Step by step through a union campaign.

Abstract

At the first sign of union organizing, company management often decides to do "whatever is necessary to defeat the union," as one corporate vice president put it. Without advance thought or preparation, the company launches a policy of resistance and often winds up before the National Labor Relations Board charged with unfair labor practices. Sometimes the company even finds itself burdened with multimillion dollar lawsuits. Its hasty decisions to deal with the short run become strategic errors in the long run. But responding to a union campaign need not end up this way. Being prepared for each stage of the process of campaigning and negotiating, argues the author of this article, is the best way for both labor and management to avoid serious mistakes and to present employees with the information they need to cast an informed vote.