Decisions Bolster Union Strength, Law Expert Says

ByMichael A. Verespej Expect labor-management confrontations to increase as unions flex strength gained from recent bargaining skirmishes and decisions made by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), says Stephen J. Cabot, employment law attorney with Harvey, Pennington, Cabot, Griffith & Renneisen Ltd., Philadelphia. The recent NLRB decision that permits unions to try to organize temporary workers -- or at least bargain for their rights case by case -- along with neutrality agreements gained in several nationwide contracts, including Verizon, "will enhance the union's efforts at organizing," says Cabot. The reasons? Neutrality agreements will prevent companies from opposing union organizing efforts at their non-union locations, and the NLRB decision will permit unions to bargain over seniority, pay, benefits, and the inclusion of temporary workers in a bargaining unit where a union exists.