Posts tagged collective bargaining
NLRB Holds Bargaining Proposal Alone Not an Unlawful Threat
August 20, 2026 // In a recent decision, Inland Waters Pollution Control, Inc., a divided National Labor Relations Board held that an employer did not violate Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act merely by proposing contract language that would permit discipline for employees who filed “baseless, malicious or harassing grievances.” The board emphasized that placing a proposal on the bargaining table, standing alone, does not constitute an unlawful threat.
CT worker unions to test gubernatorial contenders on key issues
August 17, 2026 // The governor, who won a Democratic primary Tuesday by a 2-1 margin and is favored in early polling to win a third term in November, and Fazio are meeting with representatives of 45,000-plus unionized state employees at a closed-door forum at Charter Oak International Academy in West Hartford. Previous contracts establishing long-term benefits have been set in increments of 10 or even 20 years, raising the stakes for labor and the state.
New Jersey employers face evolving union negotiations
August 11, 2026 // New Jersey’s worker-protection laws add further complexity. “When worker-protection laws are enacted or amended in New Jersey, they add layers to collective bargaining,” Gonzalez said. “There’s no requirement to bargain over a law’s implementation, but where statutes are ambiguous, employers must negotiate the gaps.” She pointed to CREAMMA [the state’s Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act] as an example. “The law prohibits adverse action based on cannabis use outside of work,” she noted. “But unionized employers still need to address how drug testing, safety policies, and fitness-for-duty standards interact with the CBA.” Benefits like paid sick leave and NJ WARN Act severance can also stack on top of contractual obligations. “That dual obligation can catch employers off guard if they are not planning for it at the bargaining table,” she detailed.
Key parts of federal employee performance overhaul ‘non-negotiable,’ OPM says
August 5, 2026 // But some aspects of performance management are still negotiable, according to OPM, as long as they remain consistent with both the final rule and any applicable laws. Those include employees’ informal requests for a reconsideration of their rating; rules on awards and recognition programs; and feedback procedures between supervisors and employees.
Court of Appeals Sides with WILL in Act 10 Case
August 2, 2026 // The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) secured a significant victory at the Wisconsin Court of Appeals after they upheld Act 10 in Abbotsford Education Association v. WERC. WILL represented a teacher who supported and benefited from the law signed by Governor Scott Walker in 2011. The Quote: Lucas Vebber, WILL Deputy Counsel, stated, “WILL has fought to protect Act 10 since its enactment because of the substantial benefits provided to taxpayers and local governments. For 15 years, various legal challenges have been unsuccessful, because ultimately this is a law signed by the Governor and passed by a duly elected legislature which meets all constitutional requirements. As this case likely heads to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, we stand ready to make the case once again.”
ACC union? Stanford players working to lay the groundwork for college sports’ next labor fight
July 29, 2026 // Jason Stahl, the founder of the College Football Players Association, has worked with Cooper and Anderson for more than a year after a former Stanford team employee connected them. The players spent time getting to know Stahl and evaluating his intentions before deciding he was the right person to bring to the team. Stahl has worked to organize players at multiple schools over the years, often quietly. In 2021, he was secretly brought into Penn State's team facility to speak with a group of Nittany Lions before a team employee accidentally walked in, exposing the meeting. Days later, ahead of that year's Big Ten Media Days, an independent news outlet incorrectly reported that Penn State players were unionizing.
UC Doctors Seek to Unionize 10,000 Colleagues in Massive Campaign
July 28, 2026 // About $24 billion, nearly 40% of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer. Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the UC Doctors United organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. “People who run the university undoubtedly will not want 10,000 doctors at the UC system to unionize and to have to bargain collectively over things that they can unilaterally decide at the moment,” Logan said.
Fort Worth council members weigh in on firefighter union impasse
July 23, 2026 // The city claims that it has offered the union a contract with $40 million in new investments that included a 20% salary increase over four years and changes to the department’s staffing and benefits.
Teachers’ Unions Are Losing One of Their Government Perks
July 22, 2026 // The question is not whether teachers unions should exist, but whether taxpayers should subsidize organizations that subsequently seek more taxpayer subsidy, often for actions the taxpayer wouldn’t otherwise support. Removing public subsidies forces unions to rely on voluntary member support, increases accountability, and keeps government resources focused on their proper purpose: educating children. The reforms in Idaho, Florida, and Arizona mark the beginning of a necessary correction.
Three Denver music venues are unionizing
July 21, 2026 // Scott Happel, co-owner and partner of the Federal (3830 Federal Blvd.), the Oriental (4335 W. 44th Ave.) and HQ Denver (60 S. Broadway), along with Carnivale De Sensuale and Berkeley Bodega, is considerably less confident. A statement provided to Westword notes in part that “the vote did pass at all three venues. Beyond that, I don’t really know anything, as the union has yet to reach out to start collective bargaining.” However, he adds that “overall, the venues cannot agree to anything that would be financially harmful.”