NLRB says Jimmy John’s has broken labor law — again

And this time, the National Labor Relations Board says, the firm’s doing so by violating the consent agreement it signed with the board in January. That agreement pledged Jimmy John’s to follow labor law, not break it.

Management’s prior labor law-breaking led the NLRB to throw out the results of the first union recognition election at Jimmy John’s, in Oct. 2010, which IWW lost 87-85. And the NLRB agreement promised IWW a rerun election if it wanted to try again.

The latest lawbreaking complaint, filed Nov. 9 by the agency, alleges Jimmy John’s illegally disciplined, threatened and ultimately fired six workers “for engaging in
union and other concerted protected activities.”

“Jimmy John’s fired them on March 22 and 23, 2011, because they support the IWW and because they jointly protested the firm’s sick leave policy,” the agency said. Labor law protects workers’ right of concerted action. NLRB added that four more workers received “final written warnings for engaging in the same conduct.”

And Jimmy John’s was “disparaging and threatening pro-union employees on Facebook, removing union postings from stores, interrogating employees about their union activities, and threatening mass firings for union organizing,” NLRB said.

All that broke the settlement agreement, where management agreed not to discipline or threaten workers because of their union activities, and not to withhold raises because of the IWW organizing drive.

If the latest case is not settled before then, an NLRB administrative law judge will open hearings on it on Jan. 17.

This article was written by Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.