North Hills School District v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board

**North Hills School District v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board** This case was about whether a secretary who worked for an assistant superintendent could join a union. The North Hills School District wanted to keep this secretary out of the union, arguing that the position was "confidential" because the secretary worked closely with management officials involved in union negotiations. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board initially ruled that the secretary could be part of the union. However, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court disagreed and reversed that decision. The court found that the secretary position was indeed confidential and should be excluded from the union bargaining unit. The court's reasoning was that this secretary had a "close continuing relationship" with a management official who was directly involved in collective bargaining with unions. **What this means for workers:** This ruling shows that not all employees can automatically join unions. Workers in positions where they have regular access to confidential information about union negotiations or work closely with management during contract talks may be excluded from union membership. If you work as an administrative assistant or secretary for executives involved in labor relations, you might not be eligible to join your workplace union, even if other support staff can participate.