How to Invite A Union Into Your Facility : - )
Want to invite a union into your facility? Then ignore the following posting!
In a nicely written piece, Ford & Harrison provides some excellent advice on what NOT to do if you want to remain union free!
In addition to provide an array of advice for how to keep your facility union-free, this column asserts that union organizers' focus is on
developing a personal relationship with the workers. The process begins when management fails to develop or maintain the trust of the employees. A good union organizer is able to offer an alternative source, namely himself or herself, of trust for the employees.
Here are some of the suggestions in the article for companies to remain union-free:
Review all pay plans to ensure internal equity and competitiveness;
Identify any issues or problems that a union organizer could seize upon and address them in a timely and effective manner;
Review benefits policies (particularly health insurance) and effectively communicate these to employees;
If you face “challenges,” talk with employees about their role in helping you overcome them;
Find ways to thank employees for their efforts and contributions;
Get supervisors out of their offices and in personal contact with the employees they supervise on a regular basis.
Read the complete article here.
posted by Michael @ 1/24/2005 09:38:00 AM 
1 comments
1 Comments:
Once a union organizer has shown his face, it is important to prevent development of that "trust."
Often organizers will lie, or at least exaggerate, key facts and/or overpromise to gain that trust. NLRB generally gives unions more leeway in this area than employers, who really have to watch every word and deed.
Example from the article Michael cites: "The risk of strikes is downplayed ('We get more than 98% of our contracts without a strike!')."
Another example: "signing a union card doesn't mean you want the union, it will just let us have an election to see what the majority wants. That's fair enough, isn't it." (Truth: Union may try to get employer recognition without an election by using the cards; and NLRB may rely on signed cards to support a bargaining order without an election.)
Is that conduct trustworthy?
Bottom line (my opinion only): employers fighting union organizing once it starts do best to be scrupulously honest in pointing out flaws in union's case for representation, in demonstrating real negatives of unionization, and in reminding employees of all they already have without a union (some of which, such as one-on-one access to management, may be lost to some extent if a union comes in).
If it's a question of "trust," what are you doing to be trustworthy?
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