The National Labor Relations Board said it won't take up a petition from professional employees at CUNA Mutual Group to form a separate union within the Office and Professional Employees International Union until the union's current unfair labor practices charges against the company are resolved.
"Pending completion of the investigation and a determination as to the alleged unfair labor practices, processing of this matter is being held in abeyance," said Irving Gottschalk, acting regional director for the NLRB, in a letter to all parties obtained by The Credit Union Journal. The union, which has been embroiled in negotiations for six months, claims CUNA Mutual engaged in "regressive bargaining" by withdrawing an agreement to make pay raises retroactive after a contract is signed; intimidated union members; and unilaterally changed work conditions.
They also claim the company was behind the rare effort to split the union because former chief executive Michael Kitchen offered to help pay the legal expenses for the bid.
The professional employees group, frustrated over the failure to arrive at a new contract, has petitioned the NLRB to form its own collective bargaining unit within the OPEIU.
