July is ending with labor strikes looming for flight attendants, California state workers attending strike school, and nearly 1,000 hospital employees on the picket line.
The NLRB and the American Hospital Association also found ways to keep things interesting.
So much for taking the summer off.
WestJet faces a labor strike or a lockout
About 4,400 WestJet flight attendants issued a 72-hour strike notice Thursday. They could walk out as early as Aug. 2. WestJet responded with a lockout notice and began preparing for flight disruptions.
CUPE wants flight attendants paid from check-in through clock-out. Current compensation is still largely tied to the time the aircraft is in motion, leaving some groundwork unpaid.
Both sides say they are still bargaining. WestJet passengers should probably keep checking their phones.
California state workers go to strike school
SEIU Local 1000 is holding virtual strike schools for California state workers after its contract with the state expired June 30.
The union represents nearly 100,000 employees. Additional sessions are scheduled for Aug. 12 and Aug. 27, covering strike rights, the bargaining process, and strike preparation.
Local 1000 is seeking a 20% general salary increase over three years, along with changes involving healthcare, retirement, and teleworking. It has also accused the state of failing to bargain fairly.
No strike vote has been announced. But teaching 100,000 workers how a strike works is not exactly a subtle bargaining tactic.
Mount Nittany Hospital workers hit the picket line
About 950 workers at Mount Nittany Medical Center began a five-day strike Monday after negotiations stalled over wages.
SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania says employee pay has fallen behind the cost of living in Centre County. Mount Nittany says it offered a one-year extension with a 3% across-the-board raise, a $1,000 ratification bonus, and wage adjustments for 18 classifications.
The hospital remains open. This is its first strike since 2004.
The striking unit includes employees across hospital operations. Healthcare employers that still treat organizing as primarily a nurse issue are overlooking a growing share of the activity.
The NLRB allows some bargaining-table bluntness
A divided NLRB reversed a finding that Inland Waters Pollution Control unlawfully threatened employees over their use of the grievance procedure.
During bargaining, the employer complained about excessive and “bullsh*t” grievances. The Board majority found that the general counsel had not proven that those comments threatened employees with discipline.
The decision noted that bargaining can involve a “frank, and not always complimentary exchange of views.” Anyone who has spent time at a bargaining table already knew that. Still, it is useful for the Board to put it in writing.
The ruling does not protect employees from actual threats for filing grievances. It does give employers some room to criticize how the process is being used.
The AHA wants the Health Care Rule applied as written
The American Hospital Association filed an amicus brief in an Essentia Health case involving advanced practice providers across nine acute-care hospitals and roughly 51 non-acute clinics.
An NLRB regional director approved the proposed unit. The AHA says that decision sidesteps the Health Care Rule, which generally limits acute-care hospitals to eight recognized bargaining-unit configurations.
The AHA’s concern is that unions could circumvent the rule by adding non-acute facilities to a petition for integrated health systems, resulting in more narrowly defined units within the same organization.
The association also argues that the Board cannot change a binding regulation through one representation case. If the rule needs to change, the Board needs to go through rulemaking.
Apparently, even federal labor regulations can get a little slippery in the summer heat.
