CUNA Mutual Group and OPEIU Local 39 have agreed to settle all allegations that CUNA Mutual had engaged in labor law violations in 2004.
In December of 2004, the National Labor Relations Board General Counsel determined CUNA Mutual Group committed more than 20 violations of labor law. Among those allegations were bargaining in bad faith, threatening employees with lockouts and layoffs in retaliation for the union's corporate campaign, outsourcing work, and disciplining and harassing employees in retaliation for union activities.
CUNA Mutual said that the settlement means there will be no National Labor Relations Board complaint or further litigation on the unfair labor practices charges brought forth by OPEIU Local 39.
CUNA Mutual noted that as part of the agreement, it did not admit to having violated the National Labor Relations Act. "The NLRB investigation involved a large number of issues," said CUNA Mutual spokesperson Sydney Lindner. "We have fully cooperated. Many union allegations were rejected and all others are resolved by the settlement that has been reached."
CUNA Mutual issued a statement saying the settlement has three parts. "First, we will post a notice to employees to notify and assure them that we fully respect employee rights under the Act," the company said. "Second, we will comply with the notice. And third, we will restore some bargaining unit work involving six positions that had been removed from the bargaining unit or reallocated to other bargaining unit employees."
In addition, CUNA Mutual said eligible affected employees will be made whole for the time that some of the work had been removed from the bargaining unit.
