WIRTW #623: the “blocked” edition
I've probably written more about labor organizing over the past six months than in the prior six years (or longer) combined. It's a ...
Archive: April 2022
Series of promotions dooms gay brewery employee’s sex discrimination claim
By Jon Hyman
Midland Brewing Company hired Ryan Boshaw to work as a server. Over the span of nine months, it promoted him three times, to an hourly manag...
Labor unions are doing just fine without the NLRB’s help
By Jon Hyman
Over the past decade, labor unions win between 65 and 70 percent of representation elections. Given organized labor's recent more high-p...
Restaurant learns the hard way what an illegal tip pool looks like
By Jon Hyman
Hard Eight BBQ says it misunderstood its obligations under the Fair Labor Standards Act by paying managers a share of tips earned by servers...
Mask mandates might be gone, but maskual harassment isn’t
By Jon Hyman
Workplaces, state and local governments, and the CDC have relegated mask mandates to the dustbin of Covid history. But just because people a...
WIRTW #622: the “wings” edition
By Jon Hyman
Ask anyone from Philadelphia (including me) about the city's best cheesesteak, and the names you will not hear mentioned are Pat's ...
Your office might be open, but the bar should remain closed
By Jon Hyman
According to The Wall Street Journal , some businesses are using alcohol to entice their employees to return to the office. As businesses wo...
Harassment complaints don’t require a “perfect" response, just a “reasonable” one
By Jon Hyman
Ronald Burns, a maintenance technician at Berry Global, was the victim of three instances of racial harassment over the span of 17 days. Bur...
Jury awards $450,000 to employee fired over unwanted birthday party
By Jon Hyman
Kevin Berling, a 10-month employee of Gravity Diagnostics, made a simple request of the manager of his office —"Please don't throw ...
WIRTW #621: the “on the radio” edition
By Jon Hyman
How do I know that labor unions are making raging comeback? Historically, my posts on unions, union organizing, and union avoidance would st...
Ohio enacts sweeping changes to state wage and hour laws
By Jon Hyman
Beginning July 6, 2022, Ohio employers have a new set of rules under which to pay their employees. SB 47 revamps Ohio's wage and hour ...
Protected concerted activity is an opportunity to engage with your employees, not to retaliate against them
By Jon Hyman
"Due to the 6.8% inflation rate, all US workers are entitled to at least a 6.8% pay adjustment. We have received reports of some ABUSIV...
“Salting” the wounds of labor organizing
By Jon Hyman
One of the tactics workers used to successfully organize Amazon's Staten Island fulfillment center was the use of "salts." ...
Why I’m anti-union
By Jon Hyman
“Jon, why are you anti-union?” I’ve received this question a lot lately. Between all of my posts about the need for all employers (including...
WIRTW #620: the “straws” edition
By Jon Hyman
Do you know? Non-plastic straws, such as those made of paper or plant material, can include wheat as a binder? Norah discovered this fact af...
Don’t confuse “tips” and “service charges” for hospitality employees
By Jon Hyman
How often have you looked at you bill at a restaurant and have seen an added service fee? Do you think to yourself, "No need to tip; it...
Are you an ally, or are you just afraid of being canceled?
By Jon Hyman
I tell my students, "When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if...
Anti-union vs. Anti-worker
By Jon Hyman
Tomorrow at 5 pm I'm participating in an online panel discussing fair compensation in the craft beer industry. It's part of the Craf...
The biggest workplace story of 2022
By Jon Hyman
Last Friday, workers won the first-ever union election at an Amazon warehouse (a fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York). This is the...