Union busting continues unabated in the face of governmental penalties that are too lenient.
Companies that fight their employees and violate their right to organize use the old tactics of mandatory captive meetings, one-on-one management contacts with employees, illegal firing of union activists, hiring of union busting specialists and a continuous stream of anti-union propaganda.
The deliberate delays in bargaining to discourage workers seeking a first contract goes on. Companies still hope to get a decertification vote after a year of fruitless negotiations and delays that they cause.
Now, in 2023, some companies are pioneering new anti-union approaches. For example. Amazon uses technology to track every movement of its employees in a warehouse. It can see when its workers come close enough to share information. It has surveillance in parking lots. It examines employees’ social media posts to find union supporters.
Amazon’s tactics are meant to deter contacts between employees. To create a sense of pervasive oversight with an attendant fear of retaliation
Starbucks has demonstrated another kind of creative anti-unionism. It offers better benefits to its non-union shops. Its billionaire top executive visits coffee shop locations to convince or pressure employees to remain non-union.
Unfortunately, all of these activities are known to the business community. Media coverage of union organizing campaigns and the corporate reaction to them provides instruction in anti-unionism.
Strong legislative protection for union organizing is imperative. Getting that legislation won’t be easy.
**Labor Law Reform:** too little was done when our allies held the White House and the Congress. In 2024, a firm commitment to get reform passed should be required of every political candidate.
