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
Lets talk about overcoming the odds in a union campaign. Any employer that has ever won has done just that… it’s not impossible just requires education and strategic empathy along with a solid… …
Lets talk about overcoming the odds in a union campaign. Any employer that has ever won has done just that… it’s not impossible just requires education and strategic empathy along with a solid legal team and knowledgeable consultant.
Read the full article at: www.linkedin.com
Fourteen Hundred Solar Manufacturing Workers Join the Steelworkers
Workers at a Corning solar manufacturing plant in Michigan voted September 1 to join the Steelworkers (USW). The vote was a close 560-512, following an intense anti-union campaign by the company. Nakisha West, a wirecutter, voted yes for “fairness and accountability.” She and her co-workers use scorching heat and precision-cutting tools to turn polysilicon crystals, or boules, into slim squares, known as wafers, for solar panels. “It’s a very dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it,” she said.
Read the full article at: labornotes.org
Indiana: Blue Chip slot attendants win landslide NLRB election, defeat union-busting campaign | Ricardo Torres
This vote count demonstrates once again that small units are hard for management to educate employees about unions and gain their trust in the short time between an NLRB petition and election.
The theatrics of walking on a boss with a demand to recognize the union is just an exercise to bond the group together and make it difficult for any of them to change their union support later without looking weak and being categorized as a traitor by their co-workers.
The perception of being a traitor and not respected by their co-workers is a very powerful tool used by unions to keep their people in line and is the reason many union members who cross their own picket line quit soon after the contract is resolved, union organizing campaigns as well as labor strikes are filled with psychology tricks to keep union members or potential union members obedient,
The “walk on the boss” action also indicates to me that the management team wasn’t fully aware of the extent of the union activity.
The casino should have expected the organizing campaign to happen sooner or later and been better prepared for the union activity, UNITE HERE also represents around 250 hospitality staff workers at the Blue Chip and the Teamsters would have reached out to them for internal support.
Worker support and trust should never be something that needs to be rushed once union activity or an RC petition is filed, it should be a continues and sincere goal, unions prioritize organizing units based on the weakness of their management teams,
Understanding union organizing targets across the country and in your industry along with actively improving communication policy and supervision skills is vital to retaining a productive union free environment.
Read the full article at: www.linkedin.com
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