Joseph L. Braccio Interviewed About Employee Free Choice Act

Hodgson Russ’s Labor & Employment Practice Group leader, Joseph L. Braccio, is quoted in Buffalo Business First, February 13, about the proposed Employee Free Choice Act. If it passes, the new act will remove the secret ballot process under the National Labor Relations Act and result in a contract imposed by an arbitrator if the union and employer cannot agree on a contract. Mr. Braccio notes that the loss of the secret ballot “could force employees to feel undue pressure from other employees” and union organizers. Under the new act, if negotiators can’t reach a labor contract within a specified time, an arbitrator will dictate a binding two-year agreement. Mr. Braccio says, “I do tons of collective bargaining, and in the process I might agree to something that I don’t really like in exchange for something I do want. But if an arbitrator imposes a contract, it might potentially leave neither party happy.”

This article also appeared in Buffalo Law Journal, February 9.