Pamela Jeffrey Named Co-General Counsel of 1199SEIU

Levy Ratner is pleased to announce that the Executive Council of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East has voted that Levy Ratner Partner Pamela Jeffrey will be the new Co-General Counsel of 1199SEIU. Ms. Jeffrey will serve as Co-General Counsel with Levy Ratner Founding Partner Daniel Ratner during a period of transition. Ms. Jeffrey brings to…

NYC Council Passes Bill to Protect Fast Food Workers

On December 17, 2020, the New York City Council voted to pass a bill protecting fast food workers from being fired or having their hours significantly reduced without a valid reason. Mayor DeBlasio is expected to sign the legislation into law. Under the bill, employers may not terminate employees or substantially reduce their hours without…

President-Elect Joe Biden’s Labor Agenda Signals a Fundamental Shift in Favor of Workers’ Rights

Preparing to enter office in January 2021, President-elect Joe Biden has not yet announced his choice for Secretary of Labor, but the labor agenda Biden shared throughout the presidential campaign signals that greater workplace safety enforcement, progressive labor legislation, and a more union-friendly NLRB may be on the horizon. Though many aspects of his labor…

Levy Ratner congratulates Pamela Jeffrey

Levy Ratner congratulates Pamela Jeffrey on her well-deserved induction into the Class of 2020 College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Click here to read about Pam’s illustrious career representing unions and employees in the robust exercise of their rights in organizing, collective bargaining, strikes and picketing, litigation, arbitrations and before the NLRB.

New NLRB Guidelines: When Are Mail Ballot Elections Appropriate During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently issued a decision that provides guidance for determining when a representation election should be conducted through mail ballots, rather than in-person voting, due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19. The NLRB recognized that while “existing precedent strongly favors manual elections,” i.e. in-person, the extraordinary circumstances that…

Levy Ratner Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of SEIU and 1199SEIU Supporting New York Challenge to DOL COVID-19 Regulations

Levy Ratner filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Service Employees International Union and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East supporting the New York State Attorney General’s lawsuit challenging the Trump Department of Labor’s regulations interpreting the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.   The amicus brief supports the NYS Attorney General’s argument that the federal…

Moving to Unionize: The State of Arts Work

Artnet and other news outlets have identified a rising trend: museum workers across the country are unionizing. These acts of organizing in the art world have been framed as a movement sweeping the nation, yet the complexities of unionization for professionals and institutions have remained opaque. This panel discussion will examine the contemporary state of…