The labor union is one of America’s most important institutions. It has been well documented that workers who are represented by labor unions enjoy greater pay and benefits than non-represented workers. The Labor Movement arose due to worker dissatisfaction with working conditions after the Great Depression. Over the years, the number of workers still represented by unions has shrunk tremendously in large part, due to employers spending a great deal of money on attorneys and employment specialists to keep unions out. Thus the number of workers represented has gone from over 80% in Maryland to about 10%.

One would think that the current times, following the Great Recession, are similar to those in the 1930’s as workers wages have actually gone down due to the glut of unemployed people looking for jobs. There are countless college graduates taking low paid jobs that previously had been available to unskilled and uneducated workers. Those people are now chronically employed. One would think the time is ripe for unions, as workers become unhappy with their working conditions. Yet that has not happened mostly due to fear and ignorance about what unions do and what your rights are to have a union. The Singleton Law Group is one of few law firms with decades of experience dealing with labor –management collective bargaining experience

Therefore, it’s vital to protect your labor union from employers. Under the National Labor Relations Act, certain employer conduct that violates the law :

• Threatening an employee with job or benefit loss if they vote for a union
• Questioning employees about union sympathies
• Assigning more difficult work tasks, transferring, laying off, firing, or otherwise enacting punishments for a decision to join a union
• Threatening to close the site of operations if employees choose a union

In sum, any sort of punitive measure an employer takes to discourage an employee or group of employees from selecting a labor union to represent themselves requires immediate action. These laws apply whether your company is just beginning to think about labor representation, or if a labor union has been present in negotiations for years.

Whether you already have a union and need legal counsel to represent the union or whether you are workers attempting to organize, we can provide effective legal representation to insure that your rights are protected. We have represented workers, labor organizations and small businesses with regard to these types of issues for over 30 years and can help you navigate through this process. Call us to set up a consultation.

There are many actions you can take to help protect your labor union from an employer. Feel free to contact us at Singleton Law to learn more.