The United States Census Bureau recently released data demonstrating the largest economic gains the United States has experienced in nearly a generation, as poverty fell, health insurance coverage spread and incomes rose sharply for U.S. households at every income level. The historic gains ...
NLRB: Columbia University Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants Have Collective Bargaining Rights Under NLRA
On August 23, 2016, the National Labor Relations Board held in Columbia University that teaching and research assistants at Columbia University are employees and entitled to collective bargaining rights under the National Labor Relations Act. Thanks to the Board’s Columbia ...
What Job Seekers Need to Know About Criminal Background Checks
Interviewing for a job can be stressful enough when you have only the present and future to worry about. But when a potential employer looks at your past – and it will – that can multiply the stress tenfold, especially if there are elements of your personal history, such as a past arrest and/or a ...
What Is Sexual Harassment?
Sexual harassment can take many forms. While everyone has their own standards as to what they consider offensive, a general guideline is that if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s harassment. Both men and women can be victims of sexual harassment, perpetrated by members of either sex. Sexual ...
Elections 101: What Potential Union Representatives Need to Know
Labor unions are complex and highly regulated entities. A union, by nature, must uphold the values of a democracy while fastidiously fulfilling its obligations as a distinct legal institution. When elections are held within a union to determine who is best suited to be at its helm, the stakes can be ...
What You Need to Know About Workers’ Compensation and Panel Doctors
Choosing a doctor is a deeply personal matter. You need to find someone who is conveniently located, affordable, and whom you trust with your most important health needs. That can be difficult if you have been injured on the job and are pursuing a workers’ compensation claim. Your company will have ...
Pennsylvania Divorce Basics: No-Fault Divorce, Alimony, and Division of Assets
A divorce is a painful personal affair for both parties. This stress can be compounded by the legal and financial ramifications of the split, which can be complex and affect both parties even long after the divorce proceedings are finalized. If you or your spouse are seeking a divorce, it’s ...
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Class Action Lawsuit
A class action lawsuit, also known as a collective action lawsuit, is a case brought against an entity on behalf of many individuals, all of whom have been subject to the same illegal practice by the defendant. In employment cases, this usually occurs when an employer makes unreasonable or ...
Negotiating for Unions in the ‘No-Strike Zone’
If two people were to play a word association game and one player said, “union,” the other might answer, “strike.” Movies, popular literature, and political discourse have so denigrated labor organizations in recent years that to many, speaking of unions prompts images of picket signs, disgruntled ...
When and How to Report a Work-Related Injury
If you are injured on the job, your first instinct might be to push through or otherwise try to conceal your injury. While everyone, even non-laborers such as office workers, may experience bumps and bruises during the course of their work, significant injuries demand immediate attention – both for ...