The Anti-Union Campaign
Learn all about management’s anti-union tactics by checking out The Anti-Union Campaign: Unpacked and Explained below!
Now that you and your co-workers have expressed interest in forming a union, it’s a safe bet your employer is going to start an anti-union campaign. Sadly, the first thing they will probably do is go out and hire an overpriced anti-union law firm that has never met you and knows nothing about you. Despite this, they’ll try and convince you it’s in your best interest to keep things just the way they are. Then come the lies, misleading statements and smear tactics. Oh yeah…and meetings… lots of meetings! We know this because it’s the playbook almost every company uses when they see their employees standing together for a better life.
The bottom line is management’s anti-union campaign is meant to create a lot of noise and distract you from the real reason you are joining together in a union—there are problems at your worksite that only a union negotiated contract can fix. In the coming weeks, you can expect management to rehash some of the same old tired topics union busters have been harping on for years. Certainly, there are better ways they could spend their time and money. Treating their workers with the respect they deserve would be a start. This booklet is designed to prepare you for what is likely to come during your campaign to form a Union. There will be some minor variations, but the method and the message will almost always be the same.
Common questions you might hear…
Why are teachers at Carmen unionizing with the Machinists Union?
It might seem strange for an educator to join an organization called the Machinists Union. When it was founded way back in 1888 it was exclusively for railroad mechanics. But a lot of time has passed and the labor movement has evolved.
Carmen teachers reached out to the IAM to find out more about how to have a voice at work. The IAM is a large, diverse international Union that represents workers in virtually every type of industry.
The IAM has experienced labor negotiators and resources to help workers bargain, but it’s the workers themselves who ultimately know their workplace the best and will shape their contract. When workers are in the driver’s seat, they fashion contracts that best suit their priorities and needs. (Learn more at About The IAM.)
Here are links to some recent organizing wins with the IAM:
- Milwaukee Art Museum Workers
- Librarians
- Registered Nurses
- Veterinary Technicians (election pending)
- Machinists
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