McMillion & Hirtensteiner, LLP - Labor News
McMillion & Hirtensteiner, LLP's Labor News charts the latest developments in labor and legal issues with regular updates published as they are released to the media.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Coshocton County Memorial Hospital RNs to Strike on December 9, 2007
Coshocton County Memorial Hospital RNs to Strike on December 9, 2007 COSHOCTON, Ohio, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On November 26 and 27, 2007, the Coshocton County Memorial Hospital Ohio Nurses Association (CCMH ONA), a bargaining unit of 103 registered nurses (RNs), voted by a margin of 96 to 1 to both authorize a 10-day strike notice and to strike if concessions offered by Coshocton County Memorial Hospital (the Hospital) for a 3-year contract remain on the bargaining table. CCMH ONA offered the Hospital a 2-week extension in lieu of authorizing the 10-day strike notice; however, the Hospital refused the offer. As of December 5, 2007, the Hospital has maintained its proposals for concessions. As a result, bargaining unit RNs at Coshocton County Memorial Hospital will be on strike and maintain a picket line starting at 7:00 a.m. on December 9, 2007. Negotiations between CCMH ONA and the Hospital for a 3-year contract began on October 8, 2007 with an exchange of proposals. CCMH ONA wants to maintain current contract language for overtime and pension with a proposal for successorship language in order to protect the terms of the Union contract in the event of the sale or merger of the Hospital. The parties have met 6 times since October yet remain at odds on the following concessions offered by the Hospital: -- A 3-year contract with 0% pay raise for the RN staff for all 3 years. -- Cut the pension plan by 2% for current RN staff and reduce the pension by 4% for new hire RNs. -- Eliminate overtime from its current over 8, 10 or 12 hours in a work day or 80 hours in a pay period and cut it to 40 hours in a work week only. CCMH ONA remains committed to retaining and attracting qualified and dedicated RN staff to Coshocton. In order to do this the Hospital must maintain fair wages, benefits and work environment. No further meetings have been scheduled as the Hospital remains committed to their concessions. About the Ohio Nurses Association The Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) was established in 1904 to secure a Nurse Practice Act to protect Ohio's citizens and has become the premier professional organization for Ohio's RNs. ONA's Economic and General Welfare (E&GW) Program was established in 1956. When the National Labor Relations Act was amended in 1974 to allow nurses to unionize, the E&GW Program was charged with providing representation for nurses in collective bargaining. For more information about the strike or ONA, please visit http://www.ohnurses.org/.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Source: Ohio Nurses Association
CONTACT: E. Gary Seigerst, Chief Negotiator, +1-614-352-4716, or Jackie
Mason, Local President, +1-740-623-1167, or Sherry Cox, Local Vice President,
+1-330-447-4259, all of CCMH ONA; or Shannon Richmond, Director of
Communication of ONA, +1-614-448-1029 or srichmond@ohnurses.org Web Site: http://www.ohnurses.org/
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Profile: labor-news
posted by McMillion & Hirtensteiner LLP Labor News # 12:10 PM
Ohio Education Association Will Defend Right of Educators to Strike
Ohio Education Association Will Defend Right of Educators to Strike COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Ohio Education Association, representing 130,000 teachers and school support personnel, today said it will oppose legislation being introduced by Senator John Carey, R- Wellston, that would eliminate the right of educators to strike from the Ohio public employees collective bargaining statute. In a statement, OEA President Patricia Frost-Brooks outlined why OEA opposes the no-strike bill as a threat to balanced collective bargaining for education employees in Ohio. She said: "The OEA strongly opposes any weakening of Ohio's longstanding collective bargaining law, which has empowered teachers to advocate for many improvements in teaching and learning conditions that have benefited students. "The so-called reform proposal to eliminate the right to strike would undermine a carefully balanced law that has proven successful in helping educators and school boards resolve issues to their mutual benefit in a way that also helps Ohio students. "Ohio's collective bargaining law has created a framework for problem-solving that has made strikes rare and short in duration. When strikes do occur, the issues at stake have a direct impact on teaching and learning conditions. "Collective bargaining itself, including the right to strike, came about as a labor reform intended to help educators and school boards develop consensus on key education issues and the terms and conditions of employment. "We agree that binding arbitration and mediation are important tools to resolve specific contractual disputes, and we have negotiated arbitration and mediation procedures within local collective bargaining agreements. Strikes are a last resort after other dispute resolution processes fail. We cannot support the elimination of the right of employees to withhold their services." First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Source: Ohio Education Association
CONTACT: Michele Prater, Media Relations, Ohio Education Association,
+1-614-227-3071, +1-614-378-0469 Web site: http://www.ohea.org/
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Profile: labor-news
posted by McMillion & Hirtensteiner LLP Labor News # 10:49 AM
Hoffa Leads Teamster Rally Against Cross-Border Trucking
Hoffa Leads Teamster Rally Against Cross-Border Trucking Early-Morning Demonstration on Border Urges Congressional Action SAN DIEGO, Calif., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamsters rallied Wednesday to show they oppose letting unsafe trucks from Mexico drive on U.S. highways. Led by Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, the group urged Congress to end the dangerous cross-border trucking program. The early morning rally was held at the Otay Mesa border crossing. "If Congress won't act to protect drivers on U.S. highways, the Teamsters will convince the court to do so," Hoffa said. "American motorists shouldn't have to pay the price for George Bush's recklessness in pushing this program forward." Both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly to ban funding for the pilot project earlier this year. The bill -- a spending bill known as Transportation-HUD -- must still pass the Senate before it reaches President Bush's desk. Under the pilot program, only a handful of Mexican motor carriers are currently allowed to travel beyond the narrow border zone. The Teamsters have continued the court battle to stop the program since unsuccessfully seeking an emergency injunction in September. Joined by the safety group Public Citizen, Teamsters filed arguments on Monday with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The brief responded to the Bush administration's arguments. The Teamsters filed their first brief on Oct. 19. "We filed hundreds of pages of legal arguments in the past few months that show the Bush administration broke the law in dozens of ways with this so-called "pilot project"," Hoffa said. "Mexican trucks driving on our roads have to be as safe as U.S. trucks," Hoffa said. "That's the law. But the Bush administration just ignores the law. "Drivers who would be disqualified from holding a U.S. commercial drivers license could still drive around the U.S. if they're based in Mexico. "Mexican drivers don't have the mandatory training that U.S. drivers have. Mexican drivers don't have to meet the same strict drug-testing requirements that U.S. drivers do. "Mexican drivers don't have to comply with U.S. rules on how long they can drive," Hoffa said. "So someone could drive 10 hours in Mexico before arriving at the U.S. border and then drive another 11 hours inside the United States, even though U.S. rules don't allow 21 hours of driving. "I totally reject the argument that the Teamsters are against Mexican truck drivers," Hoffa said. "We are against the companies that exploit them and the governments that don't live up to their responsibilities to make sure the highways are safe." The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hard-working men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters
CONTACT: David White, +1-202-439-1904, dwhite@teamster.org, or Leslie
Miller, +1-202-624-6911, lmiller@teamster.org, both of International
Brotherhood of Teamsters Web Site: http://www.teamster.org/
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Profile: labor-news
posted by McMillion & Hirtensteiner LLP Labor News # 7:48 AM
Deceptive Labor Law Posting Tactics Continue; G.Neil launches Freeposteraudit.com to Help Businesses With Compliance
Deceptive Labor Law Posting Tactics Continue; G.Neil launches Freeposteraudit.com to Help Businesses With Compliance SUNRISE, Fla., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Businesses, large and small, often lack the time and expertise to keep up with labor law poster compliance. In response to this need for simplification, G.Neil, a human resources products provider, today announced the launch of freeposteraudit.com, a Web site that informs businesses of federal and state labor law posting requirements. Recently, the labor law poster industry has faced scrutiny resulting from a series of deceptive marketing offers. Businesses are falling victim to door- to-door scams and direct mail pieces from poster sellers who pose as government officials. "Many companies are confused because of the recent scams. This site was designed to give businesses a reliable and trusted solution," mentions Ashley Kaplan, a compliance attorney with G.Neil. The user-friendly Web site notifies businesses of required federal and state labor law postings through a free, personalized posting compliance analysis. Companies fill out a brief questionnaire about their business, and are then provided the recommended postings. Businesses and HR managers are advised to check against their current postings and can opt to purchase Poster Guard Compliance Protection by G.Neil, a posting service that guarantees businesses are up-to-date with labor law compliance. "Keeping up with labor law posting requirements requires a lot of work," continues Kaplan. "The problem is that posters come from different government agencies, and there is no notification of poster changes. Freeposteraudit.com allows businesses to streamline the process and helps managers focus on other aspects of their business." When businesses do not maintain the right set of posters, they open themselves up to potential fines and litigation. "By statute, the government has the authority to fine up to $17,000 for missing the required posters," added Kaplan. "In practice, government fines are usually in the hundreds, but can add up if you are running a multi-site office. However, business owners' real liability lies in the potential for litigation. In some cases, not having the right posters can lengthen the statute of limitations and turn a manageable employee lawsuit into an expensive ordeal." To get your free posting compliance analysis, please visit freeposteraudit.com. About G.Neil G.Neil is the nation's leading provider of human resources products and solutions to help businesses hire, manage and motivate employees. G.Neil provides labor law posters to more than 275,000 businesses representing 53 million employees. A member of the Better Business Bureau, G.Neil, with 20 years experience, is the market leader in HR products from labor law compliance to employee recordkeeping and beyond. First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Source: G.Neil
CONTACT: Laura Pellegrini, +1-305-934-7855, laura.pellegrini@rbbpr.com;
Kimberly Bobson, +1-305-905-8055, Kimberly.bobson@rbbpr.com; Michelle Catin,
+1-786-213-2254, michelle.catin@rbbpr.com, all for G.Neil Web site: http://www.gneil.com/
http://freeposteraudit.com/
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Profile: labor-news
posted by McMillion & Hirtensteiner LLP Labor News # 6:05 AM
First Ever State Labor Report Card Released Tomorrow
First Ever State Labor Report Card Released Tomorrow A Quantitative State-by-state Report Card Examines Key Labor Issues WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), special project of Americans for Tax Reform, announced the release of the first ever quantitative metric that ranks each state on their degree of worker freedom. The 2007 Index of Worker Freedom: A National Report Card is scheduled to be released tomorrow, December 6. The press conference held at The National Press Club (13th floor), 529 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20045, at 10:00am EST, and will feature; Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform; Bob Williams, President of Evergreen Freedom Foundation; David Denholm, President of the Public Service Research Foundation, and other special guests. "We have tested the Index before in an abbreviated version through our website," says Johnson. "However, with the blatant political alignment between the Left and Big Labor unions and the most recent invasions on worker freedom, it has become apparent that certain states are placing more emphasis on respecting workers rights than those which support controlled and regulated labor markets." By measuring 10 different variables, the 2007 Index is the first state-by-state comparative study that measures the level of worker freedom by analyzing actual policy as well as quantitative state data. "Using variables such as prevailing wage laws and right to work legislation, and analyzing quantifiable metrics like union density and entrepreneurial activity, this Index allows for any analyst on any level to get a 'snapshot' view of how a state ranks with regard to labor issues," adds Johnson. Thursday, December 6, 10:00am EST
The National Press Club, 13th Floor
529 14th Street NW (corner of 14th & E St)
Washington, DC 20045
If you would like to arrange an interview, please contact communications director John Kartch at jkartch@atr.org
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Source: Alliance for Worker Freedom
CONTACT: John Kartch of the Alliance for Work Freedom, +1-202-785-0266
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Profile: labor-news
posted by McMillion & Hirtensteiner LLP Labor News # 5:19 AM
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