Original Message

sued to stop their own people from organizing? 

Field staff representatives and organizers who work for the Office and Professional  Employees International Union will get a chance to vote for union representation after a federal agency rejected management’s attempt to block a secret ballot vote by workers.

The representatives and organizers have been seeking a vote since September. It is common for workers who are employed by unions to themselves have the benefits of a union contract and collective bargaining rights.

The employer — OPEIU — objected to the organizing campaign, claiming that the News Media Guild could not represent them without being involved in a conflict of interest. The employer argued before the National Labor Relations Board that the conflict arose because the NMG is affiliated with The Newspaper Guild and the Communications Workers of America.

Turning aside those claims, NRLB Acting Regional Director Marlin Osthus ordered that an election be held. Testimony and evidence at an NLRB hearing “failed to reveal any interests” that would prevent the Guild from “fairly and single-mindedly representing employees,” Osthus wrote in his Nov. 29th order.

The employer has until Dec. 13 to appeal the decision. The NLRB is expected to set an election date within three weeks.