Case: Labor Arbitration/Working Conditions (Arb.)

A coal company violated two provisions of its CBA with the UMWA stating that “an earnest effort shall be made to settle grievances at the earliest practicable time,” as well as the parties’ grievance procedure, which does not contemplate a transcript or any video recording, when it installed cameras without audio in a room where grievance steps are conducted, since cameras create a chilling effect upon the earnest effort to resolve disputes, and they present a barrier to open communications. They may, for example, enable lip reading and the observation of other non-verbal communication. The company’s need to conduct surveillance ...