News and Analysis
The Return of Card Check?
April 15, 2022Earlier this month, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that since October, union representation petitions filed at the NLRB had increased 57%, up to 1,174 from 748 during the first half of the federal fiscal year.
Now the Biden administration wants to resurrect decades-old doctrine that would all but eliminate secret ballot votes during organizing elections, while imposing a de facto “card check” process, according to this insight from OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips. This move could ultimately be the most impactful for manufacturers, the firm says — noting that the NLRB already “has a case on which it will rely to reinstitute the Joy Silk doctrine.”
OMA members can use this tool to tell their federal representatives to oppose card check legislation that is still pending on Capitol Hill. 4/14/2022
NLRB Lawyer Targets Employers’ Anti-Union Meetings
April 15, 2022The chief lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) wants to ban mandatory meetings held by employers during work hours to dissuade employees from joining unions, deeming such meetings an “unlawful threat” to employees who don’t want to listen to the message. OMA Connections Partner Benesch provides the details in this analysis. 4/12/2022
New Law Revamps Ohio’s Overtime Exemptions
April 15, 2022Gov. Mike DeWine recently signed Senate Bill 47, which will bring notable changes to Ohio’s overtime exemptions, while restructuring the procedure by which workers may join a collective action for alleged overtime violations. The law takes effect July 5.
As noted in this summary by OMA Connections Partner Benesch, SB 47 exempts specific activities from overtime pay, including “walking, riding, or traveling to and from the actual place” of work, as well as “activities requiring insubstantial or insignificant periods of time beyond the employee’s scheduled working hours.” 4/11/2022
Report: Five Million Men Still Missing From Labor Force
April 15, 2022The U.S. would have nearly 5 million more workers today if men in their prime working years (ages 25 through 54) were employed at the same rate as in the 1950s and ’60s. Bloomberg (subscription) reports that employment among prime-age men is an estimated 86.1%, which is “quite low by historical standards.”
Researchers say key factors for the lower employment rate include health problems, substance abuse, and “increased reliance on disability insurance and other government programs.”
Meanwhile, the employment rate for prime-age women in the U.S. was 74.1% in March, not far off the all-time high of 74.9% set in April 2000, according to Bloomberg. 4/14/2022
Ohio Sees Big Two-Week Jump in Initial Jobless Claims
April 8, 2022Ohioans filed 17,662 initial traditional unemployment claims last week, up 1,506 from the previous week — and up 5,063 since March 19. However, continued unemployment claims fell 361 last week. The total number of traditional jobless claims filed from March 27 to April 2 was 64,980. 4/7/2022
Report: 30,000 Manufacturing Job Openings in Ohio
April 8, 2022As of February, Ohio posted an estimated 674,000 manufacturing jobs, down about 19,000 jobs from February 2020, before the start of pandemic in the U.S. This shortfall is due in large part to the ongoing labor shortage. Ohio Means Jobs currently lists nearly 30,000 manufacturing-related openings. 4/4/2022
Latest Jobs Report: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
April 8, 2022The latest U.S. jobs report is a mixed bag, according to Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss, who specializes in Midwest manufacturing.
The good: The economy added 431,000 jobs last month.
The bad: U.S. labor force participation was still well below Feb. 2020’s mark.
The ugly: Even with higher wages paid by employers, inflation-adjusted hourly wage growth rates (see this graph) have remained negative since March 2021. 4/4/2022
Survey: Payroll Growth of 5% Most Common Increase
April 8, 2022A new survey of employers by compensation data and analytics firm Salary.com shows most U.S. organizations (73%) are targeting a payroll budget increase of 4% or more this year, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. A plurality of organizations (43%) are growing their salary merit-increase budgets by 5% or more. 4/7/2022
Webinar: Tips for Implementing On-Demand Pay
April 8, 2022As a follow up to its published guidance on earned-wage access policies — which provide workers almost instant access to their pay — OMA Connections Partner Fisher Phillips is offering a complimentary webinar at noon Tuesday, April 19. Companies with on-demand pay experienced 19% lower turnover rates, according to the firm. Learn more and register. 4/7/2022
Tips for Conducting Successful Job Interviews
April 8, 2022There are important tasks employers must take when conducting interviews with applicants. OMA Connections Partner One Source Advisors has published this video detailing some of these key steps that can help ensure a successful interview. 4/4/2022