Does this sound familiar? Your boss calls a mandatory company-wide meeting. They’ve heard employees talking about unionization, and they want to give you “all of the facts.” In this meeting, someone — maybe the boss, maybe a paid “consultant” who’s actually an experienced union-buster — gives a presentation about the dangers of labor unions. It’s weird because while management says they’re “not anti-union,” everything they say sounds really, really bad. Employees leave the meeting feeling scared and confused. Maybe unionizing isn’t such a good idea after all.
This scenario has a name: captive audience meeting. For decades, it’s been a tried-and-true tactic in the union-buster’s playbook, designed to spread anti-union misinformation and derail organizing efforts. The good news? It just became illegal.
Last week, in a historic ruling, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that the coercive nature of these meetings unfairly sways workers against unions and violates their right to organize.
This is a huge win for workers everywhere. These meetings are a vile tactic that’s deeply disingenuous. By requiring workers to attend, companies wield their economic power to force workers to listen to anti-union rhetoric. And that’s exactly what the NLRB argued in the ruling, which involved a case against notorious union-buster Amazon.
Unfortunately, it’s just the mandatory nature of these meetings that’s been outlawed. Now bosses have to make them voluntary, giving employees the choice of whether to attend without fear of reprisals like losing their jobs or being disciplined. Employers will doubtless continue to hold meetings where they spout all kinds of anti-union nonsense. Just take a spin through our Anatomy of Union-Busting Campaign for a taste of what to expect.
So how can workers take advantage of this new ruling? Spread the word, says Bob Funk, Founder of LaborLab, as many people don’t know their rights. He also advises organizing workers to mobilize under these new protections before Donald Trump and his allies can enact their plans to kneecap the NLRB — and potentially reverse this important ruling. Time is of the essence.Thinking about organizing your workplace? Take the first step by talking to an EWOC organizer today.
