In episode 189, Coffey talks with Charles Krugel about a Day Without Immigrants-related firing, unions, the future of DEI, and the ongoing changes coming from the Trump administration. 

They discuss a "Day Without Immigrants" protest that led to employee terminations at a Texas burger company; Amazon's North Carolina facility voting against unionization; President Trump's firing of NLRB and EEOC officials and the resulting impact on employment regulations; the rescinding of various NLRB  labor-friendly memos including those on non-compete agreements and confidentiality clauses; the legal complexities of DEI initiatives in the current political climate; geographic variations in labor laws across states and cities.

Links to stuff they talked about are on our website at https://goodmorninghr.com/EP189 and include the following topics:

Local Burger Business Fires Workers After They RSVP’ed for Pro-Immigrant Walkout: Hat Creek Burger Company reacted quickly after national protest - News - The Austin Chronicle

Amazon North Carolina Workers Reject Union, Handing Retailer Win in Labor Fight

Trump Paralyzes US Labor Board by Firing Democratic Member

Trump hobbles US anti-discrimination agency by firing Democrats | Reuters

Explainer: Trump says corporate diversity efforts are illegal - but are they?

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About our Guest:

For the past 24 years Charles Krugel, charlesakrugel.com, has run his own management side labor & employment law practice based in Chicago.

His clients are worldwide & in all industries. 1/3 of his practice is HR counseling on day-to-day micro issues; another 1/3 of his practice is transactionally based (e.g., employment agreements); & the final 1/3 of his practice is litigation in both state & federal courts & before regulatory agencies. Charles represents union as well as non-unionized companies.

Charles is frequently quoted & interviewed by the media, annually gives dozens of presentations, serves on numerous boards of directors for numerous organizations & is an award-winning attorney.

Charles Krugel can be reached at

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesakrugel/

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1798953/

https://www.charlesakrugel.com/

About Mike Coffey:

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, licensed private investigator, business strategist, HR consultant, and registered yoga teacher.

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations and due diligence firm helping risk-averse clients make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.

Imperative delivers in-depth employment background investigations, know-your-customer and anti-money laundering compliance, and due diligence investigations to more than 300 risk-averse corporate clients across the US, and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies.

Imperative has been named a Best Places to Work, the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year, and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.

Mike shares his insight from 25+ years of HR-entrepreneurship on the Good Morning, HR podcast, where each week he talks to business leaders about bringing people together to create value for customers, shareholders, and community.

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW, Inc. and has twice been recognized as the North Texas HR Professional of the Year.

Mike serves as a board member of a number of organizations, including the Texas State Council, where he serves Texas’ 31 SHRM chapters as State Director-Elect; Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County; the Texas Association of Business; and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, where he is chair of the Talent Committee.

Mike is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). He is also a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and teaches multiple times each week.

Mike and his very patient wife of 28 years are empty nesters in Fort Worth.

Learning Objectives:

1. Develop strategies for addressing employee activism while minimizing legal exposure
2. Implement DEI initiatives that expand applicant pools without violating Title VII protections
3. Create workplace cultures where effective management communication reduces the likelihood of employee litigation