Context: A friend of mine works as a non-union office employee at a union manufacturing shop. At the start of the year they were instructed to submit self evaluations that will be used for an annual review. Pending on their performance, they will receive a wage increase.
Fast forward 3 months, an email gets sent that reviews will be delayed until the union contract gets negotiated. All wage increases will get retroactively paid from the beginning of the year at the new rate after the review.
Fast forward another 2 months, union contract gets negotiated. A letter gets sent saying all reviews and wage increases will happen “soon.”
Now it’s been 8 months and no set schedule for reviews and wage increases are in sight. It’s “up to the president” to schedule time as they need to review with management every employee before management discusses reviews with individuals.
Is there anything my friend can do to try to speed this process up? Can the employer legally promise these things and then not deliver? Is withholding pay then retroactively paying 1 lump sum breaking any labor laws?
Needless to say everyone at the company is frustrated but nobody wants to jeopardize their job / performance review since the presidenthas historically fired people for much less.
TLDR: Company is delaying wage increases, what can be done to speed this up?