Illegal activities of Southern Bosses for the weeks between Friday, August 1, and Friday, August 8
Texas Retaliator
A federal whistleblower investigation found that Union Pacific Railroad Co. violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act by terminating a railroad engineer after the employee reported and sought medical care for a work-related injury.
The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Union Pacific to reinstate the employee, and pay back wages, interest, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorney’s fees, totaling over $300,000.
OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program enforces 25 whistleblower statutes that protect employees from retaliation for reporting violations of various workplace safety and health, airline, anti-money laundering, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, criminal antitrust, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health insurance reform, maritime, motor vehicle safety, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, safety and health, securities, and tax laws
Alabama Discriminators
From AL(dot)com’s Patrick Darrington, you can read more on their site:
Birmingham strip club The Furnace paid $1.25 million to settle a labor lawsuit levied by former exotic dancers, according to newly unsealed documents.
The settlement was reached in February 2024 and part of the agreement included that the records be sealed for eighteen months.
According to the settlement, 19 former workers received varying amounts of payments totaling $1.25 million that were based on “an approximation of the time Plaintiffs worked but were not paid minimum wage.”
The workers contended that The Furnace violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by not paying the workers minimum wage or overtime due to classifying the dancers as independent contractors.
The lawsuit also alleged the strip club illegally took the dancers’ tips and engaged in an illegal kickback scheme by requiring the dancers to fork over house fees.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John England ruled in October 2023 that the dancers were employees of the business and subject to the FLSA, not independent contractors.
Union Busters
Brought to you by LaborLab: The nation’s leading watchdog standing with working families to stop employer coercion and intimidation. Visit www.laborlab.us for more info.
Here are the new filings from this week:
- Lux Bus America (CA) hired the TAG Group
- Workers lost the union election 22-23
- Filed after tally announced
- Ocean Spray Cranberries (MA) hired LRI Consulting Services for $425/hour
- Workers won the union election 14-1
- Filed after tally announced
- Darigold (WA) hired David Grimm Payne & Marra for $440/hour
- Concord Hospital (NH) hired Bardi Education Services
The following filings were amended:
- The HR Jock added their compensation rate ($212.50/hour) for BlueOval SK
- Davis Grimm Payne & Marra added the local (SEIU Local 5000) for Medix Ambulance Service
As a reminder, due to a lack of enforcement, some labor relations consultants may disregard the law and fail to report their activities to the U.S. Department of Labor. Therefore, it’s crucial for organizers and workers to report suspected “persuader” activity to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS).
It’s crucial for organizers and workers to report suspected “persuader” activity to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS). You can reach them via email at OLMS-Public@dol.gov, by calling (202) 693-0123, or by contacting your nearest OLMS District Office.
For assistance, please contact LaborLab at contact@laborlab.us.