How to Prevent Unions
Only about 12 percent of American workers belong to a labor union, but some indicators suggest that membership may be on the rise after years of decline. The New York Times reported that the number of Americans who belong to a labor union increased in 2007, the first rise in membership since the early 1980s. Rising interest in union membership among workers may pose problems for business managers and owners. Management may not be able to prevent employees from forming a union, but they can take proactive steps that make unionization unattractive.
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Instructions
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Conduct regular meetings with your employees and allow them to express their concerns about the work environment, wages, benefits and other issues. Further, respond to the concerns raised. For example, if there are worker safety issues that you can address, take steps to resolve them. If you do not know the answer to a question or concern raised by an employee, investigate the matter and provide a response at the next employee meeting. These actions demonstrate a willingness to listen to your employees, decreasing the likelihood that they will seek union representation. Most workers who try to form a union do so out of a feeling that management does not listen to them or ignores their concerns, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
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Ensure that your company's wages and benefits are competitive with those of other companies in similar industries. Paying your employees less can make your firm vulnerable to union organizing efforts. In addition, make sure your company's bookkeeping follows all applicable laws and regulations. A union may use payroll or bookkeeping errors against your company, charging unfair labor practices.
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Adjust or revise company policies as needed to ensure fair treatment of all workers. According to SHRM, if your company fosters good employee relations and maintains fair policies and practices, your employees should find little need for union representation.
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Communicate openly with employees, explaining your view as to why the workplace does not need a union. Summarize the benefits, policies and corporate culture that make your company a good place to work. In addition, California labor lawyer Anthony Raimondo advises reminding your workers that with a union, they could be forced to pay union membership dues just to keep the same wages and benefits. Open communication and an "open door" policy with employees will minimize the desire for union representation.
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Tips & Warnings
The Society for Human Resource Management uses the acronym TIPS (Threaten, Interrogate, Promise, Spy) to remind employers that they cannot threaten retaliation against employees who join a union, interrogate employees about the activities of other workers, promise promotions or other benefits as a condition of opposing a union or spy on union activities.
