The world’s largest hair salon corporation, Regis/Cost Cutters, agrees to remove “Yellow Dog Contracts” it forced workers to sign and to provide Notices and a DVD recording informing employees of their rights
(Ithaca, NY) The National Labor Relations Board has settled unfair labor practice charges against Minneapolis-based Regis Corporation which operates some 10,000 hair salons with over 57,000 workers nationwide, including three Regis Corporation salons in the Ithaca area. The Tompkins County Workers’ Center/JwJ, representing two Cost Cutters’ (one of Regis’ 34 ‘brands’) workers, filed the charges in 2010.
The settlement requires Regis to remove all the “Yellow Dog Agreements” it forced workers to sign from its files. These agreements, called by Regis “Protection of Secret Vote Agreements” and signed by workers during 2009-10, were written promises by workers that any union authorization cards they might sign in the future were null and void. This was deemed illegal by the NLRB.
The settlement also requires Regis to post a NLRB notice at all of its store locations nationwide describing for workers their rights to union representation and the commitment of Regis to respect these rights. This same notice will also be recorded by an agent of the
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this morning released proposed changes in the way union representation elections are conducted that the NLRB says will “reduce unnecessary barriers to the fair and expeditious resolution of questions concerning representation.”
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the proposed changes are a “modest step to remove roadblocks and reduce unnecessary and costly litigation—and that’s good news for employers as well as employees. But he adds:
The proposed rule does not address many of the fundamental problems with our labor laws, but it will help bring critically needed fairness and balance to this part of the process.
Trumka says the rules “appear to be a common sense approach to clean up an outdated system and help ensure that working women and men can make their own choice about whether to form a union.”
When workers want to vote on a union, they should get a fair chance to vote. That’s a basic right. But our current system has become a broken, bureaucratic maze that stalls and stymies workers’ choices. And that diminishes the voice of working people, creates imbalance in our economy and shrinks the middle
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint late Friday against the Minneapolis-based Regis Corporation, which operates some 10,000 hair salons nationally under 34 different brand-names including Supercuts and Cost Cutters, ordering Regis to cease and desist in its illegal actions. In the complaint, the NLRB investigated and then determined that the Regis Corporation had illegally solicited employees to promise in writing that they would not sign union authorization cards in the future. The investigation commenced as a result of an Unfair Labor Practice complaint filed with the NLRB by the Tompkins County Workers’ Center / Jobs with Justice on behalf of two workers at an Ithaca, NY Cost Cutters, as well as workers in Minneapolis and Indianapolis.
The NLRB complaint says that in a DVD played to employees across the country, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Finkelstein, warned that hair stylists would be blacklisted from the industry if they supported a union. In the recording, he exhorted employees to sign a “Protection of Secret Vote Agreement,” which would prospectively revoke any union authorization cards in the future.
On November 7, 2009, the Westin Providence fired three housemen, Alfred Palumbo, Mike Crone, and Jose Minaya, in retaliation for their legally protected union protest. The Westin refused appeals from the Union and community leaders to reinstate them. The workers’ union, UNITE HERE Local 217, filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which investigated the case for four months.
On Wednesday, February 24, the NLRB Regional Director in Boston gave notice that the Federal Government has authorized a civil prosecution of the Westin Providence for the firings.
In order to avoid further prosecution, the Westin Providence suddenly offered all three workers reinstatement at the hotel to their previous jobs, pay and benefits. Once the NLRB authorizes a complaint, the Westin will be required to make all three workers whole for lost back pay and benefits, and post an official Federal notice throughout the Hotel in order to avoid a trial before a federal labor judge.
Mike Crone was a houseman at the Westin for 12 years before he was terminated by the
After two years of struggle at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Jobs with Justice (JwJ) and the security guards at the museum filed for union recognition this past September and won their election on October 10, 2009, forming the Philadelphia Security Officers Union (PSOU). This historic victory is a testament to hundreds of hours of volunteer work, the strategic campaign run by JwJ, the support of Philadelphians, and the dedication and fearlessness of the security guards who stood up for their rights on the job.
AlliedBarton, the security company that employs the guards, contested the election, and guards spent December awaiting a decision from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
On January 5th, the NLRB announced their decision in favor of the PSOU! Guards are currently working on their contract with AlliedBarton, and anticipate more obstacles to come. Will AlliedBarton slow down progress further by filing another frivolous appeal?
Check out this great segment on GRITtv about the workers’ struggle
