Labor Law: A Basic Guide to the National Labor Relations Act

189 Pages·2011·2.75 MB·English

by  David E. Strecker

Business Management
S
Whether you are a supervisor, a business owner, or a HR professional, it is t
r
essential that you understand the laws and rules governing how one treats e
employees and interacts with unions. In a comprehensive and accessible c
k
format, Labor Law: A Basic Guide to the National Labor Relations Act
e
provides a practice-oriented foundation on labor law. The book sheds light
r
on one of America’s most important laws and one which is also, perhaps, the
most misunderstood.
This book presents an overview of labor and employment laws such that
managers may understand their rights as employers as well as their employees’
rights. It covers an introduction to the topic of labor and employment law as
well as its brief history within the United States. Other chapters deal with L
unions and union relations, collective bargaining agreements, grievances, labor
arbitration, unfair labor practice proceedings, and strikes and lockouts. The a
author does not focus on complex regulations and convoluted case law, but
b
distills them to reveal the essence of the NLRA and how it works.
o
As important as it is, at times labor law can seem counter-intuitive. Written by a
r
highly experienced labor lawyer, this book contains concise explanations in an
easy-to-use format. Clearly delineating a process that can be fraught with traps
for the unwary, it supplies a quick reference that can be used in a crisis situation L
to understand the parameters of what you can and cannot do.
a
w
K12624
ISBN: 978-1-4398-5594-2
90000
www.crcpress.com
9 781439 855942
w w w.c r c p r e s s .co m
K12624 cvr mech.indd 1 1/20/11 11:04 AM
Labor Law
A Basic Guide to the
National Labor Relations Act

Labor Law
A Basic Guide to the
National Labor Relations Act
David E. Strecker
This book, Labor Law: A Basic Guide to the National Labor Relations Act, is designed for employers, students,
and others interested in labor law. The information presented should prove extremely useful in understand-
ing the issues raised and their legal context. This book is not, however, a substitute for experienced legal
counsel and does not provide legal advice or attempt to address the numerous factual issues which invariably
arise during any employment-related dispute. Although we have attempted to cover the major developments
in the National Labor Relations Act, this book is not all-inclusive, and the current status of any decision or
principle of law should be verified by counsel.
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-4398-5594-2 (Hardback)
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts
have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume
responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers
have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to
copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has
not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmit-
ted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright.
com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood
Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and
registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC,
a separate system of payment has been arranged.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Strecker, David E.
Labor law : a basic guide to the National Labor Relations Act / author, David E.
Strecker.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4398-5594-2
1. Labor laws and legislation--United States. 2. Collective bargaining--Law and
legislation--United States. 3. Labor unions--Law and legislation--United States. I. Title.
KF3369.S77 2011
344.7301--dc22 2010036241
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
For Katherine

Contents
About the Author ........................................................................................xiii
Preface ...........................................................................................................xv
1 Introduction to Labor and Employment Law ........................................1
The Importance of Labor and Employment Law in Our Society .................1
The Importance of Labor and Employment Law in Running a Business......3
Aims of This Book .......................................................................................3
An Explanation of Some Terms and the Basics of the Legal System .............4
The Structure of the Law and Its Nature and Sources .........................4
Civil and Criminal Law .............................................................5
Civil Law ...................................................................................6
Criminal Law ............................................................................6
When Laws Conflict .................................................................6
The Judicial System ...................................................................7
The Fundamentals of Tort Law ..................................................8
2 A Brief History of Labor and Employment Law in the United States .....11
The Common Law Criminal Conspiracy Doctrine ....................................11
Strikes and Violence ...................................................................................12
The Labor Injunction .................................................................................13
The National Labor Relations Act ..............................................................14
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 .......................................................15
Civil Rights Statutes ..................................................................................15
Other Statutes ............................................................................................16
3 Labor Law: Dealing with Labor Unions and the National
Labor Relations Act ..............................................................................19
An Overview of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) ......................19
Basic Rights of Employees .........................................................................20
Unfair Labor Practices ...............................................................................22
Employer Unfair Labor Practices ......................................................22
Section 8(a)1 Employer Coercion of Employees ................................24
vii
viii  ◾  Contents
Threats .....................................................................................24
Promises of Benefits .................................................................24
Surveillance .............................................................................24
Impression of Surveillance .......................................................24
Interrogation............................................................................24
Section 8(c)—The “Free Speech” Proviso ..........................................25
Section 8(a)(2) Employer Interference or Domination
of a Labor Union ..............................................................................26
Section 8(a)(3) Discrimination ..........................................................27
Section 8(a)(4) Retaliation for Participating in Board
Proceedings or for Filing Charge ......................................................30
Section 8(a)(5) Refusal to Bargain in Good Faith .............................31
Union Unfair Labor Practices .................................................34
Section 8(b)(1)(A) Union Coercion of Employees ............................34
Section 8(b)(1)(B) Union Coercion of Employer
in the Selection of Its Representatives ...............................................35
Section 8(b)(2) Union Attempts to Cause an Employer
to Discriminate Against an Employee ...............................................36
Section 8(b)(3) Union Duty to Bargain in Good Faith .....................37
Section 8(b)(4) Secondary Activity ...................................................37
Section 8(b)(6) Featherbedding ........................................................39
Section 8(b)(7) Recognitional Picketing ...........................................39
Section 8(e) Hot Cargo Agreements .................................................40
What Do You Do if Your Business Is Subject to a
Union Organizing Drive ............................................................................41
Early Warning Signs .........................................................................41
The Do’s and Don’ts .........................................................................43
What You Can’t Do ................................................................44
What You Can Do .................................................................46
How to Deal with the Union Business Agents .........................56
How to Deal with Agents of the National Labor
Relations Board .......................................................................57
The Uses and Abuses of No-Solicitation/No-Distribution
Rules .......................................................................................57
Authorization Cards .........................................................................61
How to Deal with Questions from Your Employees .........................62
Recognitional Picketing and How to Deal with It ............................63
The “Ins and Outs” of a Labor Election .....................................................63
The Petition ......................................................................................63
The “Critical Period” Doctrine ........................................................64
The Bargaining Unit ........................................................................64
Eligibility to Vote ............................................................................66
Representation Hearing ...................................................................66
Contents  ◾  ix
“Consent” versus “Stipulated” Elections ...........................................67
The Excelsior List ..............................................................................67
The “Big Blue Notice”.......................................................................68
The Election Campaign ....................................................................68
The Do’s and Don’ts ................................................................68
Employer “Free Speech” Rights ...............................................69
The Laboratory Conditions Standard ......................................69
Methods of Campaigning ........................................................69
Captive Audience Speech .........................................................70
Common Union Strategies ......................................................71
The Campaign Calendar .........................................................73
Election Day .....................................................................................73
The Preelection Conference .....................................................73
The Mechanics of Setting Up the Polls ....................................74
The Role of the Observers ........................................................74
The Voting Process ..................................................................75
Ban on Electioneering in and around the Polls ........................75
Where Should You Be during the Voting? ...............................75
The Challenge Process .............................................................76
Counting the Ballots ...............................................................76
Objections to the Election ........................................................................77
Bar Rules .........................................................................................77
Election Bar ............................................................................77
Certification Bar .....................................................................77
Contract Bar ............................................................................78
Types of Election Petitions ................................................................78
RC Petition ..............................................................................78
RD Petition .............................................................................78
RM Petition ............................................................................79
UD Elections ...........................................................................79
UC Petitions ............................................................................79
UA Petitions ............................................................................79
A Word about the Employee Free Choice Act ............................................80
4 Living with a Union .............................................................................81
Introduction ..............................................................................................81
Bargaining for a Contract ..........................................................................82
The Duty to Bargain in Good Faith .................................................82
The Duty to Exchange Information ..................................................83
Preparing for Contract Negotiations ................................................84
Who Is Involved? ....................................................................84
Set and Prioritize Goals ..........................................................84
Strike Preparation ....................................................................85