Spotting Signs of Union Organizing Activity — Tip of the Week

It’s often said that employers that end up with unions deserve them. Put another way, treat your employees right, and a union will have a hard time getting its foot in the door, whether the Employee Free Choice Act passes or not. That said, there are early warning signs of union organizing activity, and you should be on the lookout for them.

– Look for strangers loitering on or around company property and stopping to talk with employeesl.

– Look for employees standing around time clocks or sign-in sheets, copying names.

– Look for union literature/authorization cards around the workplace.

– Look for small groups of employees that quickly break up or become silent when supervisors approach.

– Look for newly formed groups of employees who have never associated with one another in the past.

– Look for increased and unusual complaints about disciplinary actions from employees who aren’t the focus of the discipline.

–Look for normally friendly employees who suddenly become cool toward your supervisors.

– Look for incidents of insubordination from employees who haven’t caused problems in the past.

– Look for employees complaining about work-related matters in groups rather than individually.

– Listen for the use of “union words” during your conversations with employees: collective bargaining, organize, protected activity, threats of going to Labor Board.

– Look for employees who suddenly start wandering around the workplace to talk to others in different deparatments or areas.

If you don’t want to have to worry about the above signs too much, communicate reguarly with your employees, listen carefully to your employees’ ideas, get back to them quickly with answers to their questions, and treat them with respect.