A new report finds that U.S. employers spend more than $1.5 billion a year to fight labor unions, hiring union-avoidance consultants and lawyers to prevent worker organizing.
The report, published jointly by the Economic Policy Institute and LaborLab on Wednesday, estimates that employers spend roughly $1.7 billion annually on union avoidance consultants and law firms to prevent workers “from organizing and bargaining for better pay and working conditions.”
Though unionization in the U.S. has grown to its highest levels in 15 years, nonunion workers face mounting obstacles to joining a union. Over the past few decades, large law firms have developed business specialization in fighting unionization efforts, the report notes. This includes providing union avoidance consultants to employers to prevent union elections, push workers to vote against unions, and stall collective bargaining agreements.
Crosspost from https://news.abolish.capital/post/51132
@Maeve wow…over a billion dollars to ensure their workers remain voiceless and underpaid in an autocratic workplace. If you’re wondering if unions are effective, look no further than this statistic.
It’s also worth taking a moment to think of the high-paid lawyers at these firms whose entire career is focused on scaring, confusing and punishing working people who want nothing more than dignity and fair pay at work. I often wonder what they tell themselves (or what they take) so they can look at themselves in the mirror without crying.