Overview
Steptoe Phoenix partner Steve Wheeless was quoted throughout an article in InBusiness Magazine titled “New Labor Rules Spur Uptick in Union Activity.” The article, published in the August 2015 issue, discusses changes made by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) governing procedures to process petitions for union elections, including a drastic reduction in the timeline. Whereas the old rules allowed 40 to 80 days between filing the petition to hold an election and the actual election, the new rules cut that election cycle to 20 to 22 days.
Mr. Wheeless, who also serves as management chair of the American Bar Association’s Developing Labor Law Committee, says, “Unions have a bad record of winning when the employer has time to message and campaign with its workforce.” He estimates, anecdotally, that unions have lost about 80 percent of the time. This is why he emphasizes the importance of employers being alert to the earliest indication that there is union organizing activity. “It’s often not obvious to the untrained eye,” he adds.
The full article can be read at InBusiness Magazine.