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Labor Law-Duty To Bargain-Disclosure To Union Of Costs Of Noncontributory Group Insurance, Burton L. Raimi

Michigan Law Review

In the course of bargaining for a new contract with an employer, the union requested information regarding the costs and benefits of a noncontributory group health insurance program which the employer provided for its employees. Petitioner provided a breakdown of the plan's benefits but refused to disclose its cost. Charging that this refusal amounted to a violation of the employer's statutory duty to bargain in good faith about "wages,'' the union procured the issuance of a complaint by the National Labor Relations Board. The trial examiner concluded that such costs were costs of production rather than wages and consequently did …