Monthly Archives: January 2016

WE COULD NOT AGREE MORE A whole new area of HR/ER/LR knowledge is opening up that creates the potential for union leaders to fall even farther behind the expertise curve. Once managers get up to speed with it, do not … Continue reading

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WHEN HAIR TRUMPS URINE An agency suspended a firefighter for 30 days who tested positive for illegal drugs after being selected in a random test. Because the employee was absolutely convinced that he had not used drugs, he tried to … Continue reading

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MEASURING THE QUALITY OF A UNION We have always thought that you can measure the quality of a union by how quickly it moves a member’s grievance to and through arbitration for a final decision. After all, for every member … Continue reading

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348,814 REASONS TO JOIN YOUR UNION Imagine you own a rental property valued at $348,814.00, that generates about $55,000 a year in income for your family, and that it plays a big role in your retirement plans. What are the … Continue reading

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TRANSGENDER ROADMAP: 10 STEPS THE EEOC THINKS EMPLOYERS SHOULD TAKE The “Employment & Labor Insider” has done us all a favor with a new article spelling out what employers should be doing to accommodate the transgender worker. We thought practitioners … Continue reading

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A LEGAL OVERVIEW OF RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION We ran across a pretty good article explaining various parts of the religious discrimination process and thought those of you interested in the topic might want to see it.

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WHAT IS A COBURN GORE 12-6/8? We had never heard of it either, but it is proof of the value of creative local leader input for solving national union problems. The problem was in Coburn Gore, Maine, which is right … Continue reading

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FMLA QUIZ: WHO IS RIGHT AND WHO IS NOT? Here are the facts of a 2015 MSPB decision in an adverse action suspension case. See if you remember the right answer. The employee left the office the morning of September … Continue reading

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THE DARK SIDE OF TELECOMMUTING While negotiators on both sides of the bargaining table deserve credit for integrating telecommuting into the work place Inc. magazine just did a very good job of highlighting the negative impact of those were denied … Continue reading

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CONGRATS ON 2015 MEMBERSHIP GROWTH GOES TO… The International Federation of Professional and Technical Employees (IFPTE), the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) and the National Labor Relations Board Union (NLRBU). We looked over the fiscal year 2015 LM reports filed … Continue reading

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