Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The dispute between Spot Coffee and employees who claim they were let go for trying to organize a union is brewing. A local labor legal expert is weighing in.
What's interesting is it won't be up to the employees to prove their case. "The (NLRB) has an investigative team that will go and take sworn statements from the workers and then seek sworn statements from some of the employer witnesses. If there's still a dispute, there's going to be a hearing before an administrative law judge, and ultimately head to court," explains Boreanaz. "The employees don't have to prove this. The National Labor Relations Board regional office will take that step for them."
Should the employees win, Boreanaz says it's not going to be a big pay day. "Penalties are not extensive, but the bottom line is somebody got fired, they should have been able to work, and they're experiencing difficulties as a result of not getting their pay. They've lost the ability to pay their bills on time or the opportunity to accrue interest on that pay," says Boreanaz.