Dive Brief:
- VIUSA, Inc., Teamsters Local 89 and the National Labor Relations Board have reached a $21.6 million settlement to resolve claims that the company refused to hire Teamster-represented employees and didn't properly engage in the collective bargaining process, according to the Board.
- About $14 million will be distributed among 257 former employees and workers the company refused to hire; the remainder will go to the union to reimburse for unpaid benefit contributions.
- NLRB initially determined that the employer had violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), as alleged, but the company began an appeal. Instead of following through with that, the parties settled.
Dive Insight:
The NLRA prohibits employers from taking adverse employment actions against workers because of certain concerted activities. And NLRB has, in recent years, been particularly active in enforcing that mandate.
Another recent settlement included the reinstatement of workers and a separate action has been filed by autoworkers in San Francisco against Tesla. They say Tesla fired employees for wearing clothing exhibiting the union’s logo.
These recent actions highlight the reach of NLRB. And while the Board is expected to soon roll back some of its Obama-era positions, it remains to be seen just how much enforcement will be affected.
