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Significant Region 13 Trials and Settlements
Cadillac of Naperville, Inc.
The Board issued a Decision and Order in Cadillac of Naperville, Inc., 368 NLRB No. 3. The case arose out of negotiations for a new collective-bargaining agreement. The employees went on strike, and the Employer permanently replaced six of them. At the end of negotiations, the Employer reinstated seven of the strikers. At a meeting to discuss the return to work, the Employer’s owner and one of the employees engaged in a heated exchange during which both men swore at each other. The Employer fired the employee for insubordination and inappropriate language. The Board applied the four-factor Atlantic Steel (245 NLRB 814, 816 (1979)) test to determine that the employee’s conduct was not so egregious as to lose the Act’s protection and found that the termination violated Section 8(a)(3) of the Act. The Board also found several 8(a)(1) violations, including a colorful threat to “eat the kidneys” of employees because of their union activities.
The case was successfully litigated by Christina Hill, supervised by Deputy Regional Attorney Jessica Muth. Jay Greenhill investigated the underlying charge under Kate Gianopulos’s supervision.
Napleton Cadillac of Libertyville
The Region also received a positive Administrative Law Judge Decision in Napleton Cadillac of Libertyville. This case also involved contract negotiations and a strike. However, in this case, the strike converted to an unfair labor practice strike when the Employer violated Section 8(a)(5) of the Act by refusing to sign the collective-bargaining agreement the parties had reached. The Employer again violated the Act by refusing to reinstate the ULP strikers when they unconditionally offered to return to work. The judge left to Compliance proceedings the issue of whether strikers had been lawfully permanently replaced before the strike converted.
Emily O’Neill and Catherine Schlabowske tried the case. Jay Greenhill and Clinton Newman investigated the charges, supervised by Kate Gianopulos and Paul Prokop.
NLRB Rulemaking Agenda Announced
On May 22, 2019 the rulemaking priorities of the National Labor Relations Board were released. The agenda disclosed that the Board will consider rulemaking in areas including representation-case procedures, certain construction industry standards, the standard for determining the employee status of students who perform services at private colleges and universities in connection with their studies, and standards for access to employer’s private property. You can read the announcement at the following link: https://www.nlrb.gov/news-outreach/news-story/nlrb-rulemaking-agenda-announced
 Region 13 Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month
On May 21, 2019, regional staff paid a visit to the Chinese American Museum of Chicago at the Raymond B. & Jean T. Lee Center in Chinatown. We took in the exhibit “The Chinese Helped Build the Railroad – The Railroad Helped Build America” as we learned about the immeasurable contributions made by Asian immigrants to the United States of America. The exhibit pays tribute to the approximately 12,000 Chinese workers who completed the west coast portion of the world’s first Transcontinental Railway. The exhibit was organized by the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University and Li Ju. Field Attorney Christina Hill, our Special Emphasis Coordinator, organized the outing, which included lunch in Chinatown.
Evangelina Covarrubias and Zulma Ocampo Win National Honorary Awards
On June 26, 2019, Language Specialists Evangelina Covarrubias and Zulma Ocampo, along with other language specialists from around the country, were honored for their contributions by receiving the 2019 Honorary Award for Excellence in Professional Administrative Specialty. These awards are made on a national level pursuant to a nomination process that is open to all regions and headquarters. Evangelina and Zulma are both members of the NLRB’s new Language Specialists Team. Evangelina and Zulma both served on the Language Specialists Pilot Program, and Zulma additionally served a stint as a Lead, during which time she coordinated the services of the specialists across all regional offices. All of the participants were commended for their hard work to develop a one-shop team approach for the intake of Spanish Language Services, distribution of the assignments, and prompt delivery of professionally completed projects in support of the Agency’s mission. The Language Specialists Team reports to the Division of Operations-Management in Washington DC.
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Maria Gaviña-Arriola Honored on Administrative Professionals Day
On April 24, 2019, in recognition of Administrative Professionals Day, Secretary to the Regional Director Maria Gavina-Arriola was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for Taking Care of Business – Above and Beyond. Maria was chosen for this award from a district-wide pool of candidates, and she was one of six national recipients. General Counsel Peter Robb wrote a thank you letter to the honorees, noting that our administrative professionals are the backbone of the organization and engage in a great deal of planning, multi-tasking, and liaising with stakeholders to accomplish the agency’s goals.
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 Region 13 Hosts Future Workforce at Bring Your Child to Work Day
On April 25, 2019 the Region hosted staff members’ children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews during Bring Your Child to Work Day. The kids had a fun-filled day of activities that included a meeting with Regional Director Peter Ohr. In the spirit of teaching the children about our work, we held an election between Mickey Mouse and Grumpy.
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Although Mickey prevailed, there were some rumblings that he may have engaged in objectionable conduct by allegedly promising benefits—including candy and cartoons—to the kids. We will await final resolution from the Board. |
Arrivals & Departures
Sarah Gianni is our new summer intern from Northbrook, Illinois. In 2015, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University in Missouri where she majored in Political Science, History, and International Studies and minored in Italian. Sarah is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She became interested in labor relations through her mom, who was a union representative at the elementary school where she taught. Sarah’s interest grew during her time at Saint Louis University, where she worked with faculty as they organized and fought for greater shared governance from the administration. She is interested in labor law, labor relations, policy and organizing. Sarah plans to pursue an additional Master’s in Public Policy or Public Administration after her time at U of I. In addition to her studies, Sarah enjoys playing classical bass and mandolin.
Rachel Stopchinski will be joining Region 13 as an Honor Field Attorney in September. Rachel is a 2019 graduate of Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where she was a Moot Court finalist. While in law school, Rachel worked at Indiana University’s Student Legal Services. She also served as a summer intern at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Indiana. The Region looks forward to Rachel joining our office.
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