott…

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05 Sep 2012 Michigan Supreme Court Allows Union-Backed “Protect Our Jobs” Initiative on November Ballot

Uncategorized | btlabor

The Michigan Supreme Court ordered the Michigan Board of Canvassers to place the union-backed “Protect Our Jobs” initiative on the November ballot today, ending weeks of court challenges to the controversial measure.   Organizers of the ballot proposal presented enough signatures to allow the measure to be placed on the ballot, but the Board of Canvassers had deadlocked on whether the proposal could properly be presented as a ballot initiative.  Opponents of the proposal claimed it…

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04 Sep 2012 NHL-NHLPA Talks Appear Stalled?

Uncategorized | Gerald Lutkus

On Friday we wrote with some hope that talks between the NHL and the NHL Players Association on a new contract would keep moving.  Wrong.  As the September 15 lock-out deadline approaches, the NHLPA came to the table Friday and from most accounts did not deliver a significant counter-proposal of any measure to the NHL’s last proposal.  The Players Association apparently didn’t move off its percentage division of the revenue split that it had presented in its…

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31 Aug 2012 NHL Labor Clock Ticking Entering the Labor Day Weekend

Uncategorized | Gerald Lutkus

Today is a big day in the continuing negotiations between the National Hockey league and the NHL Players Association. The parties get back to the table today with the owners posed to receive the NHLPA counter-offer.  The owners and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman have made it clear that if the CBA expires on September 15 without a new agreement, the owners will lock-out the players.  The hockey fans at the BT Labor Relations blog are rooting that the…

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29 Aug 2012 Unionizing Academia Continues…

Uncategorized | Adam Bartrom

The world of organized labor continues to collide with all aspects of academia.  We’ve recently covered the graduate student assistants seeking union representation. The Board granted review on two cases involving this issue in June.  Perhaps seeing a shifting tide, the state of California approved a measure last week which would provide graduate student research assistants at public universities with collective bargaining rights.  The full bill can be found here.  It is anticipated that this bill could affect more than…

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