May 27, 2010

Maury Baskin quoted on "right to unionize" notice rule

1 min

A May 26 article in the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. newsletter quoted Venable Labor and Employment partner Maurice Baskin on a May 20, 2010 final rule from the Department of Labor detailing how contractors must notify employees of their rights to join or not join a union.

"Importantly, the Labor Department's final rule clarifies that the new notice provision will not be used a 'backdoor' enforcement mechanism for the substantive provisions of the National Labor Relations Act," said Baskin, who serves as ABC's general counsel. "The Department makes clear that any complaints arising out of union activity will be referred for handling to the National Labor Relations Board, as has always been the case."

According to the story on ABC's web site, the notice must be posted physically in a prominent location and electronically if the employer usually posts notices online. Federal contractors working on contracts worth more than $100,000 and subcontractors working on projects worth more than $10,000 must abide by the ruling.