Now that the Democrats have lost their 60-vote supermajority in the Senate, it will be that much more difficult for the Obama administration to make good on many of its pro-employee campaign promises. But this still could be a key year for Democratic plans to revamp our national employment laws. Here are seven key initiatives pending in Congress and what they could mean for your business if they become law.

The Communication Workers of America union has inked a new collective-bargaining agreement with AT&T, bringing 9% pay increases over three years to some 35,000 phone company employees in the Southeast.

Here’s a bit of bad news for employers with union-represented employees who are considering going out on strike: A recent 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling has struck down a number of picketing permit restrictions passed by local ordinance. The decision’s basis: unions’ right to free speech. The result may be some very public protests by labor unions when disputes spill over.

The Senate on Feb. 9 failed to confirm labor lawyer Craig Becker’s appointment to the National Labor Relations Board, but employer organizations fear it’s only a matter of time before Becker takes his board seat anyway. President Obama could invoke his Constitutional right to make crucial appointments on his own while Congress is in recess, as it is this week.

New regulations will require organizations with federal contracts worth $100,000 or more to post a notice outlining employee rights to organize and stating the federal government’s policy encouraging union membership. For more information, visit www.dol.gov/olms.

You’re probably familiar with the legislative fight brewing over the proposed Employee Free Choice Act. That debate has spotlighted a fact many employers don’t realize: Nonunion employers must comply with requirements of the National Labor Relations Act. To help you comply, here are the major traps to watch for.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine many advantages of being a union workplace, but here’s a bit of good news: At least in some limited circumstances, working under a collective-bargaining agreement gives employers some protection against FLSA lawsuits that demand payment for time spent putting on and taking off protective gear at the beginning and end of the workday.

For the first time in history, the number of unionized public-sector workers exceeds the number of private-sector union members, despite the fact that there are five times more workers in the private sector, according to a new U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

Q.  We are a nonunion shop. One of our employees is currently under investigation for sexual harassment. He has asked to have a representative present during all meetings and interviews related to the investigation. Do we have to permit him to have representation?

The Senate on Feb. 9 failed to confirm labor lawyer Craig Becker’s appointment to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), but employer organizations fear it’s only a matter of time before Becker takes his board seat anyway. That could have an even greater effect on labor relations than the controversial Employee Free Choice Act. If Becker becomes a member of the NLRB, could your employees be forced to unionize against their will?

With Republican Scott Brown’s stunning victory in a January special election, Democrats lost their filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate. That shift has cast doubt on organized labor’s top legislative priority—the so-called Employee Free Choice Act. So is this the end of the EFCA? Probably yes—at least as it's currently written, but it’s too soon to celebrate.

When retail giant Walmart allegedly threatened to fire an employee who advocated for unionizing a store in Hastings, the United Food and Commercial Workers’ union filed National Labor Relations Act unfair labor practices charges. Now Walmart has settled with the National Labor Relations Board.

United Auto Workers local 3462 has ratified a contract with AK Steel covering workers at the Coshocton plant. The contract covers 340 production and maintenance workers. Consistent with the subdued economy, the deal represents very little change.

Q. If union organizers show up during the workday and demand to talk to my employees, can I tell them to get off company premises?

Colonie-based Momentive Performance Materials has rescinded temporary pay cuts it instituted last spring, restoring salaries for all exempt employees other than senior managers. Meanwhile, hourly employees recently got encouraging news from the National Labor Relations Board ...