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Union Avoidance

Written by: Gene Levine

Article Overview: Why do employees generally seek unionization and how can you use this information to remain union free?

Union Avoidance

You can't lose an election you don't have. All of your efforts to remain union free therefore should either be directed to prevent the union from being interested in your company - before they target you - or, once they've knocked on your door to keep the election from ever happening.

I often work with management labor attorneys. They all seem to agree that the most effective way to remain union free is for the company to have an atmosphere and environment where employees feel they are being treated fairly and do not need a union to represent them in their dealings with the company.

To help you better develop a meaningful union avoidance curriculum we recommend you begin by performing a Union Vulnerability Audit. The findings from this audit will help you take the necessary steps to place your company in the best possible position to avoid union organizing. Because every company has an "Achilles heel" we recommend uses a management labor attorney to help you with the audit. For maximum effectiveness the audit should also be performed long before a union is actually campaigning to organize you. Our website offers an eBook that explains and provides an excellent "Vulnerability Audit."

Usually by lying (which they legally allowed to do) unions dupe unsuspecting and naive employees into believing that they represent them in their best interest. The facts show otherwise. Unions cannot get anything for employees that company's management is not willing to give anyway - without a union. My experience with union campaigns has revealed that employees who vote in a union eventually lose more than they planned to gain.

If unions really represent workers, why, when all else is equal, do unionized companies go out of business faster than non-unionized companies? Where's the job security they promised? Even Unions themselves go out of business, which is further testimony of their own poor business acumen. It's a lesson unemployed union members are finally learning. It is common sense that a company cannot reduce its productivity quotas, and at the same time increase employees' wages and benefits and still remain competitive.

It's been my experience that the biggest single reason people want to vote in a union is to force management and supervision to improve communications. When employees cast their "yes" ballots in an election it is their way to say, "I really didn't want a union but that's what you got for not treating me like a person." This leads me to the most effective deterrent to having and then losing an election; training supervision to be more people-oriented Supervisors are the decisive key in defeating the union's organizing efforts. After all, they are there where the rubber meets the road - dealing with your employees on a day-today, minute-by-minute basis. It's there, on their turf, that union organizing campaigns are won or lost.

Do not misunderstand me. I'm not totally against unions. They have their place and purpose in our free society. There are union-management relationships that work. There are profitable unionized companies and even unionized factories that have fewer problems than those that are non-union. Still, I've observed enough top managers to sadly state that without the union treat, there would be more labor exploitation, lower employee wages and benefits and poorer working conditions.

Fortunately, oppressive and greedy employers are few in number. But, these few autocratic exploiters convey the tarnished image that is not representative of all companies. Intelligent employers realize that to continually improve their bottom lines they must continually improve their supervisor's skills, knowledge and abilities as well as their employee's working conditions, health and welfare. These necessary improvements directly influence absenteeism, turnover and productivity. Sick, badly led, dissatisfied, and poorly paid workers are not likely to be totally motivated.

So, for those of you that are non-union, I hope I've made my point. Do all you can and more to keep your company union free by opening up the lines of communication with your employees and upgrade the skills, knowledge and abilities of the few people who lead the many people (your supervisors). For more information, the entire subject of union avoidance is covered in, "The Complete Union Avoidance Manual" that you will find on our website.

Why do I feel so strongly that you should keep unions out, or vote them out? Way back in 1972, Dr. Byrl R. Shoemaker, then Director of Vocational Education for the State of Ohio, issued this prophetic warning:

"No civilization has ever maintained itself when it went into this cycle of more and more people producing less and less and sitting on their buckets hollering. . . no nation has survived the syndrome we're in. Unless we can find the solution rather than applying bandages, unless there are definitive investments in answers, we soon will not be able to invest in answers because the bandages will cost too much."

Considering the problem, the solution appears obvious. Doesn't it?

Until next time, Workers want management to use a baton, not a club.

Related Articles
  Ten Truths About Employee Communication In A Unionized Environment
  Forms of Regional Integration
  Supreme Court Ruling May Lead To More Unionization
  Just how does Analysis Paralysis or avoidance issues affect you in your business?
  The 2006 Beloit Mindset List

Article Tags: Remaining union free, Union Avoidance, Union Free, Union organizing



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