We are sad to report that our dear friend, mentor, and law partner, Bob Bennett, passed away on Feb. 19, 2018. Bob was born Aug. 29, 1931 in Heppner, Oregon. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Oregon in 1954, and then served two years with the U.S. Army Armored […]
A workers’ rights case before the Supreme Court this week could have a dramatic impact on all of our lives. Janus v. AFSCME is a case that is designed to dramatically reduce dues and starve unions that are representing workers at the bargaining table. The Janus case is being pushed by some big corporations and CEOs as […]
Trump Administration SCOTUS Brief Threatens Working People’s Livelihoods While President Trump boasts his support for working families, his administration is advocating a position in the United States Supreme Court that disregards decades of settled law and threatens our livelihoods. Yet again, his actions are failing his rhetoric and making clear that he has no intention […]
On October 31, 2017, the Court of Appeals of the State of Washington granted a win for public sector unions in granting a permanent injunction blocking the Freedom Foundation’s access to union member contact information for the purposes of attempting to dissuade them from union membership. The decision, available here, found that state employees have […]
Employer TriMet is the mass transit district for the greater metropolitan area around Portland. ATU Local 757, the Union that represents Employer’s mass transit operators, brought two grievances: (1) A grievance seeking to enforce a contract provision that would allow a terminated manager to return to a union position; and (2) A grievance seeking to […]
The Actual Changes To The Text Of Rule 26(b) Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(b)(1) now says, Unless otherwise limited by court order, the scope of discovery is as follows: Parties may obtain discovery regarding any nonprivileged matter that is relevant to any party’s claim or defense and proportional to the needs of the case, considering the importance of the […]
In Advocate Health Care Network v. Stapleton, 581 US __, 2017 WL 2407476 (2017), the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed long standing precedent that non-profit, church-affiliated hospitals are exempt from ERISA requirements. Employee pension plans are generally subject to the requirements of ERISA. However, “church plans” are excluded from ERISA coverage. 29 U.S.C. § 1003(2). A […]
Link to PDF: AFL-CIO Opposes Nominations
On May 17, 2017 Governor Inslee signed the pregnant workers accommodations act that Washington Employment Lawyers Association (WELA) worked so hard to get passed. WELA member Katherine Chamberlain prepared this press release from WELA and sent it out Wednesday: Wednesday, May 17, 2017 New Law Requires Washington Employers to Help Pregnant Workers Remain Part of […]
In Saint Xavier University, 365 NLRB No. 54 (April 6, 2017), the National Labor Relations Board found that housekeepers of a self-identified religious educational institution are within the Board’s jurisdiction. The Board applied Hanna Boys Center, 284 NLRB 1080 (1987), finding that non-teaching employees of religious institutions or nonprofit religious organizations will be covered unless […]