Drew Capuder’s Employment Law Blog

4/1/09: The US Supreme Court ruled that “pre-dispute arbitration agreements” in collective bargaining agreements (union contracts) are enforceable, in Penn Plaza PLLC v. Pyett, 129 S. Ct. 1456 (2009) (5-4 decision).

This was an age discrimination case under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, (ADEA). The plaintiff was a member of a union, and the collective bargaining agreement (union contract) required submitting age discrimination claims to binding arbitration.

The US Supreme Court had previously ruled, but not in a labor union setting, that arbitration agreements for ADEA claims were enforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq. (Gilmer v. Interstate/Johnson Lane Corp., 500 U.S. 20, 26-33 (1991)). So the real issue in Penn Plaza was whether there would be a different result because of the union contract setting and the National Labor Relations Act.

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3/10/09: In the West Virginia Legislature, HB 3032, introduced on March 10, 2009, would give employees the right to review their personnel files.  The legislation has not been passed, and in prior legislative sessions, essentially the same bill was introduced without having been passed.

Many people have the incorrect understanding that, in West Virginia, an employer is legally required to allow an employee to review the employee’s personnel file. There is currently no such legal requirement, but the pending HB 3032 will change that if it is passed.

You can review the full text of the bill, and monitor its status on the Legislature’s site.

Prepared by Drew M. Capuder (contact information)