Labor unions give employees the chance to have a voice and an opportunity to provide a united front when addressing labor and civil rights of workers. Employees have the right to choose whether they wish to form or join a union. However, some employers scoff at workers who support a union and sometimes go to great lengths, including using questionable means, to show their displeasure. Two New York bookstore workers claim that their employer did the unthinkable after learning they had cast a vote in an election to decide on unionization.
Two Morningside Heights bookstore workers, like most of their colleagues, voted in a union election but by the day’s end, one of the voters, a 30-year-old female employee, was dismissed from her job. The other voter worker was also fired shortly thereafter. In an email written by her boss explaining to management about the firings, she indicated that by voting in a union election, the workers undermined the well-being of the store. The email also indicated that the store opposed the creation of a union.
The union, which won the election, filed a labor complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of the workers. Employees also held a protest and strike. The boss who fired the workers stated that the workers had been promoted to managerial positions, which made them ineligible to vote or join a union. However, the workers stated that the said promotion was in “name only.”
In cases of firings, retaliation, harassment and other forms of employment disputes, New York workers can assert their legal labor rights. A Westchester County employment law attorney can guide them in filing a legal action against an employer and give them advice on the possible compensatory measures.
Source: The Huffington Post, “New York Bookstore Workers Fired For Voting To Unionize,” Dave Jamieson, July 2, 2014
