Management Report for Nonunion Organizations最新文献

Recently, I had an opportunity to have lunch with a number of individuals from different businesses who, to varying degrees, have responsibilities for labor relations in unionized work environments. I took a back seat to the conversation so as not to interject my own perspectives and experiences. Most of the attendees were of either the Baby Boomer or Generation X generations. However, a few were members of the Millennial generation. The discussion turned occasionally to unions and, surprisingly, became quite heated at times.

Under the National Labor Relations Act, union organizing has taken a predictable path for nearly a century. Target an employer. Drum up employee support. File a petition. Win an election. Employers have increasingly seen instances of non-traditional organizing, such as grassroots unions or industry-wide initiatives by employee groups. A 2025 research report, “Beyond the NLRB: Contemporary Strategies and Practices for Labor Movement Revival,” available from the Arizona State University Center for Work and Democracy, provides an evidence-based approach to help identify such modern-day, alternative approaches to union organizing.

During a union organizing campaign, employees are frequently surprised to learn that sometimes it takes years, through good-faith bargaining, to reach a first contract. Indeed, sometimes a first contract is never reached. What if those facts were not true? What if a first contract was guaranteed? What if it did not potentially take years, but certainly would happen within months?

One of the top stories of 2025 has been the changes occurring at the federal government and, particularly, varying efforts to downsize staffing levels. Much debate has occurred across the political spectrum as to the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and others to eliminate government jobs. Debate over the motivations and approaches of government leadership, which as relevant to this article is the employer, may be of intellectual interest but is of no moment with respect to union-avoidance efforts. The only relevant consideration with respect to maintaining union-free status is that of the workers. To that end, federal employee dissatisfaction with the government's approach and, more broadly, job security has been regularly reported as considerable.

When it comes to unionization, organizers frequently view themselves as champions for workers' rights. Union officials place themselves on the “right side” of the labor–management playing field and suggest that employers are the “bad guys.” Sometimes, the positions taken are genuine. Other times, it is mere salesmanship. It's important for employees to know that unions are businesses too, and even unions do not necessarily want their own workers organized. A recent example of this point is found in International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 111 (United Professionals International), Case No. 27-CA-301386 (JD(SF)-09-25, April 7, 2025).

Each month, Management Report endeavors to provide readers with useful tips and strategies to maintain union-free status. As many unionized employers will readily attest, operating union-free is a tremendous asset. The value of being able to run operations and make workforce decisions without the obligation to bargain with a third party that does not necessarily have the best interests of your company or your employees as a priority is immeasurable.

Union-free employers cannot divorce themselves from the environment around them. Economic conditions around them, for example, can nevertheless drive union interest among workers, notwithstanding the fact that an employer can do little to nothing to control such variables. Understanding those external conditions, however, can guide union-free employers in assessing their organizing profile.