News/Press

Apr 28, 2016

NLRB ISSUES HISTORIC COMPLAINT ALLEGING MISCLASSIFICATION VIOLATES NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT

The National Labor Relations Board last month issued a precedent-setting complaint alleging that misclassification is a violation of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Based on arguments set forth by Counsel for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the NLRB complaint finds that Intermodal Bridge Transport has interfered with port truck drivers’ right to organize under the NLRA by misclassifying those drivers as independent contractors. The NLRB complaint is groundbreaking because, for the first time, it claims that the very act of misclassification constitutes an unfair labor practice by effectively sending the message to workers that they do not have the … Continue reading →

Jan 20, 2016

PARTNER JULIE GUTMAN DICKINSON’S HUFFINGTON POST ARTICLE REFLECTS ON THE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS MADE TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF WORKERS’ RIGHTS IN 2015

Historians may remember 2015 as the year of the minimum wage—and for good reason.  Twenty-one states and multiple cities raised the minimum wage in the past 12 months, scarcely two years after the “Fight for $15” was dismissed as a pipe dream by some observers.  The past year also saw other major advances for working Americans.  Here are ten of the most important:  Open article to continue reading…. 

Jan 20, 2016

PARTNERS DAVID AHDOOT AND JOSH ADAMS FACILITATE THE RECOVERY OF $1.5 MILLION FROM BANKRUPT TODD-SOUNDELUX, LLC

In representing the Motion Pictures Editors Guild, Local 700 and the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Todd-Soundelux, LLC, partners David Ahdoot and Josh Adams helped recover approximately $1.5 million in administrative and priority payments in the form of severance, holiday, pension and health payments for Local 700 members and the Plans, through bankruptcy proceedings and litigation before the NLRB.  The case remains pending.

Jan 20, 2016

BUSH GOTTLIEB PARTNER JOSH ADAMS CO-CHAIRS BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS WITH ILWU LOCAL 30, RESULTING IN FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING WITH U.S. BORAX

Partner Josh Adams co-chaired bargaining negotiations with ILWU Local 30 in reaching a five-year extension of the collective bargaining with U.S. Borax, a Rio Tinto subsidiary.  The renewal, which was ratified by the membership in December, occurred five months before the expiration of the present contract and includes 2.5% wage increases for each year of the contract.

Dec 29, 2015

Misclassified Port Truck Drivers at Pac 9 Awarded $6.9 Million

The California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) awarded  $6.9 million to misclassified port truck drivers at the drayage company Pac 9 right before Christmas.  The ruling sends a message loud and clear to the trucking industry that companies that misclassify their drivers as independent contractors , when in fact they are employees, will pay a big price. Port drayage companies that want to survive  will need to comply with the law or face multimillion dollar liability and recurring labor unrest. State courts, federal courts, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Labor, the State Employment Development Department … Continue reading →

Mar 16, 2015

Partners Pete Dickinson and Erica Deutsch congratulate co-counsel to the United Farmworkers Trust Funds Marcos Camacho who was appointed to the Kern County Superior Court by Governor Brown

Feb 2, 2015

Bush Gottlieb Partner Bob Bush Addresses Relevance of the Labor Movement to Business Community – see link to article below

Why the Labor Movement Matters and Who Protects It – Fortune (January 1, 2015) and Bloomberg Businessweek (January12 – January 18, 2015) “You hear it all the time on the news and during political campaigns: Strengthen the middle class.”

Jan 9, 2015

Port truck drivers from Shippers Transport Express are reclassified as employees and elect to join Teamsters following neutral unionization process

“Teamsters organizing drive continues at Port of LA” Los Angeles, Long Beach port truckers vote to unionize at Carson company https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHVt-tRxtkc – “November 2014’s historic port drivers strike”  

Dec 18, 2014

Bush Gottlieb partner Julie Gutman Dickinson with warehouse workers announcing a new lawsuit filed 12/17/14 against wage theft at the Port of Los Angeles

BNA Daily Labor Report – Warehouse Workers in Los Angeles File Suit Alleging Wage Violations by Various Firms Long Beach Press Telegram – L.A., Long Beach warehouse workers sue over wages, say they’re getting stiffed Los Angeles Times – Warehouse workers sue for unpaid wages at Port of L.A  

Dec 11, 2014

Julie Gutman Dickinson receives LAANE’s 2014 City of Justice Award for Her Outstanding Work and Life Long Dedication to the Labor Movement

December 11, 2014 The Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy honored Julie Gutman Dickinson with its prestigious City of Justice Award for her outstanding  work and lifelong dedication to the labor movement.  Gutman Dickinson received a standing ovation as she gave her passionate remarks at the  gala dinner attended by approximately 1000 individuals. See First Lady of Los Angeles Amy Wakeland’s introduction and Julie Gutman Dickinson’s remarks as she accepted the award – https://vimeo.com/121397613