Posts tagged law
Judge tosses challenge by Boston-area plumbing concerns to state law requiring health-insurance coverage for workers on certain leaves
September 30, 2025 // In his ruling, US District Court Judge George O'Toole said the Greater Boston Plumbing Contractors Association was unable to show that any of its 60 members had actually been penalized under the law, or that any state action was immediate, which means they had no "standing," or legal reason to continue their suit, since federal law requires proof of actual or impending harm. The association charged the requirement violated their federal right to negotiate a contract with unions, because their collective bargaining agreement includes a section under which workers "bank funds to pay for health insurance if they take leave from work, based on the number of hours they work. Workers who exhaust their banked amount have to pick up the remaining costs of their health insurance, such as through COBRA, on their leaves.
NC Farm Bureau sues US Dept of Labor
October 29, 2024 // “Our complaint is that the DOL doesn't have the authority to require collective bargaining or to provide collective bargaining and self-organization rights to workers; that's Congress' job,” said Jake Parker, general counsel for the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation.
As Union Organizing Actions Skyrocket, the NLRB Seeks to Bar Employers from Holding Mandatory Meetings with Employees about Unions
April 13, 2022 // Moreover, if the General Counsel does succeed, employers will lose one of their core methods for communicating with employees about these crucial matters. Further, if the NLRB does decide to limit employers’ right to communicate in this way due to employees’ asserted “right to refrain from listening,” that decision would raise questions about whether and how employers may communicate their positions on unionization via other means, such as letter, email, and individual discussions.