NLRB Tells Utilities Company to Pay $700,000 to Laid-Off Workers

The National Labor Relations Board ordered a utility service company to pay at least $700,000 to workers after the company furloughed them without bargaining with the union that represents them.

California-based HCI LLC furloughed over 350 technicians and linemen represented by the Communications Workers of America in August 2022. The union requested to bargain with the company and asked it to provide information about lost pay and benefits, but HCI executives shut down the business several days later and didn’t bargain with the union.

The board’s Democratic majority ruled Tuesday that HCI violated federal labor law by refusing to bargain ...