LV auto dealer ordered to bargain with union

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 | 11:31 a.m.

A U.S. District Court judge has ordered managers at Desert Toyota to bargain in good faith with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 845.

The NLRB filed for a temporary injunction in October to force the Las Vegas dealership to obey the decisions of two National Labor Relations Board administrative law judges.

The Machinists hope the injunction will allow them to bargain with the dealership on behalf of about 30 service technicians.

The decision orders the dealership to bargain with the union, to cease from discharging employees for their union support, interrogating employees about their union support and "impliedly promising benefits to employees to induce them to refrain from engaging in union activities," the decision said.

Desert Toyota has objected to the decisions of the administrative law judges because it has two pending objections or appeals of the decisions with the NLRB in Washington D.C. The dealership has refused to comply with the administrative law judges until the NLRB decides.

Michael Chavez, resident officer of the Las Vegas office of the NLRB, said in the past that the NLRB resorted to federal court in order to get the dealership and the union to bargain before a NLRB decision is made.

Attorneys for Desert Toyota could not be reached for comment Tuesday.