Memo
TO: Employees
FROM: Senior Manager
DATE (Insert Date)
SUBJECT: Union Campaigns
As an organization, we understand that it is your right as employees to decide on a suitable working environment concerning unionization. It is important for you as an employee to understand the differences of benefits that you may face as a result of your final decision about unionization. To help you as an employee have a clear understanding of what unionization will mean to you, we have decided to provide you with various clear differences about unionized environments and the union-free environment from an employee's viewpoint.
You should understand that joining unions will earn you higher wages, but the increase in wages would incur you more expenses in some jobs. Consequently, unionized employees enjoy some benefits that those non- unionized employees don not. Many organizations will continue to focus on the continuity of production regardless of if the employees are unionized or not. This is the main strategy that most companies use to meet their goals with the support of managerial and structural changes. Employers often associate unionized employees with additional costs. With the union campaigns, employers should be ready to deal with the demand for an increase in wages.
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How workers can petition for a union
When the employees have some grievances, they report them to the union representatives who call for an informal conversation between them, employees, and the concerned manager. When the employees vote to unionize is when the process of collective bargaining starts. This is where the representatives of the union and the company negotiate. If the parties to the negotiation do not agree, a grievance process will be established, which will be expressed in writing (Nayab, 2011) . The management and human resource will discuss with the union representatives about the grievances. In case they don't agree, the matter will be shifted to a union officer, and a mediator will be called in to help in resolving the issues. If there is no resolution, an arbitrator chosen by both parties will be called in to review various pieces of evidence and make a final decision (Bratton & Gold, 2017) .
What an employer can’t do during the campaign
During the union campaign, the employer is not required to issue threats, promise an undue influence, or coerce employees. All forms of communication between the employer and employees during the union campaign should be in line with the legislative regulations. The management or the human resource is not required to issue threats like disciplinary actions against the employees engaging in the union campaign. During the campaign, the managers are not expected to question the employees concerning their stand in regards to the union activities (Kunkel & Hanchett, 2015) .
Also, during the union campaign, the management or human resource is not allowed to watch the employees. They are also not allowed to engage in actions such as taking photographs because they are considered as indirect threats to the employees. In addition, the actions are considered as an infringement of the rights of the employees to engage in the unionized campaign and activities. It is also illegal for the management to listen to their discussions of the employees participating in the union campaigns (Kunkel & Hanchett, 2015) .
The management is allowed to limit the activities of the employees associated with the campaign within the organization. For instance, the management can decide to prohibit or limit the distribution of campaign materials or solicitation within the organization. The limitations of the company should be justified with business reasons. The code associated with labor relations allows the management to provide its opinion concerning the campaign, but the opinion should be free from words that may interfere with the rights of the employees to unionize (Kunkel & Hanchett, 2015) .
Things an employer can do to prepare for the campaign
First, the employer needs to speak with the concerned employees regarding the impact of being represented by a union. It benefits employers if they think about union organizations before the campaign actually begins. Being aware of the organizing efforts or a petition will help the organization develop a communication or response strategy. To achieve this, the company will have to contact its legal counsel to discuss whether it should employ a labor relations consultant or not. The work of the consultant is to provide the business with meaningful information concerning the strategies required to face the organizing union (Holubeck, 2019) .
Second, the employer can also research the union that will organize its employees in order to learn about its officers. Obtaining information about the union will help the company know if the union has recently been subjected to any decertification petition due to the fact that the employees were not satisfied with how it represented them. Through the research, the employer can also identify if the union negotiated for a small increase in wages for employees it recently represented. Finally, the company can recognize that its employees are paid higher salaries than other union members from other companies being represented by the union (Holubeck, 2019) .
Third, the employer should learn about the basic policies that they are expected to have during the campaign and ensure they follow them until the end of the campaign. By ensuring that you have the policies, as an employer, you are better prepared for the campaign. Immediately and the employer receives information that the employees are organizing a union campaign, it will become difficult for the employer to make any changes within the organization because the employees will claim that the company has violated National Labor Relations Act (Board, 2014) .
Thank you
Senior Manager
References
Board, N. L. (2014). Bargaining in good faith with employees' union representative (Section 8(d) & 8(a)(5)) . Retrieved November 23, 2019, from https://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/whats-law/employers/bargaining-good-faith-employees-union-representative-section
Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Holubeck, B. (2019, March 27). How to Respond to Union Organizing . Retrieved November 23, 2019, from Texas Labor Law Blog: https://texaslaborlawblog.com/respond-union-organizing/
Kunkel, R., & Hanchett, T. (2015, October 16). What Employers Can and Cannot Say During a Union Organizing Campaign . Retrieved November 23, 2019, from World of Employment: https://www.stoelrivesworldofemployment.com/2015/10/articles/labor/what-employers-can-and-cannot-say-during-a-union-organizing-campaign/
Nayab, N. (2011). What Are the 8 Stages of Collective Bargaining? Retrieved Novermber 23, 2019, from Bright Hub: https://www.brighthub.com/office/human- resources/articles/107342.aspx
