REGIONAL CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY UPDATE - June, 2015

Welcome to the June, 2015 GMCS REGIONAL CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY UPDATE. 

GMCS continues to expand our products and services to meet the needs of our industry and expanding client base.  We have expanded our operational foot print over the last six (6) months and are now supporting a large and growing international client base with operations in Canada and throughout the United States for both unionized and non-unionized contractors and associations.  We are currently administering over 150 collective bargaining agreements across North America and providing First Chair Negotiating Support for 35 first collective bargaining agreements. In addition, we have expanded our supervisory training programs for those contractors interested in providing support to their organizations and staff that are experiencing union organizing efforts. 

Council, mayor agree on rules to make Philly developer-friendly

A City Council committee on Friday moved forward a bill that would make Philadelphia more developer-friendly, and another to force earlier disclosure of money spent by super PACs during elections.

The development bill progressed after months of wrangling. If approved by Council and later by voters, it would create a cabinet-level department to take over functions now handled by a host of bodies that include the Planning Commission, Historical Commission, Housing Authority, Art Commission, and Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Can the NLRB Order Bad Faith Bargainers To Pay A Union’s Negotiating Costs?

The NLRB’s power to remedy violations of §8 of the NLRA is usually quite limited: it can issue cease and desist letters, order the parties to bargain in good faith, and require reinstatement and backpay for individual employees (along with several less common remedies). The Board’s authority derives from §10 of the NLRA, which the Supreme Court has interpreted as being entirely remedial; under the Court’s caselaw, the Board is not empowered to issue punitive remedies. Some have criticized this remedial scheme as overly circumscribed, allowing for little flexibility to deter willful or repeat violations of the Act. In Fallbrook Hospital Corporation v. NLRB, the DC Circuit recently opened the door for unions to recover the costs incurred while dealing with an employer that has negotiated in bad faith—at least if the violations were repeated and egregious. A discussion of the case and its meaning for labor-management negotiations follows.

Add $325 million to price for Gallery makeover

The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust and the Macerich Co. say it will take $325 million in new investment to transform the Gallery at Market East into what they are calling Fashion Outlets of Philadelphia.

That is on top of the $250 million already spent by PREIT to assemble what had been privately owned property in the project area, bringing the total development cost to about $575 million.

Regional Directors Report Data on the NLRB’s Amended Representation Election Rules After One Month—Court Challenges Continue

May 14th marked the one-month anniversary of the effective date of the NLRB’s Amended Representation Election Rules (“amended rules”).  That day, the Regional Directors for NLRB Regions 2 (New York, NY), 22 (Newark, NJ), and 29 (Brooklyn, NY) discussed their offices’ experiences processing representation petitions filed since the amended rules took effect on April 14th.

Time for a Change? NLRB to Review Multi-Employer Bargaining Unit Rules: Labor and Employment Law, School Law, Lawyers, Attorneys, Franczek Radelet

Time for a Change? NLRB to Review Multi-Employer Bargaining Unit Rules: Labor and Employment Law, School Law, Lawyers, Attorneys, Franczek Radelet

Fla. developer in talks to open major attraction on Atlantic City Boardwalk

Could a vertical roller coaster and drop tower hybrid be coming to Atlantic City's Boardwalk?

A Florida-based developer, who is currently in the midst of developing a $460 million entertainment complex in Orlando, is reportedly in talks to bring the major attraction to the city.