A labor union was attempting to organize workers at a manufacturing plant owned by a predominantly non-union Midwestern agricultural equipment company. The union initially sought to organize all of the plant’s 200 associates, but after nine months, three petitions, and two NLRB hearings, the union settled for a micro-unit of 50 associates in a specific production department.
People Results’ multipronged engagement included an assessment of the situation, including the reasons contributing to some employees’ pro-union sentiment. People Results trained the leadership team and front-
line managers, all of whom had limited experience with unions and organizing campaigns, to prepare them to engage in legal, effective conversations with their workers. People Results also conducted research and developed a comprehensive, fact-based education and positive messaging campaign to influence all of the workers and, particularly, the voters.
The company prevailed in the election by a 2-to-1 margin with 100 percent voter turnout.
Issue:
- The company and its local managers had limited experience with labor unions and organizing campaigns and recognized the need for campaign strategy and support
- People Results and the company had to maintain campaign momentum and managerial
and employee engagement for a protracted period of nine months from the first petition through the election
Action:
- Strengthened leadership’s labor knowledge and skills, including communication skills during a union campaign, through formal training and regular one-on one coaching sessions
- Worked with the company and outside legal counsel to resolve
as many of the issues as could be addressed within the legal, financial, and operational parameters of the campaign - Leveraged the voices of leaders and of employees who did not want to unionize through video testimonials that were uploaded to the campaign website, reinforcing message authenticity
- Launched a texting campaign to convey messages and drive employees to the campaign website where they could learn more and ask questions of leadership
Result:
- The NLRB election had a 100 percent voter turnout and resulted in a win for the company by a 2 to 1 margin
- People Results would later be recommended by the company’s outside counsel to several other clients, demonstrating how counsel valued the expertise and partnership People Results brought to the engagement
Have questions?
Call People Results at 877.448.9741 or contact us online for more information.