Recent Developments

Most public employees in Massachusetts have a right to seek benefits under collective bargaining agreements and to discuss their efforts with co-workers. Workers who do so are termed to have engaged in "protected, concerted activity." That means an employer is prohibited from intimidating, discriminating or retaliating against an employee for exercising their rights under a contract or under the law.

On August 24, 2015, the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations (DLR) issued a formal complaint against the Chelsea School Committee for withdrawing recognition from Local 9427 of the United Steelworkers as the representative of the school nurses and nurses' aides and for changing their conditions of employment without bargaining.

The Appeals Court of Massachusetts upheld the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board's decision that the City of Boston committed an unfair labor practice when it violated a settlement agreement with the Boston Police Superior Officers Federation (BPSOF). Attorneys Ian Russell and Leah Barrault represented the BPSOF at CERB and the Appeals Court. This case establishes that a public employer's "management rights" defense is not a perennial trump card and that the public employer must make these arguments at all levels.

Nearly four years after IAFF Local 1032 filed a grievance, the City of Medford finally agrees to comply with the fire fighters' collective bargaining agreement about filling Deputy Chief vacancies. The case victory underscores the benefits of ceaseless enforcement of a union contract. In February 2014, Attorney Leah Barrault won an arbitration on the grievance. One of the state's most respected arbitrators held that the City improperly filled Deputy Chief overtime with a newly created Administrative Captain position.

Pyle Rome is pleased to announce the opening of our Burlington, Vermont office:

29 Pine Street
Burlington, VT 05401
tel 802.652.5124
fax 802.652.5125

With the opening of this new office in Vermont, in addition to our existing offices in Boston and Northampton, Massachusetts, Pyle Rome becomes the only union-side labor firm with offices in northern and southern New England. We look forward to the opportunity to better serve our clients in northern New England and to grow and strengthen our connections with the labor movement across the entire region.

A neutral arbitrator agreed that certain UFCW Local 791 employees at Shaw's Supermarket are entitled to overtime pay for working Patriots Day.

The Fall River Fire Chief unlawfully cut staffing, reduced fire fighters available to respond to a scene, and saddled fire fighters with additional duties because he failed to notify the Local 1314 IAFF of the change and provide an opportunity to bargain. That's at least according to a complaint issued by the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations, after a hearing requested by Local 1314 and Attorney Patrick Bryant. Attorney Leah Barrault filed the charge that led to the hearing.

A federal judge has, at the urging of Attorney General Maura Healey, has dismissed a lawsuit against the new Earned Sick Time Law that was filed by construction employers in Massachusetts.

Attorney James Hykel, on behalf of
IBEW Local 2324, persuaded an independent hearing officer to set aside a National Labor Relations Board election because a division of multi-national conglomerate Time Warner basically attempted to buy union opposition. The Hearing Officer recommended that the election be re-run so that employees have a genuine opportunity to vote about union representation free of undue influence or coercion.

In a decision of groundbreaking importance to public employee unions in Massachusetts, the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board (CERB) affirmed that public employers cannot implement Global Positioning Systems (GPS) without completing labor negotiations first.