Some weeks seem to fly by; this one was no exception. Before I realized it, it was Friday morning and I was putting the finishing touches on this post. This week’s articles ran the gamut of labor law issues/updates, save for an article on separation agreements. Even for those that might not be in the labor law field (or follow it very closely), I would suggest glancing through a few of the articles below. I think both Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s longstanding opposition to big labor and the ongoing right to work fight in Missouri both have the possibility of getting more contentious and gaining increased national attention. Buckle up, those two matters are far from over.
As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner's Fight With Unions Hits Close to Home
Readers might recall that Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, a Republican, has had an ongoing fight with unions, namely over right to work zones in the state. However, as Monique Garcia at The Chicago Tribune writes, the tension between both sides has hit close to home, with a dispute arising over a vacant piece of city owned land across the street from the Governor's mansion. The Governor has backed a nonprofit group's proposal to turn the lot into a park with rolling hills, a sidewalk cafe, and pools of water that can be lit up in the summer and used for ice skating in the winter. However, a Springfield City Council committee tabled that proposal after protests by a group of union members. Unions want a project labor agreement which would ensure workers hired to work on the park are paid a "prevailing wage". The Springfield Mayor originally asked for the labor agreement to included this proposal but the development group backed by the Governor removed it on the grounds that the proposal would cede a lot of control to the union. As a result, the project remains on hold while both sides remain in a standoff. Going on the Governor's past demeanor toward unions, I would think he is going to dig in his heels here and not give up much ground. However, given that this is an election year and he might be cognizant of his Democratic challenger, perhaps he will find a way to come to an agreement with the unions (or simply push the matter off until after the election).
Major Labor Union Appears To Be Take Reduced Role in Fight for $15 Movement
Recently, Dave Jamieson at The Huffington Post pointed out that the Service Employees International Union (which has been a major financial supporter of the Fight for $15 movement in recent years) spent about $10.8 million on the movement last year, down from $19 million in 2016. The cuts have been characterized by the union as investments in other portions of the movement that are not necessarily reflected in government filings. However, critics of the union and the Fight for $15 movement have instead attempted to characterize it as an acknowledgement by the union that its funding of the movement has not produced more union members or measurable progress to justify continued spending. I suspect it is likely a bit of both...but given that this is an "off year" in terms of elections (notwithstanding the fact that several Senators have seats up for election this year), I would look for the union to ramp up spending on the Fight for $15 movement again as we approach 2020.
Last week, labor unions staged a rally in the state capitol to protest against the state's right to work law. That law, which had been pushed through the state legislature and signed by Governor Eric Greitens last year, hit a roadblock when enough voters submitted signatures to put the measure on the ballot this November. That measure, Prop A, will enable voters in Missouri to decide whether to allow the right to work law to stand (and go into effect) or if the law will ultimately be rejected. I had noted previously that there was quite a bit of funding going into the fight (namely in an attempt to defeat the right to work law). While we are still a ways off from November, I would suspect that there will continued to be an increase in funding and action on both sides of Prop A, leading up to the vote.
A Few Things to Consider Adding to a Separation Agreement
Earlier this week, Daniel Schwartz posted an article on his blog with a ‘checklist’ of things some employers might want to consider adding to their separation agreements. Of course not all employers have separation agreements and even those that do might not find all of Daniel’s suggestions applicable. Putting that aside, I think he has a few suggestions of what employers might want to add to their separation agreements, namely a confidentiality and nondisparagement provisions, that some employers might not have thought of. Give his article a review for those interested in a brief overview of the topic.
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