Wednesday, April 9, 2014

T-Mobile managers says union-members can't high-five (but others can)

A T-Mobile managers is accused of banning 'high-fives' by union workers -- but not non-union workers -- in a case before the NLRB.

The NLRB made public the allegations as part of a ruling that consolidates complaints against T-Mobile. Among those complaints:

  • On May 8, Department Manager Cesar Gonzales, inside the Albuquerque call center, 'discouraged employees' union activities by withholding the benefit of providing a 'high five' gesture who engaged in union activities or demonstrated their union sympathies. 
  • On May 30, Manager Mark Cisneros did the same thing in the same place. 
T-Mobile is also accused of training employees with a list called '13 Ways To Get Fired.'

BuzzFeed has the story:
The ruling will allow for a joint decision from the NLRB on T-Mobile and MetroPCS’s alleged anti-union practices nationwide. There will be several months of hearings before a final ruling is brought down. 
In the ruling, the NLRB outlined some of the practices the Communications Workers of America say are illegal. 
The allegations include an “overly broad and discriminatory” employee handbook that bans employees from organizing and stresses multiple times the importance of keeping the contents of the handbook, as well as other various business activities, secret.