Prevent a Union Takeover
- Length: 28:04 minutes (14.86 MB)
- Format: Mono 44kHz 71Kbps (VBR)
In this week’s podcast, Brenda Perkins interviews Tim Davis from the law offices of Constangy, Brooks, & Smith. Davis has been with this prestigious firm since 1992 and is considered one of the top 100 employee relations lawyers in the U.S. With the passage of some form of the Employee Free Choice Act likely in the near future, Tim’s expertise is invaluable. Here’s some of the advice he has for HR professionals and employers who want to remain union free in the upcoming years.
Communicate Continuously
According to Davis, one of the top myths employers believe is that workers unionize mainly because of wage and benefits issues. It’s actually about something much more critical - communication. Do you think your employees aren’t invested in their jobs and just want to punch the clock each day? Think again. The people who work for you want to feel like part of a team.
When you make this happen by communicating effectively, you can often head off discontent before it turns in to union talk. Keep your workers informed of external and internal circumstances that are affecting the company. Then, invite them to be involved as part of the solution.
Strengthen Employee Relations
Do your workers feel they aren’t being listened to or treated fairly? They are more likely to turn away from management and ask a union to fix their issues when they don’t believe you care. To prevent a labor relations problem from arising, you need to take a proactive approach to employee relations. Tim recommends reviewing your strengths and weaknesses in the following areas as you develop your strategy:
- Policies
- Practices
- Manager/Supervisor Training
Supervisors really are on the front lines when it comes to both good communication and excellent employee relations. Invest heavily in whatever training programs are necessary to teach them how to lead effectively and fairly. Then, make sure they know how to identify the warning signs of discontent - these are often the precursor to unionization attempts.
Plan Ahead
If the Employee Free Choice Act passes as expected, you will have only 14 days (instead of the current 42) between a petition and a union election. This leaves you with virtually no time to form a strategy after the ball is rolling. In addition, you may be subject to strict fines of as much as $20,000 for any violation of the “union busting” rules imposed on employers during that time period. This means you need to plan now on two fronts:
- Creating a contented work atmosphere that doesn’t lend itself to unionization
- Developing a strategy for how to respond (within legal parameters) to each stage of a possible unionizing effort
For more tips on how to achieve both of these goals, listen to the full podcast.
