All the Ways Your Employer Will Try to Stop You from Forming a Union

And why you should do it anyway

First and foremost, they will hire an anti-union law firm or consultant.

Just some quick facts: 85% of American lawyers are white, and 64% of them are men

In a recent article, the University of Oregon’s Labor Education and Research Center said that survey data showed them something surprising — nearly half of all non-unionized workers in the U.S. (58 million people) say they would vote for a union if given the chance. However, only 50,000 unorganized workers manage to win the right to a union through the National Labor Relations Board each year. If 58 million people want a union, why is it that less than 1% of them actualize this goal?

The answer is simple: there is a massive and highly profitable industry of “union avoidance” consultants who coach American employers on how to stop, or bust, would-be unions. A report from the Economic Policy Institute in 2020 documented that American corporations spend over $340 million per year to deny their employees the right to organize. Mother Jones also picked up this information, and published a list of what your favorite companies are spending for these consultants.