In a report published by the The Fiscal Times, The National Labor Realations Board is expected to rule on a case that could significantly affect the relationship between millions of workers and their employees. The said ruling is expected to come within days. The board, in which majority are Democratic appointees, is anticipated to declare companies to have an employer-employee relationship with workers brought in by another firm or agency.
Earlier this month, McDonalds was discovered to be a joint employer of the restaurant workers hired by its franchisees, according to the source. This controversial case drove the National Labor Relations Board to direct expected ruling which could stretch beyond the restaurant industry in terms of its impact.
Yahoo Finance cites that the use of temporary workers has rushed in U.S. businesses because it relieves the firm using the temp workers' services of many different obligations, from tax withholding to health insurance to collective bargaining. Labor unions have raised the concern that employers are shielding themselves from unfair labor practices law, by obtaining labor from other firms. Yahoo says that the petition is now pending before the NLRB represents a major landmark in the ongoing debate.
The original source also tackles the case of the petition from a Teamsters Union local in California representing workers hired by Leadpoint Business Services to work in a recycling plant owned by a subsidiary of Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI). The said union argues that Browning-Ferris is ultimately an employer of the temporary workers brought on by Leadpoint and is, therefore, liable for what the union alleges are intolerable working conditions in the plant and ought to be required to negotiate a contract with its workers.
On the other hand, Attorney Michael G. Pedhirney, in a session filed by Leadpoint, argued that "There is simply no basis to impose a bargaining obligation on BFI as BFI does not employ the employees in the petitioned-for bargaining unit in any manner. Moreover, the attorneys representing BFI are equally determined. However those who have been watching the case are confident that the NLRB is likely to rule in favor of the petitioners.
