Pennsylvania Labor and Employment Blog : Pennsylvania Labor and Employment Lawyer & Attorney : McNees Wallace & Nurick Law Firm : Human Resources, Workplace and Business Law : Harrisburg, Lancaster, Allentown, Lehigh

This post was contributed by James Welch, a Summer Associate with McNees Wallace and Nurick LLC. Mr. Welch will begin his third year of law school at William & Mary School of Law in the fall, and he expects to earn his J.D. in May 2012.

In Borough of Duryea v. Guarnieri, 113 S.Ct. 2488 (2011) (PDF), the United States Supreme Court clarified that, although the Petition Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution provides public employees separate and distinct protections, those protections are essentially the same as those afforded by the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.  This is good news for public sector employers, who already face a slew of additional concerns in the area of employee discipline. 

The Petition Clause has been trendy for public employees lately, but its contours have been somewhat unclear.  Generally, the Petition Clause protects the rights of individuals to petition the government to seek redress of grievances.  The courts have held that this provision protects public employees who file grievances against their employers.  In other words, public employers are prohibited from retaliating against an employee who has filed a grievance or other complaint. 

However, like other protections afforded to employees, there are limits to the protections afforded by the Petition Clause.  The issue in Guarnieri was, what types of grievances/complaints are protected? 

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On August 25, 2011, the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") announced the issuance of a "Final Rule" that will require employers to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA"). The Final Rule will take effect on November 14, 2011.

Which employers are affected by the Final Rule? The Final Rule applies to any employer that is covered by the NLRA. This includes most employers in the private sector; however, certain employers with an annual business volume of less than $500,000 may be excluded. Small businesses should consult with counsel to determine whether they fall under the NLRB's jurisdiction. Federal contractors who already post a similar notice under Executive Order 13496 are deemed to comply with the Final Rule if they comply with notice posting regulations under the Executive Order.

What are the notification requirements? Covered employers must post the required notice "in conspicuous places" where it is "readily seen by employees, including all places where notices to employees concerning personnel rules or policies are customarily posted." The required notice informs employees of their rights under the NLRA. These include the rights to organize a union, bargain collectively, discuss wages with co-workers and to engage in a strike and other "protected concerted activity." The notice also provides information as to how employees may contact the NLRB for more information regarding their rights.

The required poster will be made available on the NLRB website. Employers may post the official color poster that appears on the NLRB website, or a black and white photocopy of it; however, all posted notices must be at least 11" by 17" and the same font as the official notice. In workplaces where 20% or more of the workforce is not proficient in English, special rules apply regarding posting the notice in other languages. Electronic posting on a company's intranet or Internet site is also required "if the employer customarily communicates with its employees about personnel rules or policies by such means."

What happens if an employer fails to comply? Employees may report employer non-compliance to the NLRB and failure to post the notice may result in the filing of an unfair labor practice charge ("ULP") with the Board. The Final Rule provides detailed instructions to employees on the process for filing a ULP charge. If an employer refuses to comply after receiving notice of non-compliance, the Regional Director for the NLRB may issue a formal complaint and schedule a hearing before a federal administrative law judge who may then issue an order requiring posting. A willful refusal to post the notice may be deemed by the NLRB as evidence of "unlawful motive" in cases where an employee alleges other violations of the NLRA (e.g. discrimination on the basis of union activity). In addition, in such cases where an employer fails to post the notice, the Board may excuse employees from the six-month statute of limitations for filing ULP charges based on other alleged unlawful conduct by the employer.

Why is the Final Rule controversial? The Final Rule is particularly controversial because the threat of union organizing is a hot button issue for many employers and the Final Rule is widely viewed as a political payback to unions by the current Administration. The sole Republican appointee on the Board dissented to the issuance of the Final Rule. Although employers are already required to post notices under several other federal employment laws (e.g. Title VII), those laws typically contain specific notice provisions – the NLRA does not. This is the first posting requirement of general applicability issued by the NLRB since the NLRA was passed in 1935. It remains to be seen whether business groups or political opponents of the Final Rule will take legal or political action to block enforcement.

If you have any questions regarding the Final Rule, you may contact any member of McNees Wallace & Nurick's Labor and Employment Law Group by clicking here.
 

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We are happy to report that we have been nominated as one of the LexisNexis Top 25 Labor and Employment Blogs of 2011!  We are both humbled and honored by our nomination. 

You can comment/vote on the list of nominees by clicking here.  If you have not previously registered you will need to do so by starting here (this is free and quick).

Thanks!

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This post was contributed by Kelly Horein, a Summer Associate with McNees Wallace and Nurick LLC. Ms. Horein will begin her third year of law school at Boston University School of Law in the fall, and she expects to earn her J.D. in May 2012.

Two weeks ago we discussed the importance of providing discrimination and harassment training to supervisors and managers. To follow up on that post, we thought it would be a good idea to provide a brief overview of the key aspects of an effective supervisor training program.

As we previously mentioned, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has clearly stated that it is important to train all supervisors and managers, and not just those charged with receiving and investigating complaints. In addition, we suggest that employers provide training to all new supervisors, provide annual training sessions, and provide additional training sessions when changes are made to harassment policies. It is also important to document when training sessions are conducted, who attends those sessions, and the content of each session.

An effective training session should cover key topics, designed to help supervisors prevent harassment and remedy harassment that does occur, and these key points include:

• educating supervisors regarding what conduct is inappropriate;
• ensuring supervisors understand that they are required to report complaints of harassment or incidents they observe;
• ensuring supervisors understand that employees are permitted to make both informal and formal complaints of harassment, and that all such complaints must be investigated;
• describing the multiple channels through which employees can make complaints;
• detailing the complaint investigation and resolution process; and
• ensuring supervisors understand that retaliation is strictly prohibited.

A quality training session will be designed to educate supervisors and managers on appropriate workplace behavior and to help them avoid engaging in discriminatory conduct. Supervisors must be trained to appropriately respond to complaints and to report incidents of harassment. Supervisors should also be aware of the consequences for failing to do so. As you can see, merely reiterating the content of a policy during a training session does not constitute effective supervisory training. Some states, such as California, even have specific requirements for supervisor training, including the minimum duration and frequency of such training.

Employers can also benefit from regularly training supervisors in a broader range of human resources issues, including hiring and interviewing techniques, discipline and performance management, employee privacy, Family and Medical Leave Act requirements, wage and hour issues, and maintaining a safe workplace.

McNees Wallace & Nurick's Labor and Employment Group can help employers develop effective training programs.  McNees can also provide a list of suggested supervisory training topics, suggested re-training time lines and course materials. You can contact a McNees attorney by clicking here.

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This post was contributed by Rick L. Etter, Esq., an Associate in McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC's Labor and Employment Group.

Recently, Alcoa Mill Products Inc. agreed to pay over $500,000 in back wages to 39 female and minority applicants who were rejected for jobs at the company's plant in Lancaster, PA. The payment was part of a settlement that resolved a finding by the Office of Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) that Alcoa Mill Products discriminated against Hispanic, African-American and female applicants for material handler positions. During a scheduled compliance review, the OFCCP determined that the company's hiring process for material handlers had a disparate impact on minority and female applicants. In addition to paying back wages, Alcoa Mill Products agreed to extend job offers to nine of the class members, to spend at least $20,000 on training, and to revise its selection process for material handlers.

This case is a cautionary tale for government contractors. The outcome in this case could have been avoided if the company would have conducted an affirmative action self-audit. A self-audit would have revealed the problems in the selection process before they were uncovered by the OFCCP.

If you are a government contractor, now is the time to consider an affirmative action self-audit. An affirmative action self-audit would enable you to uncover and remedy mistakes that contractors commonly make, including critical mistakes concerning the hiring process, applicant tracking, adverse impact analyses, compensation analyses, and record retention. Of course, a self-audit is effective only if it is conducted before the contractor receives the OFCCP's notice of compliance review. This is because once that notice is received a contractor has only 30 days to submit its affirmative action program and supporting documents. To get the most out of the process, contractors are best served by conducting a self-audit well in advance of notice of an OFCCP audit.

McNees Wallace & Nurick's Labor and Employment Group can assist you with performing a self audit and with preparing for an OFCCP compliance review.  You can contact McNees by clicking here.

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We previously reported, the National Labor Relations Board (Board) has been very active in the area of employee social media use.  Recently, the Board's Office of General Counsel issued three (3) Advice Memorandums directing the dismissal of charges, which challenged discipline issued to employees based on the employees’ social media activity. This latest action, or inaction, by the Board offers us an opportunity to provide another update on social media and employee discipline. 

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects employees who engage in concerted activity from discipline. Board precedent defines concerted activity as (1) group action or action on behalf of other employees; (2) activity seeking to initiate or prepare for group activity, or (3) bringing a group complaint to the attention of management.  The recent announcements by the Board's Office of General Counsel shed light on the limits of the protections afforded to employees by the NLRA.

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This post was developed with the assistance of Kelly Horein, a Summer Associate with McNees Wallace and Nurick LLC. Ms. Horein will begin her third year of law school at Boston University School of Law in the fall, and she expects to earn her J.D. in May 2012.

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), employees filed a record number of workplace discrimination charges last year. As a result, it is now more important than ever for employers to take steps to prevent unlawful discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

Most savvy human resource professionals know that they must maintain antidiscrimination policies with adequate reporting procedures to help avoid liability. However, it is just as important to train supervisors and managers regarding the implementation of those policies. Unfortunately, when times get tough, employers are often forced to cut costs and training is usually one of the first items on the chopping block. If your organization scaled back training during the economic downturn, it may again be time to rally support for supervisor training.

Effective training for supervisors and managers actually helps reduce costs in the long run, because it helps supervisors prevent claims before they are filed. The United States Supreme Court and the EEOC have emphasized the importance of supervisor training in the context of discrimination and harassment claims. Indeed, training is recognized under the law as an essential part of an "affirmative defense" to claims that supervisors engaged in harassment. If an employee alleges that harassment by a supervisor created a hostile work environment, then the employer may raise a two-part defense. An employer is not subject to strict liability for a supervisor's conduct where the employer can show that (1) the employer took reasonable measures to prevent harassment and promptly correct it when it occurred and (2) the employee failed to take advantage of established mechanisms for filing complaints.

Human resources professionals can be instrumental in helping their employers take "reasonable measures to prevent harassment." However, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Pennsylvania, has stated that in order to show that an employer took such reasonable measures, the employer must do more than simply adopt an antidiscrimination policy.

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