Sanders White House Campaign Hit with Federal Labor Complaint

[nini]

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/sanders-white-house-campaign-hit-with-federal-labor-complaint?utm_medium=lawdesk&campaign=5185B15C-AD82-11E9-B01F-FB722AECE977&utm_source=twitter

Well, lookie here.

[comradebillyboy]

1. Oh my....

[George II]

2. That could be why BS' campaign finally gave in and raised the pay of his staffers this afternoon.

[Cha]

3. Yeah, they don't need

anymore bad press on this.

[nini]

10. Kinda what I thought

very interesting timing

[SouthernProgressive]

4. Wow

A copy of the charge has not yet been made public, but the agency’s July 22 docket lists five potential violations of the National Labor Relations Act. The charge also alleges that the campaign unlawfully discharged an employee, modified a labor contract, and engaged in illegal discipline.

There will be an investigation.

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. We've all seen Sirota and Turner go after their perceived enemies, so it's not at all farfetched....

that the culture of "retaliation" extends to disgruntled staff as well.

[Blue_true]

33. Yep. That was one of my thoughts. Two people that keep enemies lists in charge of people that

criticize something they are high up in.

[Tarheel_Dem]

67. Exactly. nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. WoW! No wonder he settled with the union, he'd much rather that be the story than this.

[lapucelle]

6. Wow...I can only imagine the questions he'll face at the debate. N/T

[Cha]

8. BREAKING: Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign has been hit with an unfair labor practice

Link to tweet

[left-of-center2012]

9. Don't get too excited

From the linked article:

"filed by an unnamed individual”

“Charges to the NLRB can be filed by 'any person' and don’t have to come from a campaign
staffer or someone directly affected by the alleged labor law violations”

“The NLRB has yet to make a determination about whether there is any merit to the allegations.”
.......................................................................................

"Anyone" could be dirty tricks by anyone.

Let's get the facts.

[ehrnst]

13. Here a the primary fact

He told the Des Moines Register, “It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media.” More: “That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it’s improper.”

That public comment puts him on the verge of violating federal labor law by interfering with or retaliating against employees’ exercise of their rights.

[Farmer-Rick]

17. Yeah, exactly what I thought.

This sounds so vague. Too vague to be taken seriously yet. We'll see.

Besides I don't trust Bloomberg. They published some Russian planted stories without investigating that turned out to be fake news.

[lapucelle]

24. Bloomberg links to a PDF of the complaint.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/bloomberg/

https://www.nlrb.gov/case/25-CA-245250

[Farmer-Rick]

42. Yeah, the link took me to Bloomberg Law

Which may be more accurate than the other Bloomberg outlets.

I know some people consider it left of center. They are wrong. Most people and websites that rate these things don't have an understanding of how far wacko right this country's has moved and have no idea what hard core left really is. So just move the center to the right and you might be close.

Ever since the Powell memo, the majority of media outlets support most of the right wing policy ideas like deregulation, free market economics, tax cuts create wealth and economic assistance to the poor should not be a responsibility of the government. These assumption are so built into most journalist and their outlets that most of them are not even aware of it.

But thanks for the other links.

[lapucelle]

46. The link I posted goes to The National Labor Relations Board .gov website.

https://www.nlrb.gov/case/25-CA-245250

As for Bloomberg News, objective analysts rate it as center to left center and highly reliable. It is not unintentionally "right wing" in its selection or coverage of news stories.

[lapucelle]

54. Do you have any links to reports of Bloomberg News publishing Russian-planted stories

without investigating that turned out to be "fake news"?

[vsrazdem]

32. Yes, I noticed that. If this was againsy anyone else, that fact would be front and center.

[SouthernProgressive]

45. It's stated in the article.

Doesn’t get more front and center than that.

[lapucelle]

53. The complainant is not anonymous. He or she is "unnamed"

There's a FOIA link on the NLRB.gov page containing the complaint. I would imagine that journalists have already made FOIA requests on this matter.

https://www.nlrb.gov/case/25-CA-245250

[Gothmog]

69. The charge was filed by a staffer for retaliation

Link to tweet

[left-of-center2012]

73. May

Content suggests it may indeed have come from a (ex?)staffer

[Gothmog]

74. A staffer who was reportedly terminated for exercising his rights

From the Bloomberg article https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/sanders-campaign-complaint-alleges-retaliation-for-unionizing

The charge was filed by a former staffer, a campaign official told Bloomberg Law. The staffer alleges that the campaign retaliated against certain workers for engaging in protected labor activity, according to redacted copy of the document.

Campaign leaders “retaliated against me when I organized the bargaining unit and sent an email requesting compliance with the” collective employment contract, the anonymous staffer wrote in the charge. The ataffer also said that at least three campaign workers were fired in retaliation for their organizing and union activities, among other allegations.....

The staffer alleged that the campaign “failed to notify us upon hire that we had a” collective bargaining agreement and “maintained that we were ‘at-will.’” At-will workers generally can be fired at any time and for any reason the employer deems appropriate.

The staffer said campaign management promised “some employees housing, and not others,” despite that paid housing and expenses are required under the collective bargaining agreement. The Sanders campaign also broke the terms of its collective bargaining agreement by making staff work additional days and failing to provide days off, according to the charge allegations.

These are not not good facts for sanders

[left-of-center2012]

76. I'll wait for the investigation

[Gothmog]

77. This still looks bad

Link to tweet

[ehrnst]

11. Unfortunate look for a candidate who makes living wages and labor rights

centerpieces of their campaign.



He told the Des Moines Register, “It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media.” More: “That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it’s improper.”

That comment to the press puts him on the verge of violating federal labor law by interfering with or retaliating against employees’ exercise of their rights.

[Starry Messenger]

20. key point

[ecstatic]

12. I saw him earlier on CNN. He promised the interviewer that all the issues

between his campaign and the union had been worked out....?

[mcar]

14. Oops!

[NurseJackie]

15. Oh dear.

[Nanjeanne]

16. So silly. Anyone can file a complaint. It's meaningless and it's sad to see so many jump at the

an anonymous troll filing a complaint. If the glee to join any anti-Bernie campaign here at DU is any indication - the Russians will have a field day messing with our elections. It's fine not to like a particular candidate -- there's some I like a lot more than others. But this kind of crap I wish was beyond everyone's salt lick.

[Hav]

21. You cannot possibly know whether it's meaningless

Could have been a troll, could have also actually been someone who worked for the campaign but now I'm sure more copycats will follow.
I think it's a good thing in theory that anyone can file such a complaint. That anyone can file doesn't make these complaints meaningless. Ultimately, (I hope) the complaint will be be judged based on its merit.

[nini]

23. Not meaningless and considering union talks were a bit... testy

It kinda makes sense.

It's no joke to file a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board. It's not like whining to a local HR rep. If the person is lying then they should have hell to pay.

But, time will tell and I think assuming it's a troll should be 'beyond everyone's salt lick' myself.

[Nanjeanne]

27. It's meaningless because you or I could have filed a complaint. It becomes meaningful

after it’s been looked into and officially filed or dismissed.

ANYONE can file. They don’t have to be part of the union or campaign or anything. Some bot could have filed.

It is absolute a joke to file. It’s completely easy to do and you would be surprised how many silly complaints are filed every day.

[nini]

29. So it's a joke for a valid complaint to be filed?

?

[Nanjeanne]

30. No. Read my post. There is no indication that it is valid. It was simply filed. ANYONE

can file. For any reason. It becomes valid after the complaint t has been worked. This one hasn’t yet. It is simply a report that a complaint t was filed. The NLRB has yet to make a determination about whether there is any merit to the allegations. When that happens it becomes, as I said, meaningful. And then there is an actual valid complaint. Not until then.

[Vegas Roller]

37. Are you saying it's a witch hunt?

[Nanjeanne]

44. Why are you so extreme? I'm saying it is a filed complaint that hasn't been verified.

But obviously it only matters who it’s about. Reason goes out the window when it fits your preferred narrative.

[Vegas Roller]

47. You didn't answer my question

Are you saying it is a witch hunt and the complaint is bogus with no merit?

[Nanjeanne]

58. I answered many times. It is a complaint that

is neither valid nor invalid. It hasn’t been looked into yet. I don’t believe at any time anyone mentioned witch hunt. But you already knew that didn’t you?

[ehrnst]

52. "Reason goes out the window when it fits your preferred narrative. "

You can say that again.

[Nanjeanne]

59. Ok. Reason goes out the window when it fits your preferred

narrative.

[ehrnst]

63. "I know you are but what am I?"

I guess you forgot you said it first..

[LanternWaste]

61. And of course, you simply will not realize the irony of your use of that allegation.

"Reason goes out the window when it fits your preferred narrative."

[silentEcho]

28. What is meaningless, pointing finger at all the other Democrats while they are better to employees

than the one pointing the finger.

[NurseJackie]

79. Agreed. The "scorched earth" tactic is a dangerous one for any candidate to embrace.

Maybe you know the saying, "When you point one finger, there are three fingers pointing back to you." There's another bit of wisdom that goes: "Don't focus on the speck in your brother's eye while ignoring the log in your own eye."

[lapucelle]

25. The person who filed the complaint is not "anonymous"; the person is "unnamed".

The July 19 complaint to the National Labor Relations Board, filed by an unnamed individual in Indiana, was posted to the agency’s website late July 22. It comes as tense negotiations between the Sanders campaign and the union representing staffers recently boiled over publicly. The Washington Post reported July 23 that unionized organizers for the campaign had won a pay raise and reached a compromise to reduce the hours of some workers.

[RandySF]

36. Anonymous troll? It came from inside the Sanders campaign.

[ehrnst]

48. And if this had been anyone else's campaign?

It would have been fodder for Sanders to talk about their failure with labor issues.

And it wasn't an anonymous troll that made this public statement that borders on violation of labor rights:

“It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media. That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it’s improper.”

That comment puts him on the verge of violating federal labor law by interfering with or retaliating against employees’ exercise of their rights.

But I'm sure that he'll soon apologize and say that he 'didn't know' that was labor law, and people will defend him, because he can't really expected to know labor law, because he's too busy fighting for labor laws that protect workers from retaliation by employers for negotiating for better pay, and to guarantee them a living wage.

[Nanjeanne]

50. I doubt Sanders would have mentioned an anonymous complaint about any campaign.

But I don’t have telepathic skills like you do n

[ehrnst]

51. I defer to your mind reading skills...

All I have to go on is observation of a candidate, and a knowledge of their previous campaign tactics, and a lack of adoration of any candidate that might feed a confirmation bias to repel inconvenient facts.

Such as viewing an employers staffers organizing into a union to be a progressive feather in the cap of the employer.

[ehrnst]

64. His statement to the Des Moines register didn't require mind reading.

You keep avoiding that. You know, the one that comes very close to violating labor law prohibiting management from interfering with or retaliating against employees’ exercise of their rights.

Here it is again:

“It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media. That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it’s improper.”

[LanternWaste]

60. It's almost as meaningless and sad to see so many jump to an aggressive defense...

It's almost as meaningless and sad to see so many jump to an aggressive defense of a sacred cow (our two complaints being simply six of one and half a dozen of the other in two differently colored boxes).

[ehrnst]

65. +1000.

"Some are more equal than others."

[Gothmog]

70. This complaint was filed a sanders staffer

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

80. There are serious charges in thos complaint

Link to tweet

[lapucelle]

18. Here's a link to the document.

https://www.nlrb.gov/case/25-CA-245250

[sheshe2]

19. And...

[nini]

22. I absolutely love this gif

Schitt's Creek is one of my favorite shows

[BKDem]

26. The important thing to remember is

we have a scandal-free candidate in Donald Trump. Clean as a whistle!

[Gothmog]

31. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

[betsuni]

34. CT in that Twitter thread: person who filed the complaint was a DNC plant.

OF COURSE

[Cha]

40. LOL.. nothing if NOT

predictable!

[Gothmog]

55. Yes this attack was predictable

[Gothmog]

81. This claim is false

Link to tweet

[Cha]

43. Thank You, Goth.. that

twitter thread is funny.

[RandySF]

35. Oopsie.

[Vegas Roller]

38. Beginning of the end for Bernie

It is hard to overcome hypocrisy over issues one champions.

[trueblue2007]

49. B.S. shame on you.

[Gothmog]

56. Why?

These are serious charges that need to be investigated

[trueblue2007]

57. i refer you to

Sanders White House Campaign Hit with Federal Labor Complaint
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/sanders-white-house-campaign-hit-with-federal-labor-complaint?utm_medium=lawdesk&campaign=5185B15C-AD82-11E9-B01F-FB722AECE977&utm_source=twitter

Well, lookie here.

[Gothmog]

62. I read the article

These are serious charges that will be investigated. I am glad that sanders is being vetted

[Gothmog]

71. This looks to be serious

Link to tweet

[NYMinute]

39. Like I said before

How one manages a campaign is a window to one's governing abilities.

If one can't even run a flawless campaign, how can one be expected of running a country?

[MrsCoffee]

41. That's gonna leave a mark.

[corbettkroehler]

66. Much Ado About Nothing - Sanders' Excellent Labor Relations Prove That This Is Ginned-Up Nonsense

I would wager real money that this came from a GOP plant trying to sow discord. Either way, it will be settled quickly to everyone's satisfaction.

[Gothmog]

72. These are serious charges

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/sanders-campaign-complaint-alleges-retaliation-for-unionizing

The staffer alleged that the campaign “failed to notify us upon hire that we had a” collective bargaining agreement and “maintained that we were ‘at-will.’” At-will workers generally can be fired at any time and for any reason the employer deems appropriate.

The staffer said campaign management promised “some employees housing, and not others,” despite that paid housing and expenses are required under the collective bargaining agreement. The Sanders campaign also broke the terms of its collective bargaining agreement by making staff work additional days and failing to provide days off, according to the charge allegations.

Many of the allegations appear to have occurred at least a month prior to the recent compromise reached between campaign workers and management that reduced the hours worked. The timing of other allegations was redacted.

[Gothmog]

75. I am good friends with Sarah Slamen, a former sanders campaign worker

She was one of the former workers who complained about sexual harassment by the sanders campaign See https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016224223 Sarah was excluded from the 30 minute meeting that was supposed to address these issues

[lapucelle]

78. Former Bernie Sanders Staffers Voice Concern About 'Sexual Harassment and Violence' on 2016 Campaign

https://time.com/5490813/bernie-sanders-campaign-sexual-harassment/

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5671807-Sanders-Campaign-Harassment-Letter.html#document/p1

[Gothmog]

68. sanders Campaign Labor Charge Alleges Staffer Retaliation (1)

Link to tweet

The charge was filed by a former staffer, a campaign official told Bloomberg Law. The staffer alleges that the campaign retaliated against certain workers for engaging in protected labor activity, according to redacted copy of the document.

Campaign leaders “retaliated against me when I organized the bargaining unit and sent an email requesting compliance with the” collective employment contract, the anonymous staffer wrote in the charge. The ataffer also said that at least three campaign workers were fired in retaliation for their organizing and union activities, among other allegations.

“The campaign leadership, from Sen. Sanders on down, respects the rights of all of its employees to speak collectively and bargain about their terms and conditions of employment, and it supports the mission of the NLRB to enforce worker and union rights,” a campaign spokeswoman told Bloomberg Law via email. “That is exactly why the Bernie 2020 campaign voluntarily recognized the employees’ chosen union and engaged in good faith bargaining that resulted in an historic collective bargaining agreement.”

The allegations come shortly after a tense period in the relationship between the Sanders campaign and the union representing its staffers was recently made public. The internal disagreements sparked some criticism of the White House candidate—who has made worker rights a central part of his pitch to voters—from conservatives and Republican politicians.

[Gothmog]

82. ULP Charge Against Sanders' Campaign Details Classic 'Union-Busting' Allegations

These are serious charges https://laborunionreport.com/2019/07/25/ulp-charge-against-sanders-campaign-detail-classic-union-busting-allegations/

Here is the statement of the complainant, which also indicates the individual will be filing a charge against the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) for allegedly breaching its Duty of Fair Representation (the ‘DFR’ referenced below):

“The employer failed to notify us upon hire that we had a CBA and maintained that we were “at-will.” Employer violated the CBA by requiring additional work days, and failing to provide days off as required. Employer further violated the CBA in multiple ways, and the Union did nothing (I will be filing a DFR against them). At hiring, employer promised some employees housing, and not others; some were promised expenses, and others were not. The CBA requires relocation expenses be paid. Employer retaliated against me when I organized the bargaining unit and sent an email requesting compliance with the CBA (I understand CBA violations are not ULPs– the ULP arises from the retaliation).”

The allegations contained within the unfair fair labor practice charge are the type that employers often face when they are accused of so-called ‘union busting’. . . except the Sanders campaign purposefully unionized its own staff.

These are classic union busting type allegations are taken seriously by the officials and the courts. The petition has the following specific allegations

Here are the specific alleged violations of law, as contained in the unfair labor practice charge agains the Sanders campaign:

Within the previous six months, the Employer discharged an employee(s) because the employee(s) joined or supported a labor organization and in order to discourage union activities and/or membership.

Within the previous six months, the Employer discharged an employee(s) because the employee(s) engaged in protected concerted activities by, inter alia, discussing wages and/or other terms and conditions of employment and in order to discourage employees from engaging in protected concerted activities.

Within the previous six months, the Employer discharged an employee(s) because the employee(s) engaged in protected concerted activities by, inter alia, protesting terms and conditions of employment and in order to discourage employees from engaging in protected concerted activities.

Within the previous six months, the Employer disciplined or retaliated against an employee(s) because the employee(s) joined or supported a labor organization and in order to discourage union activities and/or membership.


Within the previous six months, the Employer disciplined or retaliated against an employee(s) because the employee(s) engaged in protected concerted activities by, inter alia, discussing wages, hours, or other terms and conditions of employment and in order to discourage employees from engaging in protected concerted activities.

Within the previous six months, the Employer disciplined or retaliated against an employee(s) because the employee(s) engaged in protected concerted activities by, inter alia, protesting terms and conditions of employment and in order to discourage employees from engaging in protected concerted activities.

Within the previous six-months, the Employer has interfered with, restrained, and coerced its employees in the exercise of rights protected b Section 7 of the Act b interrogating employees about their union activities.

Within the previous six months, the Employer failed and refused to bargain in good faith with the union as the collective bargaining representative of its employees by making unilateral changes in terms and conditions of employment.

[nini]

83. very interesting

thanks

[Gothmog]

84. Washington Post-Sanders campaign union faces accusation, federal filing shows

Link to tweet

The document filed earlier this week with NLRB against the Sanders campaign alleged that the campaign discharged, disciplined or retaliated against employees for reasons including joining or supporting a labor organization and engaging in protected labor-related activities. It also alleged that the campaign interrogated employees about union activities.

At the end of the filing, the charging party included additional information in support of the claims, including accusations that the campaign “failed to notify us upon hire” that there was a collective bargaining agreement and that it violated the agreement by requiring additional workdays.

That earlier complaint hinted at a forthcoming action against the union. “The Union did nothing” to address the issues with the campaign, it says, adding, “I will be filing a DFR against them.” A DFR often refers to a “duty of fair representation,” which is what was filed Thursday against the union.

The charge against the Sanders campaign also alleges, “At hiring, employer promised some employees housing, and not others; some were promised expenses, and others were not. The [collective bargaining agreement] requires relocation expenses be paid. Employer retaliated against me when I organized the bargaining unit and sent an email requesting compliance with the CBA.”

[Gothmog]

85. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

[nini]

86. ruh roh

That's no bueno.

[silentEcho]

87. "It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media."

“It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media. That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it’s improper.”