Case: Labor Arbitration/Lockout (Arb.)

Arbitrator Gregory P. Szuter ruled that IBEW Local 683 proved by a preponderance of evidence that Blattner Energy LLC violated the terms of a labor contract by temporarily closing a job site for a holiday break in late December 2023, causing a lockout of bargaining unit members and denying them their right to earn a paycheck and fringe benefits during that time, and unilaterally modifying terms of their employment in violation of the National Labor Relations Act. Arbitrator Szuter found the union’s interpretation of contract provisions prohibiting lockouts and work scheduling changes absent agreement of the parties to be persuasive. ...