Schwebke v. United Wholesale Mortgage LLC d/b/a UWM, a Michigan corporation

**University Workers Lose Fight Over Automatic Pay Raises** This case involved a dispute between the University of Maine System and its workers' union over automatic pay increases. After the union's contract expired, the university stopped giving workers their yearly step wage increases - automatic raises that employees typically received each year based on their length of service. The union argued this violated the university's legal duty to maintain existing working conditions while negotiating a new contract. The court ruled in favor of the university, deciding that employers are not required to continue automatic pay increases after a union contract expires. The court rejected a new rule created by Maine's Labor Relations Board that would have required employers to keep giving these raises during contract negotiations. Instead, the court said Maine's labor law doesn't force employers to maintain all benefits from an expired contract. **What this means for workers:** If you're in a union and your contract expires during negotiations, your employer may be able to stop automatic pay increases or step raises, even if you received them regularly under the old contract. This makes it more important for unions to negotiate new contracts quickly and consider what protections they have during bargaining periods.