Reprinted with permission of the International Franchise Association, Franchising World; magazine
If your franchise is operating non-union, is it ready for a full-scale drive by a labor union to organize its employees?
Consider this before answering: Many campaigns come as a complete surprise to the employer. In such situations, the company learns that a number of employees who never expressed their sentiments in the past are suddenly indicating an interest in union representation. Once underway, a campaign such as this can move swiftly, especially if the union has done an effective job of recruiting and training a dedicated core group of employees working inside the organization.
While not all campaigns come as a surprise, employers that want to remain non-union should be ready to react promptly to news that an organizing effort is underway. First, it will want to immediately put employees on notice that it is opposed to unionization and that it is prepared to use whatever lawful means that it has available to stay “union free.” Second, it will want to act quickly to provide employees with facts supporting its position and, at the same time, urge them to consider the pluses and minuses of unionization before making a final decision concerning union representation.