Atlanta Business Chronicle: "Controversial NLRB is busy with Ga. disputes"
Despite the fact that unions are not as prevalent in the South as in other areas of the country, the Atlanta Business Chronicle (subscription required) notes that workers at Georgia companies are frequently the subject of unfair labor practice charges handled by the National Labor Relations Board.
For example, more than 200 cases were filed with the NLRB around the country during 2011 involving workers at United Parcel Service Inc. [an Atlanta based company].
The piece also cites a recent decision, Sweetwater Paperboard, 357 NLRB No. 142 (2011), in which the Board found that the employer unlawfully solicited grievances and promised to remedy them. Specifically, the employer held small group meetings with employees for the first time after an election petition was filed and asked employees to confirm that a certain manager was the problem. It then terminated the manager two weeks before the election.
While we note that the Board has been--and will likely continue to be--more aggressive in enforcement against companies throughout the U.S., this piece provides a nice synopsis of a few cases with a Georgia focus.
