The Knockout Blow You Never Saw Coming

National union leadership is disconnected from their rank-and-file members. This serves as one of themost significant reasons that unions have been unsuccessful in re-growing their membership. While I was working at the George Meany Labor College, we unsuccessfully attempted to energize the membership into organizing successes by making the unions accountable to the membership through transparency in the organizing process. Think about it: We had millions of union members, each with their own connections, energy and resources. Read More “Disconnect”

And They Can’t Say “No”!
This could easily blow up in organized labor’s face. When I was a Union Official, we considered organizing political campaign staff, but realized that it would ultimately be a mistake. How could we continue to support “pro-labor” candidates that mistreat their campaign staff?
Read More “CWG has Democratic Candidates up against the Wall”

Yes, If 106 Professors Get Their Way
Earlier this year, 106 professors and academics submitted a pro-unionmanifesto gag rule petition to the NLRB that could turn the NLRA into acompletely pro-union document. Read on to find out just how dangerous such a move would be to employers First and Fifth Amendment rights. Please read this article’s companion Confessions of a Union Organizer, which explores captive-audience meetings from the union’s perspective.
Read More “Could the NLRA Become a Pro-Union Manifesto?”

Union officials and left leaning politicians are always quoting thedreadful reasons there needs to be change in the NLRB labor law. Most of the reports quote Kate Bronfenbrenner, who is the Director of Labor Education Research at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. Her latest report shows that during a five year period 34% of the elections involved the firing of employees for supporting union activities. In 57% of elections, employers threatened to shut down all or part of their facilities. In 47%, employers threatened to cut wages and benefits. In 63% of campaigns, supervisors met with workers one on one and interrogated them about their union activity or whether they or others were supporting the union. In 54% of the elections, supervisors used these one-on-ones to threaten individual workers.
Read More “Cornell University Management Abuse Report”

Years ago the Teamsters, USWA andmany other unions were targeting both foreign and domestic unions to forge alliances to aid their organizing efforts. The goal was to competehead-to-head with multi-national companies. Read More “Big Labor Goes Global”

Bob King’s New UAW Strategy

What is happening behind the scenes of the labor movement and the UAW’s attempt to build up its core rank-and-file membership? My sources and my experience with the unions are telling me what is happening. In my former career, I was a high ranking union official and got to know Bob King, Richard Bensinger, Richard Trumka and a host of other “union players” very well. Based on this knowledge, I am seeing the beginnings of a whole new union experience that management leaders need to be aware of if they wish to stay ahead of the unions. Read More “Behind the Scenes:”

On August 27, 2010, the NationalLabor Relations Board (NLRB) unleashed another weapon to the union arsenal. The NLRB ruled that “bannering” did not violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and created another “legal” means for unions to put pressure on their targets. So far, in 2011, unions have proved that this is a missile they have no problem firing. Read More “Bannering Tactics and How to Defend Yourself”

The hourly compensation cost for labor, including benefits and retirees’ costs, at the Big Three is has been reported to cost the automakers $73 per hour, compared with $44 perhour at a Toyota factory with American workers in the U.S. The outdatedunion expectations are another factor why the Big 3 auto companies are losing billions of dollars. The UAW has held fast and hard not to give the needed concessions that might save the very companies that help themsupport their families from going bankrupt. Read More “Auto Bailout Failure Sets Up Union Battle”

In New York, much like across thecountry, the battle continues with the State Nurses Associations and SEIU/1199. In a time when unions preach that unity is utmost importance and utilize the manta, “united we bargain, divided we beg”, the SEIU is striving to conquer all of healthcare even if that means “raiding.” Raiding is a growing trend (in both healthcare and non-healthcare settings) within the unions, in which a rival union pushes for the decertification of an incumbent union in exchange for a chance of representation of the workforce. Read More “August 2008”

With the election cycle heating up, the supporters of the once defeated HR800 (card check) Bill are building up steam to push this legislation forward with a renewed vigor.The AFL/CIO has never stopped building their grassroots support and hasbeen recruiting volunteers on a national level. Recently John Sweeney took over 3,000 of these supporters to Washington D.C. to shore up theirsupport and to demonstrate to the politicians that they are being watched and will be held accountable if they chose not to support the passage of this bill. Read More “As The Election Heats Up”