(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - High-profile Union Organizing Campaigns and attacks on those campaigns at companies such as Amazon, Starbucks, and Google have shined a spotlight on Workers seeking better pay and working conditions.  However, attempts to derail those efforts by corporations are on the rise, costing more than $400 million a year, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).  But that number is only the tip of the Union-Busting iceberg. 

Here’s what the EPI says we know about Union Avoidance today:

When Workers seek to form Unions, employers often hire Union-Avoidance Consultants to dissuade and weaken Workers’ Unionization efforts.

These consultants work to prevent a Union Election from taking place - and if that fails, to ensure Workers vote against the Union.

And, employers spend a lot of money trying to derail Union Organizing Campaigns.

The EPI estimates employers spend $433 million per year on Union Avoidance Consultants.

This work is well compensated as consultants report being paid $350-plus hourly rates or $2,500-plus daily rates for their work to defeat Union Organizing efforts.

This estimate is just a drop in the bucket because there is not enough data to reveal the true scope of what employers spend, the EPI says

Employers are required to report certain Union Avoidance expenditures.

However, statutory exemptions and enforcement limitations severely limit the scope of reportable employer Union Avoidance activities.

As a result, relatively little data exist on employer expenditures on Union Avoidance, the EPI says.

This reality makes it harder for Workers to fight for their Collective Bargaining Rights because they do not know the extent of their companies’ investments in Union-Busting, a figure that could empower them at the negotiating table when employers claim they can’t afford to increase pay and benefits.

While the law requires employers and consultants to disclose their Union Avoidance agreements, it provides an important exception when the consultant is merely providing the employer with “advice” - a term that is not defined in the statute and is exploited by many Union Busting consulting firms.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Employers spend more than $400 million per year on ‘union-avoidance’ consultants to bolster their union-busting efforts | Economic Policy Institute (epi.org)