Nordstrom Pact Aims to Resolve Labor Dispute : Retailing: The chain’s unions may object. Washington State regulators and employee lawsuits still dog the company.

Nordstrom Inc. said Friday that it agreed to settle with the National Labor Relations Board all charges of unfair labor practices that resulted from a long and rancorous dispute with some of its department store sales clerks.

Nordstrom signed the agreement late Friday, but Walter Mercer, a spokesman for the NLRB regional office in the company’s hometown of Seattle, said it was not final. The two union locals involved had not had a chance to see and comment on the settlement, he said.

Mark Brennan, a Seattle attorney representing the two locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, said the union is entitled to object to the settlement and, if it wishes, to file an appeal with NLRB headquarters in Washington. Nordstrom reached the settlement with the board’s regional office.

“I think there will be some objections,” Brennan said.

During the past year, the union’s Local 1001 has filed 19 separate charges--each containing multiple allegations--against Nordstrom claiming violations of the National Labor Relations Act. Nordstrom said 13 were dismissed or withdrawn. The most recent charge filed by the union alleged 44 separate violations. “The NLRB found merit in less than 25% of the claims,” Nordstrom said.

The charges upheld by the NLRB were significant, Brennan said. He cited findings reported earlier this month by the labor board that Nordstrom improperly allowed anti-union employees to organize and attend rallies on company time and to use company telephones and other supplies. He also cited findings that employees were promised larger commissions and better working conditions if they voted the union out.

Under the settlement, Nordstrom said, no penalties were imposed, but the company agreed not to commit such violations again. Once the settlement is final, Nordstrom will be required to post in all of its stores for 60 days an explanation of the NLRB findings and its pledge not to violate the labor regulations.

A settlement with the federal agency would not entirely close the books on the dispute that has rocked the prestigious department store chain for months. Still pending is a Washington State Department of Labor and Industries finding that Nordstrom violated minimum wage laws by pressuring employees to work extra hours without pay.

Nordstrom spokesman David Marriott said the company is negotiating with the state on settling that charge. Also pending, are several lawsuits filed by individual workers and the union based on complaints that workers were pressured to work without pay performing such tasks as writing thank-you notes, delivering merchandise to customers and attending meetings.

Nevertheless, Joe Demarte, Nordstrom vice president for personnel, said, “This settlement (with the NLRB) wipes the slate clean in terms of the unfair labor practice charges that have been filed by the union. We felt it was more important to reach a settlement of the issues pending before the NLRB rather than continuing to debate the merits of the union’s allegations.”