About Permanent Solutions Labor Consultants
PSLC Executive Summary
Permanent Solutions Labor Consultants, Inc. (PSLC) is an international labor relations and human resource consulting firm specializing in maintaining an union free work environment.
We achieve our high results by directly educating and communicating with employees during union campaigns and by acting proactively with enhanced positive managerial corporate education and the promotion of positive relationships between management teams and the company’s workforce.
This is accomplished by utilizing former high-ranking union officials, organizers, and senior level human resource executives within the PSLC response team.
Our Key Services
Opened For Business
2001
Union Campaign Win
Record on Full Campaigns in the U.S.
99
%+
Number of Engagements
2,000
+
Key Personnel
What Others Say!
It is with great pleasure that I share my experiences with Permanent Solutions Labor Consultants. I first met Ricardo Torres in 2008 and hired his company to train my company’s supervisors. Ricardo and his team certainly did a good job in covering the obvious elements of how the NLRB interprets the National Labor Relations Act and the rules that apply during an organizing campaign. Of far more value, however, was the training that the PSLC team provided in how to build a positive employee relations environment such that employees feel no need for third party intervention. Ricardo and his consultants are experts in this area and shared best practices that any business can implement. In 2013, I hired PSLC again to train our Senior Leadership. The challenge this time was a little different. We wanted them to simulate what an organizing campaign can look like on the floor. After a day of meeting with some of our key leaders discussing the workforce challenges we face, Ricardo and his team were able to train our Senior Leadership in the key actions they can take to discourage employees from turning to a union. In a realistic way, we role-played the tactics that organizers use, which allowed our team insight into how to better shape our communication efforts. Throughout both engagements, the PSLC Team was very easy to engage and deploy as a strategic partner. I highly recommend PSLC to any company looking to strengthen their relationship with their workforce or train their management to build a positive environment where employees feel no need to form a union.
-C.A. Human Resources Director for a Government Arms Contractor
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Permanent Solutions in the Rochester area. Just to give you an idea of the type of outfit this is, allow me to give you a little background on the company. The founder and CEO’s name is Ricardo Torres. He began his career as a union organizer and ended up as a high-ranking official with the Teamsters and later for the Steelworkers. He brags about his “inside knowledge” of how unions think and operate, and claims that he founded Permanent Solutions after leaving unions due to his experience of the “unethical world that unions created.” He worked within labor unions between 1978 and 2001….he certainly didn’t seem to mind taking the salary paid for by the sweat off of union members’ backs for 23 years, did he? The website continues to spell out the services they offer to employers: training, consulting and public speaking seminars, spilling the secret inside details of the “Big Labor Machine.” Torres uses his 23 years working with Labor to promote his scab operation, helping Fortune 500 businesses destroy organizing attempts.
-SEIU Local 200United
The PSLC Team was able to establish control of our union campaign by the end of the first day on the job site. We are a large logistics company and have been targeted by the union over the past few years. They had managed to persuade over 80% of our employees to support a petition to join a union. By the time the vote for representation came around, 80% of the employees supported the company. The PSLC team of consultants impressed me because they did not resort to “dirty” tactics. They were professional and thorough. They were able to use facts about the union against them and use their real world experiences to help the employees understand what they were about to get themselves into. The other thing that impressed me so much about PSLC was that by the time they left, we were running our operations in a manner that allowed for successful collaborative efforts with employee involvement. This was 3 years ago. Today, our turnover is negligible and our employees come to work with smiles on their faces every day. We still use PSLC to perform annual union avoidance and employee engagement training for our management team. It is an investment well spent.
-M.U. Senior Vice President for a Michigan-Based Logistics Company
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Permanent Solutions Labor Consultants, Inc. If you are headed into an organizing effort, you need them on your team. As the Board Chair of a $38M not for profit agency dedicated to serving people with developmental disabilities, we understood all too well what it meant should an organizing effort be successful. It would undermine our ability to work with our staff, it would change the culture of our organization, and it would jeopardize the services we provide. So we partnered with PSLC in an effort to defeat the organizing effort. And we were successful. Rick and his staff become a part of your team. They stand with you at every juncture of the process. They are there to help with all of the communications with the staff, they help to formulate the messages that are delivered, and they make sure that you have whatever advantages are possible. The understand the tactics of the union and help to establish counterarguments to each and every inaccurate point brought up by the union. But most importantly, they are there 24/7. Whether it was early morning meetings with staff, one on one meetings with the overnight crew, or dealing with the media, they are right next to you helping to guide you toward the outcome you want/need…a defeat of the organizing movement. I fully recommend working with Rick and the PSLC team. It is a wise and prudent investment for the health, safety, and financial viability of your organization. You cannot, and should not, go into battle without them. As the Board Chair of a $38M not for profit agency dedicated to serving people with developmental disabilities, we understood all too well what it meant should an organizing effort be successful. It would undermine our ability to work with our staff, it would change the culture of our organization, and it would jeopardize the services we provide. So we partnered with PSLC in an effort to defeat the organizing effort. And we were successful.
-Brian Sampson, Board Chair, Arc of Monroe County, Rochester, NY
Permanent Solutions Labor Consultant's EVP, Bob Carroll is one of the leaders for the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber's HR Roundtable and does a fantastic job leading the group. Bob is knowledgeable on a wide range of HR topics. His presentations are engaging and informative. Bob is able to simplify complex HR issues that make everything easy to understand. I highly recommend working with Bob and the PSLC team.
-J.P. – VP of Membership Services at Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber of Commerce
I have had the privilege to work with Rick for years in a variety of industries and settings. Rick's significant knowledge and experience in labor, personnel dynamics and assessing managerial and corporate vulnerabilities is without peer. Rick's extensive background in labor and his years as a management strategist affords him the ability to quickly and effectively identify and communicate difficult and complex concepts in a manner that is appreciated and understood. I have seen Rick's hard work and knowledge implemented and ultimately instrumental in numerous successful labor campaigns. In addition, Rick is constantly researching trends, technology, and emerging applications to meet the needs of management and the fluid nature of the work force. Through his skill and knowledge, I have seen Rick develop robust communication systems between managers and employees that had been completely broken down or had never been established. I would recommend Rick for anyone who needs a skilled and experienced professional to assist them with labor issues, a labor campaign, or employee and operational communication assessment.
-CH – Labor and Employment Attorney – Detroit Metro Area
Rick has consulted with my clients numerous times. I can say many positive things about him, but what stands above the rest is that he is a great communicator (which includes being a great listener). Rick has the gift of connecting with everyone in an organization - from the newest/most junior employee to the CEO - to learn what is important to them and help bring them together. His level of emotional intelligence is off the chart. He is also very hard-working and passionate about what he does, his clients, and his family. From a labor lawyer’s perspective, I always appreciate that he has an excellent knowledge of labor law and that he always wants to work ethically and within the law. And finally, he is a really fun guy with whom to work.
-R.J.S. – Employment and Labor Attorney – Omaha, Nebraska
TRUST. The most important resource a company experiencing a union organizing drive needs is trust. Trust in and from its employees, trust in and from its management team and supervision, and trust in its labor lawyer team. And, trust of the team it selects to run the counter-campaign. Any company that turns to Permanent Solutions Labor Consultants to help respond to a union drive is investing in that trust relationship. The company will be working with a team that it can trust and which has the necessary experience to win. It will be working with an experienced, committed team which will put in the time and energy to assist the company in regaining employee trust and secure a positive election outcome. When a client of mine is facing a union drive, my first call goes to PSLC.
-DS – Traditional Labor Attorney, Detroit Metro Area
Several years ago I attended an HR presentation that Rick was the main speaker. I was so impressed by his knowledge that when I was in a situation where I needed his expertise we hired his company to consult with our leadership team. Rick was such a wonderful source of information and a great business partner. He was so easy to work with and knew exactly what we needed when we needed it. I will never forget my experience with Rick and his staff, and would never hesitate to call on him again
-KJ – Human Resource Leader and Consultant
Current Labor News
UAW Local 2093 faces tough contract negotiations with American Axle | Ricardo Torres posted on the topic
The UAW Local 2093 at the Three Rivers plan will be in a tough position getting their contract objectives met with American Axle and with a 98 percent could end up in a protracted strike, unlike the Big Three automakers which have a national contract for all UAW members at each automaker, supplier companies like AAM negotiate separate contracts with their own local union representatives, each plant or facility has its own UAW local that negotiates directly with management for that site which greatly reduces bargaining leverage for the union.
The UAW did attempt to improve their bargaining leverage with a Coordinated strike vote with both American Axle in Three Rivers and the Stellantis’ Sterling Heights Ram 1500 plant which is having outsourcing issues with Stellantis.
The near-simultaneous strike authorization votes at American Axle and the Stellantis facility pointed to a coordinated UAW approach to leverage pressure across multiple employers. By aligning timelines, the union would have increased bargaining power and signal a preparedness to escalate actions if demands were not met at both companies.
Immediately, the votes would have heightened tensions at both plants and accelerated negotiations. In the short term, a strike at Sterling Heights could have halted the Ram 1500 production, affecting dealer inventories and local suppliers, while American Axle stoppages would have damaged GM’s supply chain. Long term, outcomes could have set precedents for wage restoration, outsourcing limits, and future contract enforcement in the auto industry, strikes are designed to cause maximum damage to the company’s ability to operate and profit, successful strikes which extract concessions from management are also the unions best sales pitch for potential new organizing members.
Unfortunately for the AAM UAW local, this lifeline was severed when the Stellantis Sterling Heights facility, which employs roughly 6,000 union workers, resolved the grievances tied to outsourced skilled trades work, resolving these issues lead the UAW to cancel the strike vote.
More potential strikes are on the horizon this year, the contract covering 20,000 Verizon workers in 25,000 Steelworkers at Cleveland Cliffs and US Steel mills have contracts expiring on September, In October, contracts will expire for 17,000 Boeing engineers and techs, June, about 14,000 UFCW members at Kroger in Michigan, 6000 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate Employees, and many more.
Strikes can be devastating to companies and workers lives but can be avoided, Unions are not going away, and companies don’t have the luxury to ignore union activity, well trained supervision who understands union tactics and how to spot union activity along with a comprehensive communication policy are vital to maintaining a productive union free environment.
Read the full article at: www.linkedin.com
Lansing Chipotle that was first to unionize in the country loses Teamsters backing | Ricardo Torres
There are many issues here, Teamsters local 243 notified the National Labor Relations Board that they “officially withdraws and disclaims interest” a union will only withdraw interest if they no longer have the support of their members or the unit is no longer worth the expense and time to do the hard work of obtaining a CBA. if the union truly were dedicated to organizing this national chain, they would have had a better national strategy and structure to address the issues and the concerns of the workers not only at this location but on a national level.
This union had motivative workers who connected with Labor Notes and Teamsters for a democratic Union (TDU) organization for support and utilized how to organize literature from TDU, they also had on hand support from some Starbucks organizers.
Workers was quoted as saying “the path forward often felt uncertain “We were so focused on unionizing we didn’t really think to ask them for a plan. None of the Chipotle employees who voted to unionize had ever been a part of a union before, and affiliating with the Teamsters was a crash course in understanding the structure and mechanics of large international unions”. And that workers in the store lost faith that the union had a viable plan to overcome the company’s resistance.”
I have stated many times that organizers often only tell the targeted organizing workers what they want to hear and don’t prepare them for the hard work it takes to obtain the first contract. That burden is carried by the union staff that is actually at the table.
This is a short-term victory for the company, the unit is still frustrated with management and with about 4,000 restaurants in the US including all company-operated locations and international partner-operated restaurants they are a big target, other national unions as well as the Teamsters are going to continue to target these locations especially with the renewed push by both big labor and grassroots organizations to concentrate on big organizing campaigns, I remember when the first Starbucks was organized, now there are over 11,000 workers at 500 Starbucks locations,125 in 2025.
While there is union activity at this restaurant chain I haven’t seen evidence of a true cohesive strategy or sophisticated well-funded national corporate campaign to date but unions are not going away, and companies don’t have the luxury to ignore union activity, well trained supervision who understands union tactics and how to spot union activity along with a comprehensive communication policy are vital to maintaining a productive union free environment.
Read the full article at: www.linkedin.com
Want to know why the unions come knocking? It usually isn’t the big concerns but more than likely would be from a series of smaller concerns that build up layers like a giant onion. You have to… …
Want to know why the unions come knocking? It usually isn’t the big concerns but more than likely would be from a series of smaller concerns that build up layers like a giant onion. You have to peel the layers back to see the real reasons and they are usually easy to address in the early stages.
Read the full article at: www.linkedin.com
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