The Labor Law Insider

In part two of our Labor Law Insider podcast regarding New Year’s resolutions for maintaining a union-free workplace, Tom Godar once again welcomes Rufino Gaytán. In part one, Rufino supported the resolutions that employers offer training to first- and second-line supervisors and provide financial, management, and market information to hourly employees. Adopting these resolutions are important steps for employees to be treated well and given an opportunity to experience the workplace as a respected member of a team, rather than merely a necessary functionary to complete a service or product. Unions do not compete well with employers who work to engage employees in a meaningful workplace experience.

In part two of this podcast, Rufino and Tom explore the importance of actively listening to employees and giving them an opportunity to constructively share their insights regarding the workplace. The other side of that coin is the employer responding to the ideas, criticisms, and suggestions that hourly workers and others might offer. This allows employers to engage and to respond to employees without the need for a third-party union to speak on behalf of the employees.

Finally, Tom and Rufino offered the time-tested resolution of reviewing employee policies and standards, both to ensure that they accurately tell the story of what the employer and the employees can expect in the workplace, but also for compliance with ever-changing enforcement interpretations and regulations offered by the National Labor Relations Board. Handbooks that are clearly written and up to date can reinforce shared expectations and opportunities that reward employee effort and leave little incentive for employees to seek unions. Policies that are compliant with changing standards leave little room for unions to exploit small deviations that can be a springboard of claiming unfair labor practices and building a unionizing campaign from those noncompliant polices.

Getting the basics right means listening to and respecting employees, having well trained supervisors, offering information that shows respect for the participation of employees in their workplace, and crafting policies that are not only compliant but display the employer’s eagerness to engage with employees. These resolutions will pay dividends in maintaining a direct relationship with the employees.

Tom Godar, host of the Labor Law Insider, welcomes Labor Law Insider alumnus Rufino Gaytán to kick off 2023. In a time when union activism is on the rise and employers are increasingly being targeted for union organization campaigns, the Labor Law Insider proposes resolutions which every employer can adopt to continue a positive pro-employee relationship and thereby making union organization irrelevant. Rufino is an experienced labor lawyer, often engaged in counseling unionized employers, and importantly, assisting those in maintaining union-free status in order to have a direct relationship with the employees. In part one of this podcast Tom and Rufino posit the resolution of offering excellent training to first- and second-line supervisory staff. This training is not only to acquaint them with legal pitfalls related to the National Labor Relations Act, but more importantly, to encourage the positive engagement, respectful treatment, and the opportunity to build relational capital with the employees for whom they have supervisory authority. Rufino suggests that unions often organize against the backdrop of a supervisor who has not had the training and seasoning to interact positively with his or her employees, creating dissatisfaction and opportunities to establish a reason for the union to be relevant and invited into the workplace.

The second resolution up for discussion was the pledge to provide or openly offer financial, management, and market information affecting the employer to the hourly employees. When employees are invited into the discussion, they better understand their role in the organization and, importantly, the organization’s success and marketplace challenges. Armed with that knowledge in a respectful atmosphere through direct communications with the employer, employees are much more likely to react to negative news with a certain level of understanding, rather than inviting a third party to represent their interests. Tom suggested this might be a simple resolution: “Treat your employees like adults.” They can handle the bad news and the good news and just want to be given their due as important participants in the employment experience.

In part two of this Labor Law Insider podcast, employers are challenged to offer the resolution of listening carefully to their employees and responding with respect, and reviewing policies and handbooks not only for compliance, but for hidden pitfalls.

Enjoy this podcast and please be sure to listen to Labor Law Insider part two which will come out before the end of January.

Shifting social issues in and outside the workplace along with significant public support for labor unions subjects all companies to the risk of a successful organizing campaign, resulting in a unionized workforce. Tune in to our podcast to learn about the steps all employers should take to protect their direct relationship with employees.

In Part II of the Labor Law Insider series focused on expected changes at the National Labor Relations Board, Husch Blackwell attorneys Tom Godar, Kat Pearlstone and Rufino Gaytán discuss the impact of the impending policy shift on employer policies and workplace rules regarding employee access to IT systems for nonwork-related communications, facially neutral workplace rules that negatively impact protected concerted activity, confidentiality obligations during internal investigations, and limitations on abusive workplace conduct. We hope you enjoy the discussion.