Following a tidal wave of unfair labor practice claims that resulted in a heart-stopping litigation settlement mediated by Region 13-Chicago, Howard Brown Health, a significant healthcare nonprofit operating throughout Oak Park and Chicago, has been ordered to pay out a total of $1.3 million in settlement payments. For the beleaguered employees represented by the Illinois Nurses Association, the agreement, which identifies a number of claimed labor infractions ranging from employee harassment to direct negotiation with personnel circumventing union norms, represents a significant triumph.
The National Labor Relations Board’s Regional Director brought charges against Howard Brown Health in March, detailing a series of contested actions that violated the sanctity of unionized labor procedures, resulting in the layoff of about 55 employees without proper bargaining with the union. These actions have since been reversed by the comprehensive settlement terms, which include offers of reinstatement for those affected as well as monetary compensation. The nonprofit is also required to refrain from violating bargaining norms in the future and from prying into the affairs of protected employees.
Howard Brown Health is taking responsibility for filling the financial voids caused by the sudden layoffs as part of the settlement, which was uncovered and made public by the National Labor Relations Board. $1 million will be used to cover back pay, $48,000 will be used to cover employee 401(k) losses, and an additional $60,000 will be set aside to cover any other noticeable financial losses that the victims may have suffered as a result of the job cuts. Additionally, it firmly establishes that Howard Brown Health would notify all of its workers about the settlement and remind them of the current labor regulations that are in place to protect them.
When approving the settlement, Region 13’s Regional Director Angie Cowan Hamada was unreserved in her praise of the Region 13 staff’s diligent investigative efforts. According to the official press release, the outcome will “ensure that employees are able to fully and freely exercise their rights to join together and collectively bargain and therefore serves to effectuate the National Labor Relations Act.”
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